Please LOS ANGELES, withdraw your bid for the 2024 games!!
7
Same old story. Why don't we ever learn?
10
I remember going ashore long ago when I was on a US Navy ship on some kind of goodwill tour up and down Central and South America. Rio was one of our stops; in fact, it is the only one I recall of the many we made, but I do recall walking around late at night, alone, and in the streets near the beaches where the ship was anchored. I never felt fear and hardly ever saw anyone else.
Then again, that was in the late 1960's and Rio was a very different place. I would not repeat my steps now. That it lied to the IOC to be given this honor just shows the corruption of both the International Olympic Committee and the politicians in countries vieing for the right to spend millions and millions of their local currency with promises of great things after the Games end.
Like many, I never thought Rio should have been given the rights. They could not afford the cost and there was no way anything would be salvaged after. Time has proven that to be accurate.
Then again, that was in the late 1960's and Rio was a very different place. I would not repeat my steps now. That it lied to the IOC to be given this honor just shows the corruption of both the International Olympic Committee and the politicians in countries vieing for the right to spend millions and millions of their local currency with promises of great things after the Games end.
Like many, I never thought Rio should have been given the rights. They could not afford the cost and there was no way anything would be salvaged after. Time has proven that to be accurate.
12
The Olympic facilities and structures in Brazil were built on the cheap. Shoddy construction and questionable structural integrity do not deserve to be maintained. The Brazilian government recognizes that fact and have abandoned many of the sites to decay. It's a shame, but Brazil lied in order to get the games. This is a lesson for any nation that sells its soul to reap the short term rewards of putting on future Olympics.
9
London has fared better, though the costs for everything have shot way past what was predicted. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/davehillblog/2015/jul/23/london-olymp...
Brazil should have invested directly in clean water, schools, housing and transportation.
But there is no transparency and the government is rotten and corrupt to its core.
Brazil should have invested directly in clean water, schools, housing and transportation.
But there is no transparency and the government is rotten and corrupt to its core.
7
The Olympics are a big party and many people greatly overspend on their parties. They say it will be easy to pay down their credit card bill after the party but they know it is not true. After the party there is often a godawful mess left over. The same people will wait a while and then do the same thing. It is not just grafters who cause these Olympic messes. It is human nature.
3
"They came, they robbed, and they said goodbye," one resident said describing the Olympics.
Well, when we visited Rio, our experience was: "WE came, YOU robbed us, and we said goodbye to Rio forever." We were mugged on Copacabana beach in broad daylight by 4 knife wielding guys. Turns out we later discovered that my cousin was also mugged in Rio as were two different sets of neighbors.
Well, when we visited Rio, our experience was: "WE came, YOU robbed us, and we said goodbye to Rio forever." We were mugged on Copacabana beach in broad daylight by 4 knife wielding guys. Turns out we later discovered that my cousin was also mugged in Rio as were two different sets of neighbors.
10
Brazil 2007 Pan American Games, 2014 FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games Rio 2016. The inheritance of all of them for the Brazilians was a herd of white elephants...
3
I think this says more for Brazil than the Olympics. Look at the legacy of London 2012. I can't say with any huge authority that ALL infrastrcuture is being utilised but I don't get the view it's as bad as this. Though the taxpayer did get shafted when West Ham United took over the Olympic Stadium (which their fans hate).
4
Rio is one of the most beautiful places on earth. When I am there I have to enjoy it from the hotel because I am scared to leave. Anyone with intentions of going out in Rio is taking a huge risk. No thanks.
6
There's a sucker born every minute. Rio is just the worst of a common Olympic outcome. The Olympics are not about sport or athletes, they are about spectacle and making money for a few hucksters.
Better for true sport to have a permanent home for the Olympics in Greece and use the facilities over the years instead of building new with scarce public funds ever four years. May help Greece pay a few bills over the years as well.
Better for true sport to have a permanent home for the Olympics in Greece and use the facilities over the years instead of building new with scarce public funds ever four years. May help Greece pay a few bills over the years as well.
8
Look at giant swimming pool, is it reusable in multi-million city? Of course yes, it can be reused. The problem is that it was designed and built as government facility, so now, nobody wants to own it in the place where it is.
Olympic committee can enforce auctioning of all Olympic facilities at market price before they are being built. In that case their placement would be appropriate. Of course it will create a lot of problems for visitors, because facilities are going to be scattered around the city, but will grantee investment into sport and not into Olympic show, this is what it is now.
