IOC president Jacques Rogge dismissed concerns that the huge bill run up by China in preparation of the Olympic Games has created economically unviable assets.

As the curtains came down on the Beijing Olympic Games, Rogge spoke to reporters and denied that the stadiums or buildings would become “white elephants” for the local economy. He expressed confidence that both the people of China and its national capital would benefit from the infrastructural development undertaken for the Games. Pointing out to the spanking new facilities like the national airport and the revamped subway, Rogge said that the legacy of the Olympics would be a positive one for the people of China.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics turned out to be the most expensive epic Games with the Chinese government reportedly shelling out a staggering $42 billion in order to put up the most extravagant sporting show on earth. This led to criticism from some quarters that most of the sporting arenas and buildings constructed for the Olympics at such a huge cost will turn out to be economically unviable after the Games are over.

On the other hand there were some concerns expressed by the international sports community that Beijing’s extravagance had raised the bar for all international sporting events of the future and would be especially hard to live up to by smaller host nations.