British bid bonanza

With the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games already secured by Britain, and a full bid for the 2018 FIFA in preparation, news has emerged today that the British government is also set to back the RFU's bid to host the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Exciting times indeed for British sports fans, but why the sudden frenzy of activity in bidding for the right to host such sporting mega-events? Although the British government has publicly claimed that won't stop investing in sport, is the decision to bid for sporting mega-events part of a long-term strategy? In which case, what is the nature and focus of the strategy? What are the goals of it? What resources will underpin behind it? Is there a sense of legacy motivating such bids, or something else? Are sporting mega-events the most appropriate vehicle through which the government can achieve the nation's sporting goals? Do they provide the best value for money? Or are there better, more effective sporting strategies that will help the Britain move sport forward? While national profile may well be enhanced by bidding for and winning the right to stage sporting mega-events, what contribution do they make to attaining broader objectives such as improved public health or an improvement in national well-being? Or is the bid bonanza simply about business and commerce? Either in terms of the net economic benefit that such events can deliver, or does the country simply bid because it can afford to?