Olympic committee can enforce auctioning of all Olympic facilities at market price before they are being built. In that case their placement would be appropriate. Of course it will create a lot of problems for visitors, because facilities are going to be scattered around the city, but will grantee investment into sport and not into Olympic show, this is what it is now.
Considering what is going on in the USA with the Trump administration, I wouldn't criticize Brazilian politics.
6
This was completely predicted/expected as soon as it was announced that Rio was awarded the games. The only viable (and practical) solution to this mess are permanent sites for both the Winter (Switzerland) and Summer (Greece) games.
7
We ne d to invest in one summer site and one winter site. Participating countries can contribute proportionately to their construction and maintenance, and share proportionately in the profits.
Let's do the right thing.
Let's do the right thing.
6
Sérgio Cabral, our former governor (Rio is both the name of a state and its capital city), sits now in jail. Part of the charges involve bribes over 10 million USD from the renovation of the Maracanã stadium. This helps to explain another reason why our politicians were so hyped by our hosting the olympics.
The state is broke, but I don't have a doubt in my mind that we'd be seeing the same outcome if it weren't so.
One example to put things in perspective: Emar Moreira was a congressman who did not disclose that he was the owner of a castle (yes, a castle). Of course he could not justify the means to afford such a structure. When pressed by the media, he replied that he couldn't care less about the public opinion. This was in 2001. He was back to our House in 2014. He did not even need a single vote, since he was the second surrogate of a congressman who had stepped out.
The state is broke, but I don't have a doubt in my mind that we'd be seeing the same outcome if it weren't so.
One example to put things in perspective: Emar Moreira was a congressman who did not disclose that he was the owner of a castle (yes, a castle). Of course he could not justify the means to afford such a structure. When pressed by the media, he replied that he couldn't care less about the public opinion. This was in 2001. He was back to our House in 2014. He did not even need a single vote, since he was the second surrogate of a congressman who had stepped out.
2
From the Rio Olympics to the State of Nevada subsidizing the new stadium for the Raiders; the public is continuously hoodwinked by promises of an economic development bonanza from these projects. At the same time the voting public rails about increased school taxes, infrastructure spending, etc. Kudos to the City of Boston for seeing through this scam. When will people realize that these Bread and Circus projects only detract from the real issues facing our society? In answer to my question; probably never. It's always easier to support billion dollar Olympics and Millionaire athletes rather than a new sewer line, better roads and airports, etc.
9
This is immensely sad. A total waste of billions in a country that can barely feed its poor.
3
"Barely?" I think Brazil is *completely* unable to afford to feed its poor.
4
The Olympic Committee claimed the games would be/were "green" and "sustainable". There is nothing sustainable about abandoned stadiums, pools, and other wasted infrastructure. It's an insult to all who try to limit consumption, and keep their ecological and climate footprint small. Green Olympics would use the same venues year after year.
7
Actually, there is something green, that is the algae slime left behind in the unused, half empty swimming pools :(
4
At the root of the problem is corruption, which blankets the Olympics like a fog, ever present as they move from venue to venue, preceding them, during them, and trailing them-
8
As long as Olympics are south of the equator they will always be a disaster (except Australia and New Zealand). Why?? Corruption!!
4
Disgrace.
3
Globalism at its finest.
4
First world activity in third world nations exposes the corruption behind everything the IOC does. And, there are far too many summer games sports, driving up the need for arcane facilities. Note that the far more enjoyable to watch winter games are always successful. They have less events and are held in first world nations, or nations with proper budgets and security, such as Russia. Another aspect of the winter games is the minimal involvement of the IOC, not a coincidental occurrence as serious hosts make that a prerequisite.
The public works to build olympic sites meant money in Brazilian POLS pockets. You know the rest since right a few short months before the Olympics were set to start, 30B $$ were found to have been siphoned off from the State Oil Co for the support of the ruling political party. That President, Dilma Rousseff was impeached and numerous party member were indicted. Brazilians protested the building of so many stadiums in Rio and other cities that they knew would be like tossing money into a deep hole benefiting everyone in the supply chain of building these white elephants. Brazilians know that POLS everywhere are corrupt and must be kept on a short lease and surely we know this which occurred under the Obama administration know as the redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the poor. The rich supporters got a big tax break watching on the sidelines and the banks got bailed out.
2
But of course, no mention from you of corruption by those truly benefiting from the Olympic inve$tments: the municipal and state governments (of the "center" PMDB party, currently illegitimately in power federally), the real estate and construction companies, and the IOC. You know, those actually indicted and jailed for this mess, whose pockets were lined at the expense of the public. Most political parties with any say in this benefited, and some special few politicians and entrepreneurs most of all. They must all be brought to justice.
