Blair Touts Physical and Cultural Legacies of Games on Trip to Brazil

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently met with officials in Brazil to advise the country on its Olympic preparations. He stressed the importance of long-term physical and cultural legacies.

He said one of the most important benefits of hosting major events is not only improving infrastructure and building top sports facilities, but also to encourage the use of sports to aid communities.

"Part of the legacy is about what sport can do to society," he said. "Sport today is far more important that just sport itself. It can be used as a great anti-crime policy, a great health policy."

Blair hopes the London Games will give youngsters the chance to discover sports and learn what it can do to their lives. He added that many of them first learn basic social skills thanks to sports.

Blair to Rio Olympic organizers: Focus on legacy
USA Today
October 26, 2010

Troubled Future for South Africa's World Cup Stadia

With few takers seeking to occupy the new stadia built for the World Cup, concerns hang heavy over South Africa's World Cup host cities and the investments they made in sports infrastructure.

There’s virtually no way that South Africa’s football, rugby, and cricket teams will have use for ten stadia, all of which hold at least 45,000 people (Soccer City stadium, pictured at left, holds 95,000). In the 2009-2010 season, South Africa’s Premiere Football League played 212 games — only four drew more than 40,000 fans, according to Sports Industry magazine. Five of these stadia are brand new, built just for the World Cup. Many of them have been built on land that could have been used for much-needed housing. The costs of maintaining these structures — from regular building maintenance to power to security — are big enough to raise the question of whether, and how, they will be kept up

Will the World Cup Stadia Become South Africa’s New Slums?
The Infrastructurist
July 13, 2010

Stadia Need Rugby To Break Even

Officials are calling on South African rugby teams to take up the new or upgraded World Cup stadia as their new homes to help offset the costs of building them for the event. But some are unwilling to move.

[W]hile the world champion Springboks are set to play their archrivals, the New Zealand All Blacks, at Soccer City next month, other rugby sides are reluctant to move from their homes to the new stadiums, indicating tough prospects ahead for the future upkeep of the new venues.

"I think that clearly there will have to be good balance of both football and rugby together to ensure proper use of the stadiums," said Danny Jordaan, the chief organiser of South Africa's hosting of the World Cup.

Rugby, soccer must pay for stadiums
Independent Online
July 4, 2010

Polokwane Takes World Cup Preparations Beyon Stadium

Polokwane and the Limpopo Provincial government are hoping their preparations for the World Cup will help foster relations between African countries.

These include a newly built tourism and information centre that will be utilized to attract tourists to the City of Stars and upgraded infrastructure such as roads and bridges. City officials have also incorporated a unique feature in the province's world cup fan fare programme by developing what has been named a 'cultural village', aimed at giving the World Cup an African feel. Organisers say the African village will also be used as a tourist attraction site in which 10 different African countries will showcase their heritage and culture. Plans are under way to ensure the idea is used to foster relations among African countries beyond the World Cup.

South Africa: Limpopo Ready for World Cup- Motlanthe
Bua News
May 23, 2010

Port Elizabeth's White Elephant Stadium

People in Port Elizabeth are worried about the long-term viability of its new stadium. Economists are arguing that the stadium won't be able to pay for its maintenance costs after the World Cup is over.

"In the South African case, all the stadiams were either renovated or constructed by the government. That means that the commercial consideration was never primary," said economist Stan du Plessis of Stellenbosch University.

"Some of these stadiums are simply not going to be in a position to cover their running costs. In that sense, they will be loss making."

'South Africans left with white elephants'
Independent Online
May 23, 2010

Zuma Boasts Cup's Long-Term Impact on Nation

South African President Jacob Zuma is touting the long-term impact of the World Cup on his country and its national attitude.

Investment in additional resources for the police, disaster management, health and the immigration system would have a lasting impact on the delivery of services to the people.

Also important was the vibrant national mood and the positive response of the world.

"Domestically, the World Cup is generating high levels of patriotism and national pride. Our colourful flag is more visible at this time than ever before."

Cup 'will change SA forever'
May 12, 2010

Stadium Maintenance A New Budgetary Headache For Host Cities

Maintaining World Cup stadia could cost host cities between 10 million Rand and 70 million Rand (~$1.3 million USD - $9.2 million USD) per year, leaving some cities scrambling to find ways to afford the costs.

Host cities are toying with ideas to make sure ratepayers do not end up forking out a fortune to cover these costs.

The new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane would need between R10 million and R70 million for maintenance a year, said the city's 2010 director, Ndahve Ramakuela.

He said they would appoint a private company to manage the stadium.

Maintenance of 2010 stadiums to be costly
Independent Online
May 12, 2010

German World Cup Success Lessons for 2010 Host South Africa

Germany is still seeing an economic benefit from its World Cup hosting duties back in 2006, according to this article, which looks at the lessons 2006 host Germany has for 2010 host South Africa.

Horst R. Schmidt, now treasurer of the German Football Federation (DFB), was also on the organizing committee, and is now advising South Africa as it gears up to host the first World Cup final on African soil.

Schmidt said the benefits of hosting the event were tangible, with Germany's economy still benefiting from the tournament four years on.

"A lot of Italian tourists go to the stadium in Berlin and look where their team won the World Cup, or in cities like Cologne the number of visitors are seven to 10 percent higher than before," he said.

Germany's World Cup legacy: What can South Africa learn?
CNN
May 10, 2010

Transportation Infrastructure the Main World Cup Legacy

Transport Minister S'bu Ndebele has proclaimed that transportation infrastructure improvements being made ahead of the World Cup will be the event's most important long-term legacy.

"If anyone asks what the World Cup has brought and what we are left with as infrastructure, it will be transport infrastructure, it will be the improved transport delivery in the country that will remain with us and be our way of life," he said. Ndebele made this assertion when interviewed on the SAfm Radio programme, the After Eight Debate, on the country's transport readiness for the World Cup.

World Cup paves way to better infrastructure
Daily News
March 29, 2010

Questioning the Wisdom of Hosting International Sporting Events

This article from the International Monetary Fund looks at the investments required to host big international sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup and challenges the wisdom of making those investments.

Though the article explores some of the benefits Olympics can create for cities, it also warns that the costs of hosting these events are increasingly large.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles experience was exceptional. Subsequent host cities found it impossible to procure the same proportion of private support. Several billion dollars in public monies was committed in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Nagano (1998), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), and Beijing (2008).

The Barcelona Olympics left the central Spanish government $4 billion in debt, and the city and provincial governments an additional $2.1 billion in the red. The Nagano Organizing Committee showed a $28 million surplus, while the various units of Japanese government were left with an $11 billion debt (Burton and O’Reilly, 2009). In Athens, public investment exceeded $10 billion, and in Beijing, more than $40 billion.

Is It Worth It?
Finance and Development
March 2010

London Soccer Team Owner Blasts London 2012 Stadium Downsize Plan

Plans to reduce capacity at the London Olympic Stadium from 80,000 down to 25,000 after the 2012 event are being blasted by a local soccer team's co-owner as a waste of public money. He says the stadium should be sized down only to about 60,000, allowing his team, West Ham, to lease it from the city.

"To build an 80,000-seat stadium and reduce it to 25,000 for athletics makes no sense at all," said Sullivan.

"The whole concept was misconceived. I can't get my head around it.

"Let's be honest, that stadium should not have cost £537m. It's a temporary stadium with limited facilities - that's public money appallingly badly spent. The Emirates [Arsenal's ground] was built for half the price."

West Ham owner attacks athletics plan for 2012 stadium
BBC
March 18, 2010