8The Soccer World Cup Stadiums, Brazil
As you may have deduced by now, more than a few white elephants are the result of major athletic events. In fact, the country of Brazil is reported to have had more than its fair share of them. Indeed, the government of Brazil has given the thumbs up to the construction of a dozen of sports stadiums at a total cost of $3.6 billion USD in today’s market for just the 2014 Soccer World Cup alone.
Today, less than 10 years after the popular tournament, the majority of the high-maintenance sports venues are either underused, totally empty and abandoned, or poorly repurposed. Two years after the conclusion of the World Cup, the impressive Estádio Nacional in the capital city of Brasília, for example, is used only as a bus depot. Other such stadiums are now suffering from maintenance issues, are the center of corruption scandals, or are simply written off as large financial losses.
To make matters worse, the public pays for any maintenance being done to the now mostly neglected stadiums is taken from public funds. O Globo, a Brazilian newspaper, reported that almost $100 million of public funds were spent on maintenance costs in 2018 alone. Desperate to make some use of these stadiums, the Maracanã stadium located in the city of Rio de Janeiro is being used to host various concerts and various other events, and officials still don’t know what the future holds for the venue.
(Dis)honorable Mentions
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