"…what happens when the Games are over? The figures below (all GDP growth rate in percent) shed some light.
Japan: (1964*) 11.2% (1965) 5.7%
Korea: (1988*) 10.5% (1989) 6.1%
* Olympic year.

This is somewhat disconcerting, with Japanese growth almost halving and Korea’s rate moderating by approx. 40% post-games. Is this what’s going to happen to China? Clearly there are many factors mitigating against that, including China’s size, economic position, etc., etc., but … it could happen, right? Let’s look at a few other countries:

Canada: (1976*) 5.2% (1977) 3.5%
Greece: (2004*) 4.2% (2005) 3.7%
Spain: (1992*) 0.7% (1993) -1.2%
USA: (1984*) 7.2% (1985) 4.1% (1996*) 3.7% (1997) 4.5%

Of the examples above, only the 1996 Atlanta Games resulted in greater GDP growth the year after. But 1997 was an exceptional year - the beginning of the internet bubble, so that must be discounted. …"

Best regards,