2
Fundamentally this is a failure of those at the IOC responsible for its "legacy" program. Clearly, in reviewing the bid proposal made by Brazil to host the games IOC staff failed to perform proper due diligence to assure that what was being sold to Brazilians, the IOC and, indeed, the world, was legitimate. As your article devastatingly reports, the IOC's legacy program in Rio was a major disaster: not merely one missed deadline or one underdeveloped promise, but widespread and systemic failure of major magnitude. Who at the IOC is responsible for that pre-event due diligence and do they still hold their position there? Why should the world trust the capabilities of those IOC officials in the future?
2
When will more cities, such as Boston, wake up and realize that hosting the Olympics is the ultimate manifestation of the old Roman axiom, Caveat Emptor?
The blame should ultimately be placed on the greed and the attendent commercialization that drives the so-called Olympic Movement. It underpins the corruption, misplaced priorities and white elephant syndrome that characterizes most host cities before, during and after the Olympics leave town.
It also belies the true original spirit and purpose of the Olympics, which have lost signficant luster in light of the types of post-Olympic POSD (Post-Olympic Stress Disorder) identified in the article, not to mention the separate little issue of doping and the stain that it has spread over the Olympics.
The blame should ultimately be placed on the greed and the attendent commercialization that drives the so-called Olympic Movement. It underpins the corruption, misplaced priorities and white elephant syndrome that characterizes most host cities before, during and after the Olympics leave town.
It also belies the true original spirit and purpose of the Olympics, which have lost signficant luster in light of the types of post-Olympic POSD (Post-Olympic Stress Disorder) identified in the article, not to mention the separate little issue of doping and the stain that it has spread over the Olympics.
3
Nothing new here. Corporate Power disguised behind Athletic competition. The "Olympic Spirit" is nothing but dollar signs for the elite athlete and his/her corporate sugar daddy. Over charge the Host Cities at the expense of the people who live there. It's like the iPhone, huge dormitory factories hidden overseas where workers work in conditions no one the US would for a product that recycles annually. The Olympic Athlete works his/her but off to battle for a medal in venues that are built to crumble once the party is over. Empty promises and fake dreams.
1
According to Ronald Reagan, the most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
Brazilians -- colonized by benighted Portugal -- are culturally addicted to government/politicians to solve their problems, including the creation of the best cushy paid jobs in the land.
As a result, Brazilians are caught up in this ending loop of economic bacwardness combined with corrupt/incompetent governments.
A combination of powerful government/politicians and a corruption-laden culture always end in stolen public money in a large scale and wasteful public infrastructures as in the case of the world cup and Olympic games.
The new generation of Brazilians, better educated and quite aware of the global world, are beginning to react to the status quo described above.
Who knows about the future? societies and cultures can change over time. Brazilians used to look up to the US as a model society. Then, American voters elected Donald Trump president.
Brazilians -- colonized by benighted Portugal -- are culturally addicted to government/politicians to solve their problems, including the creation of the best cushy paid jobs in the land.
As a result, Brazilians are caught up in this ending loop of economic bacwardness combined with corrupt/incompetent governments.
A combination of powerful government/politicians and a corruption-laden culture always end in stolen public money in a large scale and wasteful public infrastructures as in the case of the world cup and Olympic games.
The new generation of Brazilians, better educated and quite aware of the global world, are beginning to react to the status quo described above.
Who knows about the future? societies and cultures can change over time. Brazilians used to look up to the US as a model society. Then, American voters elected Donald Trump president.
2
Well said. I 100% agree.
2
In 1984, the LA Olympics got it right. Use existing facilities for 90% of the events and build selectively in a town that can handle it. Previous Olympics had left host cities high and dry.
Those lessons were forgotten. The Olympics left and their media sponsors left a mess behind in Rio that was predicted the day the location was announced.
So much for the Olympic spirit.
Those lessons were forgotten. The Olympics left and their media sponsors left a mess behind in Rio that was predicted the day the location was announced.
So much for the Olympic spirit.
3
Glad to see Bread and Circuses alive and well in the 21st Century
The Olympics are a sham. All the athletes are on PEDs, they can function as a PR stunt for authoritarian countries like Russia and China, and they are an immensely expensive and wasteful albatross for democracies, especially the emerging democracies of the developing world. I sincerely wish that they will be canceled forever.
3
When will governments learn that hosting an Olympic event is a total rip off?
