Final answer:
The IOC and USOC responded to the Salt Lake City bidding scandal by enacting reforms that heightened transparency and ethical standards. Foreign governments value hosting events with American athletes for the global spotlight, economic benefits, and prestige such events confer. Specifically, China aimed to showcase its progress through the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The response by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to the Salt Lake City bidding process centered on addressing the allegations of bribery and reforming the practices for future bids. The Salt Lake City scandal, which surfaced in the late 1990s, highlighted the corrupt practices in which bid committee members were accused of bribing IOC officials to secure the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Following the scandal, the IOC implemented a series of reforms aimed at enhancing the transparency and ethical standards of the Olympic bid process. These included strengthening the ethics commission, prohibiting IOC members from visiting bid cities, and instituting stricter rules on gifts that members could receive. Meanwhile, the USOC undertook its own reforms to ensure better oversight and adherence to ethical standards when it came to Olympic bids.
Foreign governments are interested in hosting sports events featuring American athletes because of the high-profile nature of these events, which can lead to increased international attention, potential economic boost, and the prestige associated with hosting major international competitions. For example, China's use of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was in part a statement of its growing industrial development and cultural prominence.