Olympics Constrain Host Cities

"The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself” (Bell). Beginning in 1896, the games have successfully continued to this day with each nation’s top athletes competing at the highest level. A controversy on the continuation of the Olympics has arisen recently with proponents arguing that the games are economically beneficial to the host nation, they promote nationalism and a sense of union, and increase a host country’s global trade and stature; whereas opponents contend that they cause financial ramifications, constrain host cities to create costly infrastructure and residences that fall into disuse, and displace and trouble residents of the host nation and city.

The Olympics lead

Robert A. Baade, an economics professor, stated, "host cities are often left with specialized sports infrastructure that has little use beyond the Games" and that the cities must maintain at great expense (Baade). Olympic stadiums and various venues from previous Olympic games remain empty, rusted, overgrown with weeds, covered with graffiti, and overflowing with polluted water shortly after the Games come to an end. The demolition for a 78 million dollar stadium in PyeongChang was arranged before the Games even commenced in 2018. The Olympic Stadium in Sydney will also be demolished in 2019 as a means to make room for a more useful venue. After a potential temporary burst in the host nation’s economy, evidence shows only long term negative effects of the infrastructure built. The cost of these venues is too high for the temporary benefit they provide. Dating back, the Beijing’s Olympic stadium that costs the city $11 million a year to maintain, is further evidence of an unused expensive venue with only negative impacts on the economy in the long run. Building on a previous claim, the people of Quebec still pay $17 million a year to maintain their Olympic Stadium, which remains roofless 42 years later and in need of $300 million worth of repairs (Flyvbjerg). Sofia Sakorafa, a former Olympian, stated that "we are left with installations that are rotting away

Bryan C. Clift, lecturer at the University of Bath, stated, "To make way for Beijing's 2008 Olympic infrastructure, an estimated 1.5 million people were forcibly evicted from their homes with minimal compensation. The neighbourhoods were destroyed and residents removed to the outskirts of the city far from friends, family and places of work.” Eight years later in the 2016 Olympics, a similar problem presented itself, with residents near Rio’s stadium being forcibly removed from their homes (Clift). This led to violence between the authorities and the residents that had done nothing wrong. The Olympics eventually lead to environmental problems, which further troubles the citizens of the host nations. Railroad construction left approximately 30,000 tons of Olympic debris in Russia only to end up in an illegal landfill causing unforeseen but preventable environmental problems. This caused the slipping of a hill that ruined homes