1
It is too bad there is no way for the poor of Rio to collect damages from the IOC -- appropriately channeled into septic treatment - because while Rio/Brazil have failed, they fell prey to Olympic mania and the false promise of a longterm return. The IOC knows better - but has only its members interests in mind.
Summer Olympics should be held in from 1 to 3 permanent locations.
Summer Olympics should be held in from 1 to 3 permanent locations.
4
Olympics have become too big for most countries to deal with and there are many esoteric sports that require venues and large expenditures that are useless once the games are over. Some thought should be given to have permanent installments for a variety of sports (number to be determined) placed in strategic places in each continent which would be kept up from Olympics to Olympics and which would be reused, no matter in which country the Olympics take place. One example would be the velodrome, the inside bicycle track. This would limit both the expenses of building them and reduce the number of venues that remain unused and unusable. Similarly, by having more than one city, in the host country, provide different venues, the necessary building could be dispersed with reduced expenses for the main host city.
7
But it was a great party, until the music stopped.
7
I'm from Boston. When the Olympic guys came here trying to get us to bid, the people of Boston ran them out of town on a rail. Note to other cities: Don't take the bait.
84
I wrote this Wikipedia article on the big swimming pool:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodoro_Olympic_Whitewater_Stadium
The pool, of course, is just an incidental feature of the pump-driven whitewater channels used for slalom canoeing, but I gather nobody is even talking about turning the pumps on. Athens has a similar unused facility left over from the 2004 Olympics. They cost tens of millions of dollars to build and take at least a megawatt of electricity to operate. They are by far the most expensive Olympic facility, per athlete.
There are several dozen of these things in wealthy countries, more or less in constant use. Many of them use natural streamflow instead of pumps, but that often means sacrificing a megawatt of potential hydro-electricity. Rich nations can afford it.
The bottom line is that poor countries should not build these things. And they probably should not host the Olympic Games, period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodoro_Olympic_Whitewater_Stadium
The pool, of course, is just an incidental feature of the pump-driven whitewater channels used for slalom canoeing, but I gather nobody is even talking about turning the pumps on. Athens has a similar unused facility left over from the 2004 Olympics. They cost tens of millions of dollars to build and take at least a megawatt of electricity to operate. They are by far the most expensive Olympic facility, per athlete.
There are several dozen of these things in wealthy countries, more or less in constant use. Many of them use natural streamflow instead of pumps, but that often means sacrificing a megawatt of potential hydro-electricity. Rich nations can afford it.
The bottom line is that poor countries should not build these things. And they probably should not host the Olympic Games, period.
31
the solution is permanent sites, host countries separate from the site country, sites rotating in a fixed pattern and site upkeep the responsibility of the countries that have the sites.. poor countries should have the the opportunity to host the games without the financial burden of building and maintaining what has proven to be useless costly eyesores.
1
This story should be read by the Olympic Executive committee.
Cities in the future vying for the Olympics need to show they can put up front the shut down/conversion money into escrow before being awarded the games and especially before anything is built.
Make it an amount that is 15% over the planned cost.
Might this lead to fewer candidate cities?
Good.
Maybe the suggestion of a fixed group of cities hosting the games will keep calamities like Rio from happening and cut out the $pecial intere$t group$ always waiting to make a bundle off an event alleged to celebrate athleticism.
Make the Olympics Great Again!
Vote out profiteering from the games and vote in closing & redevelopment surety bonds.
Cities in the future vying for the Olympics need to show they can put up front the shut down/conversion money into escrow before being awarded the games and especially before anything is built.
Make it an amount that is 15% over the planned cost.
Might this lead to fewer candidate cities?
Good.
Maybe the suggestion of a fixed group of cities hosting the games will keep calamities like Rio from happening and cut out the $pecial intere$t group$ always waiting to make a bundle off an event alleged to celebrate athleticism.
Make the Olympics Great Again!
Vote out profiteering from the games and vote in closing & redevelopment surety bonds.
4
False promises from left wing governments! I am shocked, shocked to see that going on.
7
Your implication seems to be that such false promises (never mind false - e.g., Alt - facts) never emimate from right wing governments.
What a not-so-surprising shock from the right.
What a not-so-surprising shock from the right.
1
The Summer Olympics should be held in an eternal Olympic village. In Greece. Every four years. The Greeks invented them. They should host them. Period.
The Winter Olympics can be in Switzerland. They're a modern concession anyways.
The Winter Olympics can be in Switzerland. They're a modern concession anyways.
