State of the Games
BY REUBEN SIEGMAN
When most people think of the Olympics, they think of unity, togetherness, and a place where nations stand equal as competitors. However, these words can no longer be used to describe the Olympics. When Baron Pierre de Coubertin created the modern Olympic games, he envisioned an event that would help unite the world and promote physical education. The games no longer live up to those high ideals. The games have become so unpopular to host that there are only two countries in the entire world still bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympic games, Kazakhstan and China. Countries no longer want to host the games for both economic reasons—the cost of the games and the demands they place on the hosting countries—and issues surrounding the public’s present perception of the Olympics.
Economically speaking, it doesn’t make sense for a country to host the games unless it’s a rich nation that wants to show off its wealth. The most recent Olympics, held in Sochi, Russia, cost an estimated $51 billion, a value that if translated into the GDP of a country would rank 76th in the world. Not only is this an enormous number, but this money is not being effectively put to use. In most countries once the stadiums are built, they remain empty and unused for decades after. How can one of the mission statements of the International Olympic Committee be to, “promote a positive legacy from the Olympic games to the host cities and host countries” if all that is left is unused buildings? Another issue is that the people in the host country can no longer afford the ticket prices of the events—this is a particular concern for the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. How can the host country celebrate if their people can’t even go to see the games? The people are left with unwanted buildings they can’t enter, unwanted tourists crowding their streets, and an unwanted waste of their money.
Certainly, with most countries around the world struggling economically, hosting the Olympics would only be detrimental. In addition to the costs of the infrastructure, there are thousands of volunteers needed to run the Olympic Games. Usually, people love to do this. However, this volunteering is unpaid, and in countries with struggling economies people want compensation for their work and cannot afford to give away their skills for free. Some volunteers include skilled professionals like doctors, who would otherwise demand high salaries. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games are struggling to attract volunteers, and if they do not get enough people, the cost of the games could rise significantly, even if the majority of these workers are only paid the minimum wage.
Another problem the Olympics face is that of public perception. Athletes who win medals are usually celebrated and revered in their home countries, held up as role models to school children, put on the box of Wheaties and flaunted on television advertisements. The athletes of today often no longer deserve such celebration. Some of today’s most famous Olympic athletes are better known for their infamy than for their medals and achievements. Recently, Oscar Pistorius was charged and convicted of culpable homicide. Michael Phelps, arguably the most successful Olympic athlete of our generation has had his troubles with drinking and driving, which resulted in a six-month suspension. Hope Solo, who helped lead the women’s Olympic soccer team to two gold medals, was recently arrested for domestic violence. Another issue with today’s athletes is not only their integrity off the field, but also on it. With the advent of performance enhancing drugs, many athletes have broken rules in order to gain even the slimmest advantage. How can we tell our kids to go out, try their best, and have fun, win or lose, when the people they are looking up to are doing the exact opposite?
One could argue that the biggest perception problem isn’t even with the athletes themselves, but the governments running the games. There was lots of coverage on the corruption in the Sochi Games, but something that hasn’t been talked about enough perhaps is the corruption going on in Rio. People are upset because both the city and the entire country don’t have the necessary infrastructure to support the games. The government has also decided to tear down some of the city’s slums because of their proximity to Olympic venues, displacing thousands of people. This caused riots at the beginning of last summer, the burning of buses, and police clashes. People protested the amount of money the government was spending on the Olympics instead of funding education, transport, and healthcare.
With so many reasons not to host, many countries have simply given up efforts to try and win the bidding to host the Olympics. The worst part is, these countries are completely right to not want to host the games.