Cheetah
Deity
Today's News from Norway:
Today the arrogant leaders of the Conservative party finally gave in to pressure from the rest of their party, and actually listened to what the Norwegian people wants!
Norway will NOT host the Winter Olympics of 2022!
Background:
In 2015, IOC will decide which city will be allowed to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
However, the Olympic Games, and especially the International Olympic Committee, have become rather less popular during the recent decade(s). They are noted for:
These problems have become more and more apparent during several of the last Olympic Games, with Athens 2000 and Sochi 2014 as the most obvious examples of how wrong it can get.
The Olympic Games are two weeks of fun though, and many politicians want to bask in the glory and perceived popularity they bring. There's also tons of potential for corruption during large construction projects, and partying with other big-shots is always fun.
This means that the IOC can usually choose between several willing politicians and their cities, who will outbid each other to make IOC choose their country to exploit. This time however, things didn't go as planned:
In Norway:
Norway considered bidding for the Olympic Games in 2018, when it was suggested that we would host the games in Tromsø in northern Norway. This was popular among a majority of people, but the big-shots in Oslo claimed the city was unsuited for the games and that it would be too expensive. A few years later, the processes is started to make Oslo big for the Olympics in 2022. This time all the big-shots thinks it's a wonderful idea, which will enrich the whole country...
A planned budget of $5.5 billion USD was rather hard to accept however, especially when a similar amount was "too expensive" a few years earlier. In addition, the Norwegian IOC representative has made himself rather unpopular after refusing criticism of China's human rights violations, berating Norwegian athletes for publicly showing grief over a dead brother, insult Norwegians in general, keeping several tyrannical despots as close friends and exploiting his own position for personal gains...
A few political parties were publicly opposed to hosting the Olympic Games, arguing that it was too expensive and that we could spend the money better elsewhere. Still, the leaders of the Labour Party and the Conservative Party (i.e. the two major parties of each political block) wanted the Olympics to Oslo. When they were confronted with polls showing that a growing majority of people (50, and later 70%) were against the Olympics, the general reply was that normal people don't know what's best for themselves. A public department was founded to propagandize for the Olympics, and have so far spent $30 million USD of public money to make people do as their politicians tell them to.
But in spite of the increasing opposition, the list of IOC demands (and plans by their allies) at the end went something like this:
...
Luckily, the leaders of the Conservative party had to give in tonight, and agree not to fund this madness. The big-shots are disappointed, the people are relieved, and we're only $30 million short instead of $5.5 billion.
What's next:
This means that the two remaining cities vying for the Olympic Games of 2022 are:
Both countries are pinnacles of democracy and human rights, and the people living there overwhelmingly support spending billions on hosting the Olympics - 97% of Chinese are in favour, according to one government official.
What's to discuss?
The Olympics and the International Olympic Committee.
Have they simply become a corrupt club of big-shots who rub shoulders with despots and exploit the common people for their own pleasure?
Have they always been that way, and it has just now become very apparent?
Should Norway - or Munich, Krakow, Stockholm, or another democratic country - have accepted to host the Olympics, to try and work with IOC to reform the Olympic Games? Is reforming even IOC possible?
Do you want your city and your government to host the next Olympic Games? At any cost?
Are the Olympics today only a chance for undemocratic, oppressive regimes to show off? Were the modern Olympic Games ever "good"?
Today the arrogant leaders of the Conservative party finally gave in to pressure from the rest of their party, and actually listened to what the Norwegian people wants!
Norway will NOT host the Winter Olympics of 2022!
Background:
In 2015, IOC will decide which city will be allowed to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
However, the Olympic Games, and especially the International Olympic Committee, have become rather less popular during the recent decade(s). They are noted for:
- Huge, budget-overrun, extremely expensive Olympic Games with unmaintainable stadiums and infrastructure
- Expensive, personal demands from IOC big-shots
- Unfair distribution of incomes and expenses for the Olympic Games
- Unreasonable demands of host city and a disregard for common people, their opinions and their wellbeing
These problems have become more and more apparent during several of the last Olympic Games, with Athens 2000 and Sochi 2014 as the most obvious examples of how wrong it can get.