46
Greece still hasn't been able to pay off the Olympics they had in 1896.
Thank goodness is hellishly hot in Dallas during the summer or our mayor and city "leaders" would sell out us out via an Olympic bid in no time.
10
Don't drop your guard. The 2022 World Cup will be in Qatar.
2
It's nice to see the Olympic spirit is alive and well.
7
I know it is hard not to criticize the IOC for not paying more attention to the long term goals, but in the case of Rio the city, the state and federal government are the ones that need to explain the total lack of long term planning. To begin with, the chosen location for the Olympic park, a site that was picked to benefit a series of private residential condos that are adjacent to the Olympic city, and were commercialized prior to the Olympics. Second, a total absence of a business plan, why would private partners run a deserted Olympic park, poorly connected to the city, with no plan to bring people and urban life to it on its own? The case of the Maracana Stadium lies heavily in the shoulder of the state. Since the world cup, state government has made a partnership with one of the big real state companies involved in the corruption scandal that has led to the impeachment of Ms. Roussef and probably will bring down the actual president. After all this corruption scandal many contracts of this company with the public sector have been canceled and the stadium was returned to the State. Its kinda easy to blame the IOC alone, and they should find mechanisms to evaluate if long term goals are being kept in the preparation to the games. However, the Olympics have many narratives and local forces operating on it and trying to benefit from it, which has ultimately culminated in a lost opportunity for a city like Rio to invest in a long term urban development plan.
3
Same old same old.
Lets see who got rich?
1 the olympic committee members getting kick backs.
2. Broadcast media, Suits in broadcasting. Fat and happy.
3 . Brazilial poiticians and corporate. Interests.
Who got the professional proctology exam.?
1. Tax payers in Brazil.
2. Taxpayers in the USA Europe, China etc who subsidized this entertainment barnum and bailey circus. Politicians got free trips,mkick backs, fancy beach vacations.
Same old same old. A total orgy for the powers that be,
Lets see who got rich?
1 the olympic committee members getting kick backs.
2. Broadcast media, Suits in broadcasting. Fat and happy.
3 . Brazilial poiticians and corporate. Interests.
Who got the professional proctology exam.?
1. Tax payers in Brazil.
2. Taxpayers in the USA Europe, China etc who subsidized this entertainment barnum and bailey circus. Politicians got free trips,mkick backs, fancy beach vacations.
Same old same old. A total orgy for the powers that be,
93
Glad Boston had the good sense to bail on the 2024 Summer Olympics.
87
Maybe this will be the last Olympics ever held, so this never has to happen again.
18
The Brazilian government and officials apparently lied through their teeth to the citizens of Brazil. Just to sell a transparent pack of lies to swindled citizens. What a sham. And the Brazilian people are left holding the crumbling infrastructure and massive debt! All for what, to demonstrate to the world that Brazil is just as corrupt as any on earth! Bob Dylan had it right many years ago, "It's the masters who make the rules, for the wise men and the fools!" Now we in Los Angeles have to do all in our power to prevent such thievery and lawlessness from bankrupting our own government. What are the odds?
Citizens of LA, make the supporters of the 2020 Los Angeles Olympic quest personally responsible for the financing of this expensive vanity project (and see how fast the proponents will flee this "White Elephant" when they have a financial stake in the games).
Citizens of LA, make the supporters of the 2020 Los Angeles Olympic quest personally responsible for the financing of this expensive vanity project (and see how fast the proponents will flee this "White Elephant" when they have a financial stake in the games).
36
This makes me hate the Olympics. That is really too bad, because I loved the Olympics.
15
Further - and unfortunate - support for the proposition that all future Games be played at the one site. Perhaps honouring the original source, by making that site in Greece.
Saves taking the money from people like the poor of Rio - continually.
Saves taking the money from people like the poor of Rio - continually.
61
The poor of Brazil live in squalor, and meantime the government wastes $15B
For the momentary glory of hosting the Olympics.
"The sports-related costs of the games in Rio are likely to end up being approximately $4.6 billion, a recent study conducted at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford found. That means the games will end up being approximately 51 percent over budget. The overall cost of the games including all Olympic-related projects has been estimated at $12 billion for which the state of Rio is responsible for a quarter, Reuters reported.
For the momentary glory of hosting the Olympics.
"The sports-related costs of the games in Rio are likely to end up being approximately $4.6 billion, a recent study conducted at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford found. That means the games will end up being approximately 51 percent over budget. The overall cost of the games including all Olympic-related projects has been estimated at $12 billion for which the state of Rio is responsible for a quarter, Reuters reported.
