Commonwealth Games fiasco
With the Commonwealth Games less than a fortnight away, host city New Delhi is facing an unprecedented PR disaster.

Commonwealth Games fiasco
Hosting international sporting events has always been a financial white elephant. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on stadiums that are rarely used again and the benefits of a one-time boost in tourism rarely translate into long-term economic gain. The intangible value of putting on a good show comes in the form of an opportunity to shine on a global stage. The public humiliation will be sobering both for India and for foreign investors, who value infrastructure and efficiency highly. And the damage is not limited to India alone. The developing world as a whole will find it harder to convince other countries to vote for it the next time the venue for an international sporting event is up for grabs. That may be the biggest tragedy of the Commonwealth Games fiasco.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2010.
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