The objective of this article is to analyze the effects of the Rio 2016 Olympics，based on the recent experience of countries that organized sports mega-events such as the Olympics and the Football World Cup FIFA，namely China，the United Kingdom and Brazil. We start with two general assumptions. The first is that sports competitions are increasingly internationalized；the second is that these sports mega-events have become increasingly important for international relations. To win the right to organize these sports mega-events，along with international prestige demonstration，is a unique opportunity for countries and cities to project a positive image to the world and to attract investment and business.