20
Topping it all off, it was probably the worst Olympics in recent years (Athens was almost as bad). Badly attended, highly partisan spectators, Rio was no London.
8
I'd be a "highly partisan spectator" too if I had to suffer the misfortune of Temer the Unelected.
1
How long will this scam be viable?
I guess every four years they find a new sucker
But hey, the NFL still gets cities to finance millionaires
I guess every four years they find a new sucker
But hey, the NFL still gets cities to finance millionaires
47
No, not millionaires, BILLIONAIRES!
1
Any city that takes on the Olympics is making a HUGE mistake. Boston figured that out and a few cities in Europe have figured that out, why can't everybody else? It's time to either abolish the Olympics because of graft, corruption, and doping, or if there is not the will for that, than simply establish four permanent locations - two summer and two winter and stop the very predictable Rio-type results.
4
Eight years ago, Brazil was awarded the Olympics shortly after earning the right to host the World Cup. At the time, many people questioned whether it was a good idea for Brazil to invest so much of its resources into sports facilities. That question only looms larger today, following revelations of massive government corruption involving former presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, current president Michel Temer, and scores of other Brazilian government officials. Also implicated in this corruption scandal are many of the large Brazilian construction firms that were involved in the construction of athletic venues for these games. Meanwhile, U.S. and Swiss authorities have uncovered corruption at FIFA since Brazil was awarded the World Cup, and questions of corruption plague the International Olympic Committee. One certainly has to suspect that corruption played a significant role in the selection of Brazil to host these international events, and that a corrupt circle of politicians, industry leaders, and international sporting officials benefited to the significant detriment of the Brazilian people.
12
Who could have predicted this sorry state of affairs? Oh, right, any thinking person, which excludes every member of the IOC or Rio's Olympic Committee. The IOC is as shameless as any corrupt sporting organization, neck-and-neck with FIFA. Only taxpayers, who foot the bill for these ridiculous events, can defend their cities from the waste described here.
25
Lets see,olympic committee gets their bribes(and see what they are paid in addition),politicians get their cut off the top and then below the table from the construction firms,tv stations rake in the vig from adverts and poor folk are disposesed.
Sounds about right to me.
Sounds about right to me.
4
It's just like Haiti without the Earth quake!
14
Unacceptable. Build a permanent venue in Greece that can be used as training facilities year-round and be finished with the corruption and waste.
32
Why does everyone propose Greece? Athens is one of the poster children for a legacy of white elephants, even for things everyone uses, like a swimming pool! The Greeks are neither rich nor transparent enough to do this. Maybe Australia.
1
Images of corruption, waste, and false promises.
Before the big "Olympic party", the government invited everyone to Deodoro.
They bribed the local poor, with "treasures" they'll inherit after the big party.
After the party, the government left quickly, letting the locals clean the mess.
And it IS a mess.
Time and time again, the poor are made to pay for the rich world's excesses.
Before the big "Olympic party", the government invited everyone to Deodoro.
They bribed the local poor, with "treasures" they'll inherit after the big party.
After the party, the government left quickly, letting the locals clean the mess.
And it IS a mess.
Time and time again, the poor are made to pay for the rich world's excesses.
19
This is a very sad story, but far from a new one; South Africa and Greece, both far less affluent than Brazil, similarly wasted hundreds of millions, if not billions, on sports facilities for the Olympics and World Cup, leaving their needy citizens in the dust and with the legacy of neglect, graft and arrogance.
It was bad enough when China and Russia wasted billions on Olympic venues, but they could afford it better.
And all this for just a televised sports event that does not even last a month? American cities have lavished money they could not afford on sports venues, but at least they continued to be used.
It was bad enough when China and Russia wasted billions on Olympic venues, but they could afford it better.
And all this for just a televised sports event that does not even last a month? American cities have lavished money they could not afford on sports venues, but at least they continued to be used.
20
It's time for the IOC to select permanent venues on each continent and rotate. The expense, waste, impact on the environment, and treatment of workers and those in the pathway of these sites can't be justified.
29
No, its time for the IOC to be kicked out of power.
13
How do you kick out of power a self-electing, self-governing organization that answers to no one?
Meanwhile....IOC officials dine on lobster, caviar and champaign while staying as the world's finest luxury hotels in their never ending quest to find the next sucker country...
