BBC News Updated every minute of every day

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 15:26 GMT 15:26 UK

why should Africa not host sporting events?its better to spend the money on sporting facilities,roads,railway lines than to be looted by corrupt govt officials..

Andy, Lagos

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 15:07 GMT 15:07 UK

Hosting these tournaments in Africa is a sign that our continent is gradually graduating from grass to grace.We as Africans should stop complaining and applaud our goverments if such oppurtunity arise on our comtinent.For once,let Africa show case her rich and developed enviroment other than war and poverty.

Laura Golakeh, Monrovia

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 13:51 GMT 13:51 UK

It is very apparent after the event that it didn't work for Greece when hosting the Olympics and we are about to witness South Africa "trying" to host the World Cup. I wish them the very best but my gut feeling is that it will be a disaster, especially for the fans who are ripe pickings for the crime lords there! So much money going into this event yet the country has a myriad of problems that need to be addressed first.

[bumbleboo], Stuttgart, Germany

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 12:45 GMT 12:45 UK

The African Countries should NOT even be thinking about staging Sporting Events until they can prove that they are willing to help their own people - we keep sending aid in and heavens knows where it is going - if i found out my money had been diverted or misused to enable sporting events to take place then i am afraid it would be the last time i donated anything. -- Let thses governments get their priorities right - help their own first andthen look at joining the world stage

Julie Dudas, Barnsley, United Kingdom

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 12:26 GMT 12:26 UK

I am a Nigerian, though no longer proud to be so because of the bad crops of leaders who have rubbished the country’s image through greed and foolish amassing of ill gotten wealth, The Nigerian public are angry with this government and you will notice that on the first day of the competition I was in Abuja but there was no turn out from spectator because they (The Leaders) left Leprosy to deal with common skin infection (Craw- craw)

Macaulay Akinbami, Lagos-Nigeria

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 11:42 GMT 11:42 UK

The benefits of investing on sports will merely exacerbate African problem. Most African countries are poor and need to work to feed their people in the first place. Investing in sports and entertainment is the main reason why African countries like Ethiopia are failing to get out of poverty.

The youth sees the fame and media coverage he/she gets if they become parts of the sports/entertainment society. They become hedonists then their country will go on begging bread!

Aradom T., Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 09:58 GMT 09:58 UK

I agree with the stance taken by the Zambian Government. It is important to estimate the costs and weight that against incomes. Furtherm one has to check the size of the budget deficit and also the govt's omestic and external debts. These will help do a cost benefit analysis. Also resources are extremely scare one should rank expenditures/needs in priority order...and definately more life saving needs will top the list before one sees sports.

Unless private sponsorship takes up the costs.

Philippe C. Masengo, Lusaka

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 08:57 GMT 08:57 UK

"Some parts of Africa can" the parts that are not spending all they money on guns or armys ? or they bad leaders are putting it into swiss bank accounts? The wonderful African skilled people, can do anything that any other country can do, If they are allowed ,to have acess to they own money.Good luck to Nigeria and Angola.

jimadore, cardiff

Added: Monday, 2 November, 2009, 08:36 GMT 08:36 UK

I wouldn't bother hosting sporting events, you can have our 2012 olympics if you want.

Sport is the side show, it's all about a very few rich people making vasts amounts of money by taking your hard earned tax. It's a business not a sporting event.

Plain and simple, don't get sucked in like we have been in the west.

knappy, Leeds

Added: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 21:25 GMT 21:25 UK

African nations should not enjoy the opportunity of hosting any game while its people are dying of the basic needs of life. The money for the games should be pured into providing for the needs of the people. South Africa has many homeless people, aids and HIV. Look at Nigeria; bribery and corruption and looting of the tresury by the leaders while malaria and childbirth is the norm. Libya has no democracy and there will be none soon. East is full of pirates, terrorists and never ending wars.

Enitan Onikoyi, London

Added: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 19:14 GMT 19:14 UK

I think South Africa 2010 is a test case. If the 2010 World Cup succeeds, it will give other African countries the courage to go for it.
One very funny thing about hosting events is that, it's not just about what you have but also about what you can make out of the little you have through determination.
Therefore, no matter how poor Africa may be, if the Africans are determined, they can affort international sporting events.

Ed Kargbo, Juba

Added: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 17:08 GMT 17:08 UK

I have to wonder, where does a country like Angola get $1 Billion to spend on sports? How dare any African nation consider spending that kind of money on entertainment, while millions of Africans starve? A $Billion for PRESTIGE?!

Richard Savary, Pasadena, United States

Added: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 17:04 GMT 17:04 UK

African states have very many unfilfilled neccessitites.Why should they spend money on what to some or most of us is a luxury? They should buy drugs,build schools,build roads, etc first.They should for God's sake do first things first.

Naluzze Rashida, Kampala Makerere University

Added: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 16:21 GMT 16:21 UK

I think African govts should concentrate seriously on the actual provision of basic infrastructural needs of their countries to improve the living condition. The opportunity cost of hosting these expensive sporting events should be well considered in relation to the basic needs of the populace.

Goodluck, Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria

Added: Sunday, 1 November, 2009, 14:42 GMT 14:42 UK

Few African countries can afford the huge budgets needed to put up ultra-modern sports infrastructure today. Africans are known, diehard fans of football, but besides watching the national team play, most won't attend local ties. Building a stadium is a life investment, but it’s worthless if gate fees are low, maintenance is absence, and the structure is abandoned as refuge for the homeless and stray animals. Thus, local sponsors & the public must support gov'ts to build, use and care for them !

Mizuh I. Mbah, Edinburgh