Who Wants to Host an Olympic Games? Anyone?

Wall Street Journal ^ | September 21, 2016 | Matthew Futterman

[C19fan]

The bidding process for the Olympics is following an eerily familiar pattern that should make the folks at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland choke on their afternoon chocolates.

It goes something like this:

• World capital city floats idea of an Olympic bid.

• IOC welcomes interest.

[C19fan]

The hot and smart major of Rome withdrew her support for that city's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. Hosting the games is an utter waste of money. I would be quite happy if the US never hosted another game although with Rome out it is a two way contest between LA and Paris; Budapest is submitting a long shot bid. Let the French blow billions and host an ideal target for the tens of thousands of jihadists just licking for a chance to make a real bang, pun intended.

[PAR35]

Hosting the games isn’t that expensive. It’s the cost of the bribes that makes the exercise a money loser.

[BBB333]

GO! Paris!

That will be fun to watch (disintegrate)...

[Organic Panic]

I’ve traveled past a few former olympic cities. They are ghost towns. They are the same as windmill generators. They are monuments to government corruption, graft, and waste. Does it really take billions of dollars to have some people compete?

[onedoug]

When and if the world (read the US) defeats its assault by islamists, maybe.

Not interested currently, at all.

[Robert DeLong]

I guess it depends on what the definition of expensive is

[Huskrrrr]

ATHENS OLYMPIC SITE TODAY

[RegulatorCountry]

The notion of building these tremendous facilities for basically a one-time use is just bizarre. I seriously doubt that the tourist dollars are enough to pay for all that. Put the games in locations with existing facilities. Heck, leave the summer games in Greece permanently, they need an economic shot in the arm.

[Hoffer Rand]

Salt Lake is debating jumping back into the lottery.

[qam1]

Lake Placid, NY made a boat load of money with the 1980 Olympics and the facilities are all still in use and town is still booming today.

Winter Olympics you can make $$$$$$ with.

[gr8eman]

Actually “Mayor” is just a phonetic spelling of “Major”...just saying! Who knew Rome had a hot mayor?

[Dr. Sivana]

The hot and smart major of Rome withdrew her support for that city's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Wouldn't she be a Majorette?

[wastoute]

Saudi? Syria? They could add a few new events there! Antarctica might be tough. No one to get bribes from. The mind reels. So many options.

[nicepaco]

“Wouldn’t she be a Majorette? “

Campidoglio

And a real beauty too.

[Yo-Yo]

Clean up the Athens 2004 venue and permanently park the Summer Olympics there.

Problem solved, and Greece gets a monetary subsidy every four years.

[SoCal Pubbie]

LA made money with the 1984 Summer Games.

[Kozy]

Lets just leave it in Athens. Update facilities and that is it.

Now the Winter Olympics can have one site in North America, one in Europe That's it. I didn't watch one minute of the Olympics this year. I really don't care.

[Technocrat]

Same for Salt Lake City

[Dr. Ursus]

Really,the various Olympic committees wouldn’t get their bribe money!