Originally posted by
The Original An Gadaí
Despite protestations of the money makers in sports, sports serve to legitimise political power, even when it is corrupt, bloodthirsty etc. I'm staunchly opposed to major international sporting events being held in such countries. I'm probably in a minority in that regard. I don't think China, for example, should have been allowed stage the Olympics until it's a democracy. However, the coffers of middle-eastern dictatorships are typically overflowing with cash, which they invest in various sports, to both make money and to gain international prestige they don't deserve.