They see it as an opportunity to showcase their country to hundreds of thousands of visiting fans and a worldwide television audience of hundreds of millions.

VOA: standard.2010.02.10

"I think that the World Expo is a great stage because it allows countries from around the globe to showcase their achievements and to interact with other countries."

VOA: standard.2010.05.02

Similar to how 2008 Beijing Olympic Games put the Chinese capital in the international spotlight, Shanghai's hosting of the World Expo has given the city of 20 some million people and China a chance to showcase its emergence as a global economic power.

VOA: standard.2010.05.02

Hitler hoped to use the 1936 Olympics as a showcase for Nazism and his assertion of a superior white Aryan race.

VOA: standard.2009.08.19