Study Guide

Political, economic and cultural factors affecting the hosting of international sporting events, including Olympics and football World Cup events
• Case study of costs and benefits for one country hosting an international event

Textbook pp516-527

Hosting a major international sporting event can bring a range of potential costs and benefits to a country.
  1. Look at page 516-517 and take notes on the costs and benefits a country must weigh up before deciding to host such an event
  2. How much did it cost China to host the olympic games in 2008 and how much was it estimated to have added to China's GDP? (p522)
  3. Why was there a big change in the number of countries willing to host the olympics after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics? (p522-523)


Political factors


Watch this YouTube based on the British government's role in putting together a successful bid to host the olympics. 
  • What were the steps that had to be taken by politicians in order to make a successful bid?
  • What factors needed to be addressed to convince the Olympic Committee of the bid?

Now watch these clips. What political issues have affected previous Olympic Games? Be specific about place, people, power as well as the dates and issues.


Economic Factors

  1. Why have most olympic bids been from wealthier countries? (p524)
  2. How does the economic factor of "television and media rights" play an important part in selecting an olympic city? (p524)

What are the economic factors to consider in terms of:
  • Games Organisation - what are the costs? Where should this money be coming from?
  • How is the balance found between cost and revenue? What are the sources of revenue?
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Socio-Economic factors affecting the London Olympics
  • London has five international airports (Luton, Stanstead, City, Heathrow and Gatwick). London City is located very close to the Olympic Village.
  • London has a good rail network. Newham is connected by the underground, overground, mainline rail, Docklands light railway and Eurostar.
  • Many of the venues were already in existence e.g. Wembley, Lord's, Wimbledon and the O2 arena.
  • The government guaranteed to cover the cost of the Olympics.
  • The UK has a successful track record of hosting major sporting events, it hosted the European football championships in 1996 and the Commonwealth Games in 2002.
  • London is world city, so it is easy to attract sponsorship and advertising to the venue.


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Outline the economic legacy of the London Olympics using this video.


Cultural factors

​Socio-cultural factors and the London Olympics
  • London and the UK has a tradition of sport. Lord's is the home of Cricket, Wimbledon the home of tennis and Twickenham the home of rugby. It also has many other famous sporting venues in the capital like the O2 arena, the Emirates and Wembley.
  • London championed the idea of leaving a legacy. They said that a poor area would be regenerated and venues would be left for future use.
  • They had the backing of celebrities, Lord Sebastian Coe (former Olympic champion) and David Beckham helped with the bid process.
  • The bid team used local residents to further their course and to show that it had the backing of the local population. Thirty of the final 100 bid team in Singapore for the vote were local Londoners.
  • All venues will be used after the Olympics. They will either be made smaller or dismantled and moved to other parts of the country.
  • There are a large number of hotel rooms in and around London.

  1. In terms of cultural factors, explain why some Olympics have been met with approval from the local people and others with hostility. (p525)
  2. Read through the economic and non-financial benefits of the olympics on p525-526. Add any extra factors to your notes that have not already been covered.​​


Costs and benefits of the London Olympics

Use the tables below and your notes above to evaluate the costs and benefits of the London Olympic Games: