Why world sporting events are better than world fairs

You would think that a World's Fair, which is designed to promote business, would have a permanent positive impact on the host city. This thought would be incorrect, since most buildings at a World's Fair are torn down or moved after the event is over. It's in the rules:

Ironically...at the end of the [Shanghai] Expo, the BIE's rules require that all of the pavilions be demolished or moved. And so, if there's an Eifel Tower, a Crystal Palace, or a Montreal Biosphere among them, there's only until October 31 to know it in its natural habitat, the fabulously expensive and elaborate Shanghai Expo 2010.

But a sporting event often necessitates permanent infrastructure improvements. Although these may come at a heavy cost, at least there's the possibility of reusing them after the event is over.

An example is the Commonwealth Games, taking place in India this week. The Times of India documented one such improvement:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated India's first sports injury centre at Safdarjung hospital on Sunday. Officials claimed the centre, built at a cost of Rs 70.72 crore, will cater to athletes taking part in the Commonwealth Games and once the event is over, will provide world-class treatment to sportspersons in the country.

More here.

Incidentally, a crore is equal to 10 million, so we're talking about 707,200,000 rupees, or a little over US$15 million.