London 2012 signals end of white elephant curse

LONDON (Reuters) - Future host cities of the world's biggest sporting events will look to emulate the London Olympics' use of temporary venues and stadia as the global financial crisis heightens the danger of building expensive white elephants.

Rio de Janeiro, which took the 2016 host baton from London in a star-studded closing ceremony on Sunday, and 2022 World Cup host Qatar are among cities taking notes from the UK capital, which held the most 'temporary' Olympic Games in history.