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We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

washingtonpost.com

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Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#71

Post by IkmoIkmo »

6d0debc071 wrote: post #65
hmate9 wrote: post #53

Hosting the Olympics also many side effects: - improved infrastructure - increased tourism - stadiums, hotels, training grounds - good way to get people into doing sports just to name a few. Hosting Olympics on a small ireland would mean we give up all of these benefits. While hosting the Olympics costs a lot of money, income from tourism and media attention surely makes up for it (correct me if I'm wrong).

> Hosting the Olympics also many side effects: - improved infrastructure - increased tourism - stadiums, hotels, training grounds - good way to get people into doing sports I would I imagine that sinking £9.3 billion into road or public-transport improvements would have a bunch of favourable side effects too. The magnitude of those effects compared to what else could be done with the money matters. > While hosting th…

You're not quoting a profit or loss. You're quoting a budget and actual expenses.

If Apple decides on a $1b budget to create the iPhone and it turns out it ended up costing $2b, that's not a 'loss' of $1b, and if it turned out to cost $500m that's not a 'profit'. It's merely going over budget or under budget.

Profit would require you to actually look at the revenues of the iPhone, too. You're basically quoting R&D / Investment budgets+costs, and not looking at all at the outcomes, e.g. the effects it has on a city's infrastructure and standing in the world. (and how that affects everything from tourism, improved diplomatic relations, export of national products & culture, cheaper access to finance etc)

Not that I don't agree with your larger points. Studies have been done to measure those outcomes, too, and very often the costs of the Olympics are still not worth it. Although a lot of these things are really tricky to measure, and some are intangible and possible to measure but difficult to express in financial terms. (what pride for example must the Chinese have felt in 2008, I'm all too familiar with the many human rights issues but this was an absolutely spectacular event that must have inspired hundreds of millions of Chinese on some level.)

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#72

Post by IkmoIkmo »

pmelendez wrote: post #37
arcoarkona wrote: post #32

having the olympics costs a country X amount, and earns a country Y amount. for some reason I think most people put Y at 0, and say that the country has wasted X (talking only about the 'price tag' of hosting). I can't tell whether people doing that are being dishonest to support a narrative, or whether they actually think that hosting an olympics earns a country nothing. you can argue that Y is often or always less…

I think in this case the author is well-aware of Y: "Though Olympic boosters say the Summer Games allow a city to showcase itself to a global audience, only two Games, both in Los Angeles, have ever made a real profit"

Actually that's probably based on lists of Olympic budgets, and actual costs which gets cited pretty often. Very often olympic cities spend more than they budgeted for, and that's considered a loss.

That however has everything to do with X (how much is budgeted, and how much was spent. i.e. what was the cost), and still absolutely nothing with Y (actual revenues/benefits). That was his entire point.

We have to remember that the budgets aren't necessarily meaningful because politicians have to sell their own taxpayers the idea of applying for an olympic bid with a budget. Obviously that budget will be severely underestimated to create as little resistance as possible, despite the possibility that the true budget which is higher, would still be worth it. This isn't always the case but my point here is that the politics are set up such that there are good reasons to underestimate the true budget even when the true budget is worthwhile for the city, and thereby end up registering a net loss because you ended up going over budget.

For example, Brazil could very well benefit from these olympics (although it's too early to tell). Yet their projected budget was less than $2.5 billion, despite the fact last two olympics averaging $25 billion in one country richer and one country poorer than Brazil. Obviously budgeting $2.5 billion is a complete and utter joke, and everyone knows, everyone, that it'd be way higher. But it doesn't mean it's a loss to the city.

Meanwhile when China spent close to $50 billion, but early reports showed it was a tiny bit cheaper than its budget, it didn't mean that this in and of itself constituted a profit, either.

