The Olympic Dictatorship Games

[Tigranes]

Greece needs to host all the Olympic games. Just like it was in a good ole days.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Greece needs to host all the Olympic games. Just like it was in a good ole days.

With the athletes garbed in the traditional manner.

 

[Zelig]

I support making Greece pay for all of the Olympic games.

 

[Antilogic]

Winter Olympics in Texas? That makes as much sense as having the FIFA World Cup in the Qatar summer.

Wait... but... I thought... oh!

I see what you did there.

Government always try to sell Olympics to people with the excuse that it will bring improved infrastructures, jobs, and repay itself.
Unfortunately it has been proven over and over again that it's simply not true.

Those who gain are only the cronies of IOT that get all the contracts.

If the government wants to invest absurd quantity of money to improve infrastructures, they can just do it without having to wait for the Olympics.
Actually they can just build what is necessary and not stadiums and other crap that will become unused immediately after the sport events and finished.

At least here in Norway they actually let the people vote about it.
That's rare ... maybe they know that once people actually think about it, they will be against it.

Good riddance Olympics, the IOC is killing you.

It's a shame they require such ruinous conditions that countries are not makings bids. Hosting the Olympics should be an honor, not a burden. Who cares if we are using already-built stadiums?

So IOC wants a king? Maybe the prince of Monacco would cut it if they want to avoid the potshots at them for supporting dictatorships.

I want to see every tiny European principality/ski resort host the Olympics.

 

[gay_Aleks]

I want to see every tiny European principality/ski resort host the Olympics.

Vatican City 2029: Blessed be thy soul of thy athelete.

 

[Antilogic]

Vatican City 2029: Blessed be thy soul of thy athelete.

They would need to bulldoze at least the gardens for a stadium. Maybe convert St. Peter's.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Fools, you must convert yourself in the name of Free Markets and Capitalism!

 

[Gucumatz]

Almaty eh? A few oppressed Russian minorities later and Russia gets another Winter Olympics...

 

[gay_Aleks]

Yeah, but you can't make an Olympic Games in a war-torn zone, which will happen once Russia invades Almaty.

It's like IOC suddenly deciding mid-Yugoslav war that Belgrad would make a great place for next Olympics.

 

[luiz]

I don't think in the whole history of human affairs so much money was ever stolen as in Brazil's WC and Olympics hosting. The history of global corruption itself had to be re-written. The Workers' Party, in conjunction with the FIFA and IOC mafias, have simply reinvented embezzlement and revolutionized the whole sector to an extent unimaginable to the most optimistic crook.

So good for Norway.

 

[Truronian]

Greece needs to host all the Olympic games. Just like it was in a good ole days.

Having a fixed place for the Olympics isn't actually a bad idea. It would solve the problem of cities ending up with useless facilities and limit wasted expenditure.

 

[Kyriakos]

Having a fixed place for the Olympics isn't actually a bad idea. It would solve the problem of cities ending up with useless facilities and limit wasted expenditure.

Summer Olympics: Elis, Olympia

Winter Olympics: Kensington, Olympia

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Having a fixed place for the Olympics isn't actually a bad idea. It would solve the problem of cities ending up with useless facilities and limit wasted expenditure.

Calgary's facilities are still in use to this day.

 

[calad]

Can somebody point me out since when Olympic games become a black hole of economy from profitable event or Olympics never was one?

 

[Truronian]

Calgary's facilities are still in use to this day.

Athens' are not however.

 

[Ajidica]

Can somebody point me out since when Olympic games become a black hole of economy from profitable event or Olympics never was one?

I think someone here mentioned the last time a city made a profit off the Olympics was San Francisco in the early 80's.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Wasn't that L.A? And Calgary, of course.

 

[Antilogic]

Yeah. In any case, it's been awhile.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Athens' are not however.

And that's a shame. Other cities should have looked at Calgary's example of how to get the people to support the Olympics, and how to design and build facilities to last and still be useful 25+ years later.

 

[sophie]

I think someone here mentioned the last time a city made a profit off the Olympics was San Francisco in the early 80's.

LA. London's Olympic bid in 1948 was called the "Austerity Olympics". A bit of a protest against the money-mongering tactics of the IOC in the heavily impoverished post-war economy. Few new buildings, and a smaller event overall, as I recall. LA in 1932 also notably made money and the big-tent stadium built for the event, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has been well maintained, hosted WC matches, and is still a regularly used College (and ex-NFL venue). As I recall the housing built for the event is still in use, and the city also used the event as a kickstarter towards updating their infrastructure.

It should also be noted that LA's 1984 bid also made money, notably because it was mostly privately funded. It was the first Olympics in which the revenue came primarily from endorsement/sponsorships and private fundraising. The city also used it as an impetus to update their crumbling infrastructure and facilities. They built very little (I think the velodrome was the only thing they built from scratch) and just updated or outright reused their facilities from the previous Olympics.

SF had a bid for the 2016 Olympics but backed out when their proposal, which would have built the facilities on the undesirable Hunter's Point district (IIRC) fell through. This was also a major reason why the 49ers relocated to Santa Clara. SF has never hosted, though.