[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by fotze

http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2...ion-on-soccer/

According to a report released this week, from Deloitte, Qatar — population 2 million, with only 225,00 or so Qatari citizens — will spend $200 billion on the 2022 World Cup. That’s $100,000 per capita, compared $350 per capita for the Sochi Games, $73 per capita for Brazil, and $54 per capita for South Africa. Qatar will spend 286 times more money per capita on the World Cup than Russia will on the most expensive Olympics ever, the Sochi games. The country will spent 1,852 times more capita to stage the same event that South Africa did in 2010.
(MORE: Farming The Desert In Qatar)

Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world, and is basically building its sports infrastructure from scratch. Still, these figures are striking, especially given the evidence that public sports spending rarely pays off long-term. “Indeed, the numbers are amusing at first,” says Shaul Gabby, an international studies professor at the University of Denver, and a Qatar expert. “But the spending is deeper in its motivation and interest. The most important value in Arab culture and tradition is honor, which brings respect and the fear of possible adversaries. This is even more important in a time of turmoil and instability in the Middle East, where the basic legitimacy of old, traditional regimes are publicly and visibly shaking.”

You think that's bad, just wait until Dubai is awarded the Olympic Winter Games.

Sadly I'm only half kidding.