Uberroth got a break, because in 1984 security costs were only a few hundred million, a fraction of total costs.
Now, security runs over $2 billion each Games (getting closer to 3), and unlike spending on facilities - where at least you got something to keep & use after the games - you never get any of that back.
And guess who gets to pick up the tab for this expensive 2-week elitist party? The poor taxpayers in whatever city is stupid enough to get stuck with it. Oh, but they get to boast that their city is now “world-class”!
Olympics are a ripoff.
Good point about security being a major cost for Olympics. Uberroth ran a tight ship in 1984 Olympics in LA. The locals drove less so that the athletes could have clean air more. A friend cooked for the rowers at the ‘84 Olympics and told me that the huge athletes ate 6000 calories for breakfast every morning. Wow. Since then the Olympics are an ATM machine for the few. Rio: what a lame place for global athletes.
“Uberroth got a break, because in 1984 security costs were only a few hundred million, a fraction of total costs.
Now, security runs over $2 billion each Games (getting closer to 3), and unlike spending on facilities - where at least you got something to keep & use after the games - you never get any of that back.”
It’s not news that “costs are higher”. Revenues are higher as well.
My point was comparing Uberoth’s private sector approach, which saved the Olympics, to other less successful ones.
And “getting a facility” is not necessarily an economic boon, they cost a lot of money to operate.
And a multifaceted exercise in hypocrisy as athletes who train and live full time in Western luxury go ‘home’ to represent Goat****istan and pretend their ‘home’ nation isn’t a nest of terrorist vipers.
Everyone pretends the dictators and socialists are not dictators and socialists and that doctators and socialists really want peace and harmony.
And which nation always needs airtight security? Israel, thanks to the Muslim scum, some of them in athletic gear and in positions of authority who want Israel wiped off the map.