Blog entry #2

Globalization is very important to the Olympic Games and to Australia. It has given them a chance to showcase their innovative side. I say this because Sydney’s Olympic Park is one of the first green initiatives. It was with much success. Show-casing on a worldly stage also leaves room for scandals and other negative news reports (like the first torch runner). Much of the waste is recycled, many of the stadiums are still used and not left abandoned like many other Olympic stadiums of the past, and they stopped their original construction when endangered frogs were discovered on the premises. Funding for this project was also important to its success which came from the federal government, private corporations, and the state government. It was amazing how Australian’s utilized these facilities to put on concerts, and other competitions on a world stage (such as tennis tournaments. I also thought that it was an Aboriginal woman lighting the Olympic flame who hadn’t previously won a gold for Australia but would go on to do so in the 2000 games. All of this is reflected in the course and learning materials because it is apparent that Australia was competing on a global stage to host the Olympic Games and to accommodate travelers, teams, and fans. It might mean that the tourism group will focus on large attractions like the games for tourism to be successful. Because, the 2000 games had people from all over the world coming to watch and organizations are aiming to increase tourism by about 8.3% according to CORPORATE PLAN 2010/13.