The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are scheduled to open in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in just a few days, and already some in the media are writing it off as an epic fail. They're saying crime there is high, the 'skeeters are deadly, the water is nasty, blah blah blah. This begs the question, "Is it all worth it?"
Do you know what it costs a city to host an Olympic Game? Anywhere from $6.6 billion (Sydney, 2000) to $44 billion (Beijing, 2008). Rio is expected to spend $11.1 billion this year. And depending on the value they put on the publicity they receive, do they get their investment back? Past history says it's doubtful. Oh sure, the contractors who build the venues (and the politicians they bribe) will no doubt do very well, but how about the average Joe on the street who is ultimately going to have to pay for it?
The last I heard Brazil was in really dire financial straights. How can they afford an $11.1 billion ego trip? I'm thinking awarding the Games to a different city every four years is just a money-making scheme benefiting the International Olympic Committee, or as we've recently learned, the IOC members personally. They had a license to steal, and they did!
So why not this: The Olympics originated in Greece, right? Why not just hold them in Greece every four years? The historical connection is undeniable, and they already have much of the infrastructure in place after hosting the Games back in 2004. I doubt the athletes would care....a gold medal is still a gold medal. We'll still see their smiling mugs on a Wheaties box. The several billion TV viewers who watch world-wide can still watch. (Comparatively few of us can afford to go in person anyway.)
Individual national Olympic teams can still sell their sponsorship's to fund their training centers. You can still get your official souvenir hats and t-shirts and stuffed animals on Amazon. Except for the local cabbies and hoteliers and restaurateurs who have a gold mine overcharging tourists during those few weeks, who loses? Oh yeah, the contractors and the politicians they own.
And for the Winter Olympics, why not just hold them in a non-controversial neutral site like Switzerland or maybe Norway? Both of those countries are wealthy and can afford to build the facilities one time, or refurbish what they already have, then just dust them off every four years and do it again.
It seems to me the Games will always be the ultimate test of athletic prowess, regardless of where they're held. I suspect all those little Joe's (Jose's?) in Rio would be happy to have the Olympic monkey off their back. I think Rio's $11.1 billion could be spent on something better, like subsidizing new industry to move there, creating jobs. I think Joe would agree....paychecks trump ego trips.
S
I no longer have any interest in the Olympics, they have been ruined by drugs, professionals and politics. Your idea is as good as any but it would never happen because of, as you pointed out, graft and politics.
ReplyDeleteGreece is in almost as bad financial shape as Brazil. It's sad countries waste so much money on these ceremonies and venues that often end up going to waste afterwards. A country like Brazil has a lot better things to spend that money on.
ReplyDeleteBut Greece already has most of the necessary infrastructure in place, left over from the Athens games in 2004. The IOC, or even the EU, could invest in some refurbished facilities and it's game on! At this point the locals would probably bend over backwards to accommodate some high rollers, and the out-of-towners would be getting a helluva bargain. Win-win.
DeleteYour ideas have merit. These games are getting too expensive and are a huge burden to the host country. It used to be that these games were held at pre-existing venues but now billions of dollars are spent creating facilities that all too often are unused after the closing ceremonies. I think the Olympic Committee was so anxious to have games in South America for the first time that they ignored the negative impact these games, which are extremely unpopular with Brazilians, have on the common people.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch them and I wouldn't want to have to pay for them.
ReplyDeleteBut I hope it goes smoothly. Whenever it is.
There you go again, making all kinds of sense.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say that exact same thing! Twins!
DeleteOr how about this: why hold them at all?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice posting. I like this informative blog.
ReplyDelete