Are they priced out of existance?

[Guest zipperzone]

Not referring to escorts here.... it's the Olympic Games I'm talking about.

 

The cost of the summer olympics this year is estimated to be between 40 and 45 Billion dollars.

 

For all the good they may do - and some would question that they do any - it sure doesn't seem like 40 billions worth to me.

 

I simply think they have become too expensive to justify their existance. Think of the number of starving people 40 billion could feed, or the homeless that could get shelter. And yet we spend all that money, for what? Just so some country can brag about how many gold medals they brought home?

 

Maybe I'm missing the point here but I just don't think it makes sense any more. If they insist on having them then why not give them a permant home (presumably Athens) and avoid having to build the facilities every four years. Not to mention the winter games in alternate four year cycles.

 

For me, they are an event whose time has come and gone.

[Guest ncm2169]

Oh, but, <cough, sneeze> the Host City will gain so much attention <cough, sneeze, snort> that would otherwise be unattainable <cough, sneeze> to such a modern 21st Century <cough, sneeze, hack, hack> to them.

[Guest Wetnwildbear]

The cost of this years Bejing Olympics have many unseen costs.

 

China lacked the infrastructure to host the games, as

 

such most of the venues had to be created.

 

To do so huge tracks of residential and commercial properties were

 

destroyed, the residents diplaced and relocated to tent cities or pre-

 

fab 200sq ft per family villages with communal cooking and shitting,

 

the businesses simply destroyed.

 

 

In addition, hundreds of factories were closed months ago to reduce

 

air pollution in Bejing for the games. This resulted in tens of

 

thousands of workers fired or furloughed, leaving their families

 

without income.

 

 

Needed water was diverted from a nearby farming region, destroying

 

crops, farms, and the lives of over a million chinese citizens in the

 

short run. In the long run, millions more will go without the

 

staples of the Chinese diet, rice and cabbage (all they can afford)

 

during the next 12-18 months. All so Bejing could create a river

 

needed for some of the Olympic sports, provide water for fountains,

 

wading pools and millions of potted plants brought in to make Bejing

 

appear to be a lovely city.

 

All flash and no substance. These Olympics are costly in more

 

than dollars. They are rich in human suffering.

[JT Brooklyn]

I Personally am all for going back to the Original Theme of the Olympics!

 

NO.... W O M E N! Definitely NO.... C L O T H E S ! ;-)

[Guest zipperzone]

>Oh, but, <cough, sneeze> the Host City will gain so

>much attention <cough, sneeze, snort> that would

>otherwise be unattainable <cough, sneeze> to such a

>modern 21st Century <cough, sneeze, hack, hack> to

>them.

 

Who cares about the attention. The poor slobs who just happen to live in the host city are the ones who really suffer through their pocket book for many years after the games are no more than a memory.

 

As Vancouver is hosting the 2010 winter games, I am already feeling the pinch by way of increased property taxes which will continue well into the future. And what will happen to all these expensive facilities after the games are over. City council will find someway to use them I'm sure, but the revenues the facilities raise will be nowhere near the cost to maintain them (let alone pay for the original cost) so once again, where will the money come from. The tax payers.

[+ ArVaGuy]

I agree that the Olympics are becoming overly expensive on many levels. There's the infrastructure of course but also hotel, travel, and event tickets. Everybody tries to cash in on every level. For the life of me I can't even understand why anyone would even go to these events any more unless they are an athlete.

 

The Olympics lost a lot of appeal for me when they moved to the two year alternating schedule in 1992. I think it was better when both Summer and Winter games were held in the same year. Just when you are over one the hype starts for the next set of games two years later. This may make the sponsors, networks and IOC happy but it's just over staturation.

 

Look at the difference between the FIFA (Soccer) World Cup which is only every four years. Practically the entire planet shuts down as the matches are played between various countries. The passion involved in these matches far exceed what comes from the Olympics these days. Hopefully, FIFA wont get greedy like IOC and move the World Cup to every two years. ( Viva Italia. ;-) )