Xanthus, you cant even begin to compare Athens 2004 to SA 2010. As a Greek born and raised in SA and now living in Greece, I can tell you that the two situations are totally different. While the international community was worried over the Games a few years and even months before they opened in Athens, the Greeks were giving their infrastrucuture a major boost. One of the biggest airports in Europe was being built, a metro line linking the whole city was being developed, a tram system was put in place, inter and intra city busses and taxi services were revamped and the whole bus system was even modified, a trolley (like a tram/train running on electricity alone) system was put into place, and all this was occuring while Greece already had first world transportation facilities before the Games. Apart from transport, buildings and hotels in and around the CBD were revamped and renovated, roads and massive bridges over the sea were being constructed, 16 brand new sporting facilities were built as well as a huge Olympic village which is now occupied by workers. I dont see SA doing even one eighth of any of this.
The whole reason as to why Greece wanted the Games was purely driven by a desire for the government at the time to use such an opportunity to give the economy a massive boost, in order to compete with other EU economies on an equal level. The benefits of the Games are being felt today, even though the debt which has to be paid is a natural strain on any host city and/or country. The South Africans had the chance to give their transport facilities and basic infrastructure a huge boost with the Cup but alas, 3 years later everything is still on the drawing board. FIFA didnt give the Cup to Africa so SA could make an idiotic point regarding whether Africa can host the Cup or not, it was a chance for Africa to uplift the continents economy, by giving the Cup to Africa's economic giant. By 2012, no one will care whether SA could or could not host the Cup. The ones who will care will be the locals. Will their lives get better after the Cup? Will they benefit from the upliftment programs implemented in the economy and via the infrastructural changes that occured, or will they mainly just be paying off the expense of th Cup through taxes for the next 50 years?
Introducing shuttles for a month isnt a solution to the long term problems in SA. Firstly, the crime needs to be faced with a no-tolerance approach. Secondly, the development and upliftment programs should have been implemented years ago. And thirdly, the Cup should have been seen as an opportunity to make life better for the average South African in the future. I doubt the mine worker who earns R 1000 a month will claim his life will be better in 5 years because he can watch Chiefs once every so often play in a new stadium. The basic needs of the people should have been addressed before luxuries such as massive stadiums. After all, the whole point of the Cup is to benefit the people of the host country, not to make a point to the rest of the world.
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