65
The bill of goods that is usually sold to the public involves favorable publicity for a country (which is short lived) and permanent facilities (which are shortly abandoned). I believe that the Los Angeles Olympics was one of the few successes because the facilities already existed. Imagine how much good the money spent on the Olympics could have done if it were instead used for the people of Rio.
10
Gosh, what a surprise. Sad for the poor people who were cheated and uprooted, but as long as the IOC makes its site selections based on political correctness (and massive bribes) this sort of thing will continue.
2
As a Chicagoan, this makes me very disappointed that we couldn't lock in a bid and do a better job than this.
1
It's time to think about establishing permanent Olympic facilities in a few appropriate places in the world and keep coming back to those places.
If the day comes when hosting an Olympics game can be an true economic boon, then cities could go back to competing.
Right now, the economic costs -- along with the fact that only a few countries have enough semi-reliably cold weather and cash to host the Winter Olympics -- clearly indicate it's time to stop the current madness.
We are wasting billions that could be invested in new facilities that could be used over and over and over again, by future Olympic Games participants as well as the host countries.
Let's be sensible, at last.
If the day comes when hosting an Olympics game can be an true economic boon, then cities could go back to competing.
Right now, the economic costs -- along with the fact that only a few countries have enough semi-reliably cold weather and cash to host the Winter Olympics -- clearly indicate it's time to stop the current madness.
We are wasting billions that could be invested in new facilities that could be used over and over and over again, by future Olympic Games participants as well as the host countries.
Let's be sensible, at last.
4
Raiders are looking for a new venue...
The Olympics are a study in corruption, challenged only by FIFA.
The games should either be awarded only to cities with the infrastructure already in place to support the games (ie major developed city like NY, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc.), or they should be returned to Greece permanently with facilities built and supported by television / advertising revenue and managed by a G-10 / UN oversight committee. The winter games should find a home in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland....with similar funding and oversight.
There is no need to put on a pageant every few years to incent bad behavior and wasted billions on construction spend. If nothing else, consider the environmental impact of permanent sites.
The games should either be awarded only to cities with the infrastructure already in place to support the games (ie major developed city like NY, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc.), or they should be returned to Greece permanently with facilities built and supported by television / advertising revenue and managed by a G-10 / UN oversight committee. The winter games should find a home in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland....with similar funding and oversight.
There is no need to put on a pageant every few years to incent bad behavior and wasted billions on construction spend. If nothing else, consider the environmental impact of permanent sites.
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Follow the example of Los Angeles and Vancouver. I enjoyed both and both cities changed little for the event, and look the same now. OK Vancouver has a lot better freeway system downtown now, but they didn't need it.
Berlin and Sydney made there venues into parks. I suspect London was in the realm of "rational" building for their summer Olympics but I have not seen the aftermath first hand.
The Olympic committee should evaluate candidate proposals for future Olympics locations based on the scale of building required and select the sites that won't bankrupt the host city or leave desolate areas after the events.
I travel to LA and Vancouver frequently and can recall my Olympic days there fondly because everything is unchanged and vibrant. One can only imagine what Beijing and Sochi look like now. More like the aftermath of a plague than the event they were built to celebrate.
Berlin and Sydney made there venues into parks. I suspect London was in the realm of "rational" building for their summer Olympics but I have not seen the aftermath first hand.
The Olympic committee should evaluate candidate proposals for future Olympics locations based on the scale of building required and select the sites that won't bankrupt the host city or leave desolate areas after the events.
I travel to LA and Vancouver frequently and can recall my Olympic days there fondly because everything is unchanged and vibrant. One can only imagine what Beijing and Sochi look like now. More like the aftermath of a plague than the event they were built to celebrate.
3
That's ugly. I hope all of the sponsors have a nice day.
What's to comment? Every sensible person in the world predicted this. The Games are always a bust and shame on the boosters and public servants that lie to the public to get them approved. The tragedy for Rio (and Athens, for that matter) is the sheer extent of the financial damage to the respective economies. Boston, breathe that sigh of relief again!
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When will local governments learn there is little to no money to be made hosting events like this? The lure to be an "Olympic" city must really cloud their thinking. Cities in the US need to look at all the broken promises that professional sports franchises have littered communities with. The sad lesson is that neighborhoods that were promised the sky are given the garbage heap instead.
1
Thank you NYT for bringing this travesty back to our minds. It's so easy these days to forget about anything that arose pre-Trump.
