Peter Ongera

Thursday, March 11, 2010 09:29 AM

South Africa will host the soccer World Cup, the largest sports show on earth. The World Cup is by far the biggest sporting event in the world. Germany’s edition four years ago attracted more than 26 billion cumulative television viewers. By comparison,Beijing Olympic Games, whose duration was about half that of the month-long soccer tournament, were followed by 4.7 billion people. Being the first African country to organize such a massive tournament will offer a unique opportunity for a sports-mad nation that less than 20 years ago was excluded from most international competitions because of sanctions against the apartheid regime. The World Cup will be an immense logistical challenge for South Africa, which despite having the continent’s largest economy, is plagued by a chronic skills shortage and widespread poverty. The economic impact of the World Cup on the host country is considerable. The South African governmenthas spent about $2.2 billion for stadiums and infrastructure, and more than 400,000 jobs have already been created, which is significant in a country with 23.5 percent unemployment. Local organizers expect 450,000 overseas visitors for the event, and the economic benefit to South Africa could reach $7 billion. We have arranged homes to host some of the fans at a fee and we are looking for more along the route from Kenya to South Africa.