Posted on 10/16/2014 2:51:47 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The bidding process for the 2022 Olympics was a disaster for the International Olympic Committee.
Democratic nations are no longer buying the argument that hosting the games is a wise investment. Every potential 2022 host city with a democratic government eventually pulled out of the bidding, many over economic concerns, leaving Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan as the IOC's only two options.
Academics have been saying for years that hosting the Olympics doesn't make economic sense. The costs are typically larger than expected, the infrastructure needed for a big sporting event isn't the same as the infrastructure needed for daily life, and the economic benefits are typically overstated.
The last point was addressed by Holy Cross professor Victor Matheson in a 2004 paper called "Economic Multipliers and Mega-Event Analysis."
The paper examines a major problem with pre-event economic impact studies — which Matheson says have a tendency to overestimate how much a one-time attraction like the Olympics will contribute to the local economy.
Oslo pulled out of the 2022 Olympic bidding process in early October.
Olympic organizers consistently cite such studies as a justification for the astronomical costs of building and staging the games.
Matheson argues these studies are inaccurate, and he presents a hypothetical example about hotels that demonstrates why.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I agree. Remember the USA - USSR basket ball game in, was it 1988(?), we were rooting against the Commies.
I would imagine security costs are prohibitive.
Or split events between different countries.
You don’t have to be in a Cold location to hold Figure Skating and Hockey Events, just have an arena, you could have it in Miami if you want.
Now we are pretty close to all commies. Not me though.
Jeez, I want to visit Kazakhstan or China. The IOC should have it in one place, Lake Placid.
Let Beijing do it. Big deal. I have been there and the sites alone would make it an interesting Olympics.
We had our store, our business in downtown Long Beach during the Olympics ‘84. Had to shut ‘er down. Nobody spends any money locally other than the liquor stores, hotels, restaurants during such events. Of course the City benefits with fees, taxes, etc.
Every year is Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach, and what a mess that is. Just like the Olympics only the City coffers, the hotels, liquor stores, and restaurants make the money. Everybody else’s business takes a hit. Nobody can get to those businesses to buy anything. All the street parking, the parking lots, and the elevated parking facilities are taken. Nobody with any money wants to ride the buses to stores downtown, so for the time of the event, might as well shut down, and play solitaire.
We learned way back then what BS all the promises of money to be made by such events was.
So did Innsbruck. Squaw Valley, CA has also hosted once, though California may not be up to the headaches of doing it again.
Winter Olympics, though, must be a worse bet than the Summer. You could always get a professional sports team to use an Olympic stadium in a big city after the games are over. Winter sport facilities are bound to be used less and bring in less money.
‘72 (Munich) was the one which we got cheated...US lost in ‘88, coached by John Thompson, then decided to go with the dream team...
when Athens held the games in ‘04 the stands were 90%...
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/08/16/athens.seats/
I feel sorry for Bob Costas and NBC. They spent a lot of money to broadcast the Olympics and now no one wants to host them. /s
Valerie Jarrett controls large amounts of property in Chicago. (does not own but controls). She was the one that tried to get the Olympics in Chicago. Remember her and obama flying off to Norway to get their bribes in line? They did not offer enough as they expected to be given the olympics.
Let Russia host both. They might mind their Ps and Qs before and during so keep them perpetually on the treadmill.
#9 If the soviets were Hungry they could just invade Turkey.....
“#9 If the soviets were Hungry they could just invade Turkey.....’
But they’d need China to eat it on and what would they do with all the Greece?
Oh,ooh, ha,ha, wow that joke never gets old.
They don’t call ‘em the classics for nuttin...
Oh, for Pete's sake, it's not about the blessed games, it's about the graft and payola that support the members of the IOC. But you knew that already, didn't you.
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