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The International Olympic Committee is nothing but a bunch of crooks decked out in astro-turf laurels. The games themselves have become commercialized with too much emphasis on endorsements and sponsorships. Seems like quite a departure from the ancient Greek ideals. If we can't return to amateur status among the athletes, and one single venue built and paid for by the IOC, I say forget the whole thing. As it stands now the games are plagued by ruined communities, host country debt, and shattered lives. No glory in it at all.
3
Who could have ever foreseen this? Taxpayers in cities/countries being offered up to the IOC by local cheerleaders and profiteers eager to get their hands on some of the billions of dollars it costs to stage an Olympic Games should read this article carefully.
2
All citizens of Boston, of the whole Commonwealth of Massachusetts, should read this and be extremely thankful that they avoided the summer 2024 Olympics!
8
It is not like no one saw this coming. The way the International Olympic Committee and FIFA prey on countries with vulnerable populations is appalling.
9
Sports Events are not important for a society in the long run. Education is. But the Universities, Middle Schools and Libraries weren't built in Brazil — Sports facilities were instead, billions of dollars worth, added to the cost of the World Cup Arenas, now also all White Elephants but one, and the loss of opportunity for Brazil's future is almost unimaginable.
Yet Brazil is a democracy, it's people freely chose the government which chose 2 weeks of flashy show instead of a better future for an entire generation and the long term economic security only a well educated populace could bring.
Though the government that did this is now largely carried off by political and financial scandals of even bigger proportions than the Olympics, never the less the soul searching needs to happen in the heart of each brazilian voter the next time they go to the polls, and the time after that.
Yet Brazil is a democracy, it's people freely chose the government which chose 2 weeks of flashy show instead of a better future for an entire generation and the long term economic security only a well educated populace could bring.
Though the government that did this is now largely carried off by political and financial scandals of even bigger proportions than the Olympics, never the less the soul searching needs to happen in the heart of each brazilian voter the next time they go to the polls, and the time after that.
5
Once again showing that the Olympics are a party for the rich that the poor have to pay for. Look at Greece. Look at China. Lesser nations use it as an excuse to take more money from the poor in the guise of new infrastructure that is poorly built and has no hopes of being maintained. A scam of the highest order.
5
The next time the Brazilians go to a game, look down on the field at those people running around who represent your team. Consider what they're payed, consider the cost of turning the lights on in the stadium for a single night might be $20,000 consider that your taxes are not just spent on these games but spent on games instead of your children.
Societies get the kind of governments they deserve. They also deserve them because of the way they treat their children.
I spent six months traveling around Brazil and every corner of that country is filled with bright, curious, well-behaved, intelligent and talented young people who want a better future.
Their parents cheated them.
Oh yes it happened through political parties and pay offs and bribes and all under the umbrella of free choice and democracy, but it was still a form of child abuse.
The youth of Brazil owes almost no respect to the generation in power. None.
This was done to South Africa as well. It's a racket, it's routine.
Whatever once was the Olympics now exist to make money, like a for-profit company. If what the company provided it's client with was a quality product or service it might not be a problem, put it doesn't do that, Reforming the Olympics using dome sort of ethical yardstick other than profit for the Olympic Comittee is in order.
Societies get the kind of governments they deserve. They also deserve them because of the way they treat their children.
I spent six months traveling around Brazil and every corner of that country is filled with bright, curious, well-behaved, intelligent and talented young people who want a better future.
Their parents cheated them.
Oh yes it happened through political parties and pay offs and bribes and all under the umbrella of free choice and democracy, but it was still a form of child abuse.
The youth of Brazil owes almost no respect to the generation in power. None.
This was done to South Africa as well. It's a racket, it's routine.
Whatever once was the Olympics now exist to make money, like a for-profit company. If what the company provided it's client with was a quality product or service it might not be a problem, put it doesn't do that, Reforming the Olympics using dome sort of ethical yardstick other than profit for the Olympic Comittee is in order.
5
Into the oblivion what else to be remembered from Rio summer Olympics other than a mirage of promises never to be accomplished, like the last 15 years of a government that made so many promises in a so fast pace that encapsulated all country´s hearts and minds, and the rest of the world watching BRICS countries raising like the next biggest thing and Brazil among them to become something else. No more. Wake up time, Brazil. Like in America, a bitter awakening after years of a feel good dream. In Brazil, Rio was dreamland for a few years. No more.
Brazil's government strikes me as becoming increasingly autocratic, removed from any sense of social responsibility, determined to undo the progress that had been made by the preceding 2 presidents up to the sad, sad impeachment. An autocratic government simply does not care for Brazil as a collective country. I have no idea how this government can be made to keep socially worthy promises.
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