The Olympic Games are two weeks of fun though, and many politicians want to bask in the glory and perceived popularity they bring. There's also tons of potential for corruption during large construction projects, and partying with other big-shots is always fun.
This means that the IOC can usually choose between several willing politicians and their cities, who will outbid each other to make IOC choose their country to exploit. This time however, things didn't go as planned:
- On the 10th of November 2013, Germany, with Munich as the main bidder, cancelled it's Olympic plans due to the outcome of referendums held in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Bavarian districts of Berchtesgadener Land and Traunstein. Between 50 to 60% voted against hosting the games, citing high costs for hosting the Olympics, environmental issues and criticism of commercialization of sports in general and the IOC in particular.
- On January 17th 2014 Sweden and Stockholm withdrew their bid, the stated reason being that the government refused to write IOC a blank check for covering the costs of the games.
- On the 24th of March 2014 the authorities in Kraków, Poland, gave in to increasing opposition, and agreed to submit their bid to a local referendum. On the 25th of May 70% of the voters rejected the bid.
In Norway:
Norway considered bidding for the Olympic Games in 2018, when it was suggested that we would host the games in Tromsø in northern Norway. This was popular among a majority of people, but the big-shots in Oslo claimed the city was unsuited for the games and that it would be too expensive. A few years later, the processes is started to make Oslo big for the Olympics in 2022. This time all the big-shots thinks it's a wonderful idea, which will enrich the whole country...
A planned budget of $5.5 billion USD was rather hard to accept however, especially when a similar amount was "too expensive" a few years earlier. In addition, the Norwegian IOC representative has made himself rather unpopular after refusing criticism of China's human rights violations, berating Norwegian athletes for publicly showing grief over a dead brother, insult Norwegians in general, keeping several tyrannical despots as close friends and exploiting his own position for personal gains...
A few political parties were publicly opposed to hosting the Olympic Games, arguing that it was too expensive and that we could spend the money better elsewhere. Still, the leaders of the Labour Party and the Conservative Party (i.e. the two major parties of each political block) wanted the Olympics to Oslo. When they were confronted with polls showing that a growing majority of people (50, and later 70%) were against the Olympics, the general reply was that normal people don't know what's best for themselves. A public department was founded to propagandize for the Olympics, and have so far spent $30 million USD of public money to make people do as their politicians tell them to.
But in spite of the increasing opposition, the list of IOC demands (and plans by their allies) at the end went something like this:
- The Norwegian government offers at least $5.5 billion USD and agrees to cover all budget-overruns - basically granting IOC and the Olympic committee a blank cheque.
- IOC and it's partners will pay no taxes or fees of any kind before, during and after the Olympics.
- No advertisement is allowed in Oslo during the games unless approved by the IOC.
- IOC members will be granted a private lane on all roads between the stadiums, other necessary locations and their hotels; free cars and private drivers during their stay in Norway; free food and drinks at their free hotel suites; dinner and drinks with the Norwegian king on the governments bill; etc.
...
Luckily, the leaders of the Conservative party had to give in tonight, and agree not to fund this madness. The big-shots are disappointed, the people are relieved, and we're only $30 million short instead of $5.5 billion.
What's next:
This means that the two remaining cities vying for the Olympic Games of 2022 are:
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Beijing, China
Both countries are pinnacles of democracy and human rights, and the people living there overwhelmingly support spending billions on hosting the Olympics - 97% of Chinese are in favour, according to one government official.
What's to discuss?
The Olympics and the International Olympic Committee.
Have they simply become a corrupt club of big-shots who rub shoulders with despots and exploit the common people for their own pleasure?
Have they always been that way, and it has just now become very apparent?
Should Norway - or Munich, Krakow, Stockholm, or another democratic country - have accepted to host the Olympics, to try and work with IOC to reform the Olympic Games? Is reforming even IOC possible?
Do you want your city and your government to host the next Olympic Games? At any cost?
Are the Olympics today only a chance for undemocratic, oppressive regimes to show off? Were the modern Olympic Games ever "good"?