By MISTIKA IDRIS
brats@thestar.com.my

IMAGINE if Malaysia gets chosen to host an event like the World Cup one day. It would certainly be a proud moment for our country.

That’s exactly what happened in Brazil back in 2007, when they succeeded in their bid to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

But like any major sporting event, a lot of work has to be done before the tournament even kicks off. You have to build stadiums, facilities, fan zones, etc. Clearly, none of that comes cheap or easy.

And because of that, the World Cup hasn’t exactly been well received by the Brazilian public, who believe the money should be spent on alleviating poverty and improving the poor state of public services.

Of course, there are many benefits in holding an event as prestigious as the World Cup in your country. It’s essentially free promotion for your tourism industry!

But unfortunately, very few among the country’s poorest will ever experience any of the social and economic benefits that comes from organising a World Cup. And with an estimated cost of US$3.6bil (RM11.5bil) alone to build the stadiums, it’s no wonder people are up in arms.

Is it really worth it to build all these stadiums to be used for a month, only for them to be become white elephants after the tournament is over? Many of the facilities built for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens have fallen into ruin, and the Birds Nest Stadium has barely been used since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Who is to say the stadiums in Brazil won’t suffer the same fate?

Wouldn’t the money be better spent on the betterment of the country? I’m sure the Brazilian government could have been able to make huge improvements to healthcare and education with that much funding.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t enjoy watching the World Cup or the Olympics. They’re great sporting events that bring people together. But still, it’s important to know what’s going on behind all that hype.

The writer is a member of the BRATs young journalist workshop. To read more stories from the BRATs, log on to facebook.com/starbrats.