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#73

Post by taejo »

dghughes wrote: post #64
Gys wrote: post #2

'How about selling a permanent site in Greece for the Summer Olympics ? An uninhabited island would be ideal, not too far from the coast accessible by ferries as well as planes.' 'The original Olympics was held in Olympia, Greece for 800 years. The changing site is a modern phenomenon used to spread support in the early stages of the modern Olympic movement. Why not return the Games to their real roots?' Good argumen…

The original Olympic games were held in honour of Zeus (God) so really the games should be held in the Mount Athos region of Greece an autonomous monastic stare in Greece. What better place to hold games originally religious in nature from Greece than this region? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Athos

Well, there are women athletes, so that wouldn't work. (Entry to Mount Athos is only allowed to men)

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#74

Post by taejo »

allendoerfer wrote: post #23
bluedevil2k wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The World Cup requires a country to have 10-14 stadiums when only 2-4 games are played a day. There's no reason for more than 4 stadiums.

For most European countries this is not a problem. Each club which plays in its countries top division already has a big enough dedicated football stadium. It becomes a problem when you let FIFA bribe BRIC or even third world country politicians (or vice versa). Then you get stadiums located in deserts or rainforests without a club nearby that is even remotely capable of filling it on a weekly basis. I like what the…

FIFA takes the bribes, it doesn't give them (well, probably that too, but they aren't begging and bribing South Africa and Qatar to take the games)

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#75

Post by Kluny »

6d0debc071 wrote: post #65
hmate9 wrote: post #53

Hosting the Olympics also many side effects: - improved infrastructure - increased tourism - stadiums, hotels, training grounds - good way to get people into doing sports just to name a few. Hosting Olympics on a small ireland would mean we give up all of these benefits. While hosting the Olympics costs a lot of money, income from tourism and media attention surely makes up for it (correct me if I'm wrong).

> Hosting the Olympics also many side effects: - improved infrastructure - increased tourism - stadiums, hotels, training grounds - good way to get people into doing sports I would I imagine that sinking £9.3 billion into road or public-transport improvements would have a bunch of favourable side effects too. The magnitude of those effects compared to what else could be done with the money matters. > While hosting th…

In the case of Vancouver, the city got a massive and much needed upgrade to the light rail system that might never have happened without the Olympic budget.

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#76

Post by Kluny »

tellthetruth1 wrote: post #56
kleer001 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that might help fix their economic problems...

But why the world should fix their economic problems?

Why not? It's a net loss for most places but it could be a net gain for them. They invented the stupid Olympics in the first place. It's a nice place for a summer holiday. Might as well.

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#77

Post by omouse »

Gys wrote: post #2

'How about selling a permanent site in Greece for the Summer Olympics ? An uninhabited island would be ideal, not too far from the coast accessible by ferries as well as planes.' 'The original Olympics was held in Olympia, Greece for 800 years. The changing site is a modern phenomenon used to spread support in the early stages of the modern Olympic movement. Why not return the Games to their real roots?' Good argumen…

A permanent way to ensure the Greek economy never goes under ;)

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#78

Post by kleer001 »

tellthetruth1 wrote: post #60
kleer001 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it is part of the world. Because it would take the burden off of other countries. A family lives or dies by how they treat their shitty uncle. In the end I believe people are essentially good. Not that they eventually do good things. That's a measure for time and luck.

So the whole "family" has to pay for the uncle's drinking and drug habit? I am not gonna pay for your "belief".

Sure dude, get a job in International finance and push that agenda. Until then the powers that be are going to try to work things out as if we all have to live together on a tiny little speck of dirt in space.

And the push the analogy further, they would force the uncle into rehab and get him arrested if needed.

Re: We should host the Olympics in the same place every time

#79

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

return0 wrote: post #14
Gys wrote: post #2

'How about selling a permanent site in Greece for the Summer Olympics ? An uninhabited island would be ideal, not too far from the coast accessible by ferries as well as planes.' 'The original Olympics was held in Olympia, Greece for 800 years. The changing site is a modern phenomenon used to spread support in the early stages of the modern Olympic movement. Why not return the Games to their real roots?' Good argumen…

Trying to think a way to attract sponsors when the athletes will compete wearing nothing but olive oil all over them.

That's the new women's beach volleyball uniform they've been trying to adopt.
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