Bidding for and hosting the Olympics successfully is, perhaps, the ultimate glory for a city. However, before transforming the dream into reality, the benefits and drawbacks of bidding for the Olympics should be weighed carefully.

Hosting the Olympics surely would bring about much gain to a city. Boom of the local economy, more jobs, and the possibility of generating income all sound extremely attractive to the municipal government. At the same time, better infrastructure, cleaner environment, enjoying the spectacular game with hundreds of sports elites and entertainment stars, and the opportunity of contacting people from all over the world also seem exciting to the citizens. Besides, the bidding will definitely promote the patriotic emotion and pride, as well as the moral behavior in local people. In most cases, bidding for the Olympics is well supported by both the public and the central government.

Unfortunately, this is not the entire view of the pretty picture. If looking from another angle, the Olympic bid might bring about some side-effects to a city.

First of all, the environmental impacts, including the increasing exhaust fumes of cars, more pressure on water resources, huge amount of wasted leaflets and other materials used for public activities, are most probably neglected. In order to broaden the streets, some trees may have to be cut. Near the construction site, the tiny dust may linger in the air for a long time. Reduction of farmland may be caused by the need of setting up new sports centre or accommodation facilities. These environmental consequences can be especially serious in a resource-limited and densely-populated city in a third-world country.

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