2022 Winter Olympics
If you haven't already heard, it seems that no one wants to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Okay, to be fair, it's not that no one want's to host the Winter Olympics in 2022; it's that the only two countries interested are China and Kazakhstan. Three other Olympic candidates dropped out of their bid to host in 2022. Sweden, Poland, and most recently, Norway, have all terminated their applications. Why? Wouldn't these snowy countries be itching to host the Winter Olympics? As it turns out, hosting the Olympics isn't all that it's built up to be. The three ex-applicants withdrew their bid because of lack of national political support.
The first and most obvious reason that a city would be hesitant to host the Olympics is the cost. In 2014, Sochi, Russia, spent an estimated $51 billion on their Winter Games, the most expensive yet. The people of Sweden, Poland, and Norway voted on whether or not they should stay in the running for hosting the Olympics in 2022, and the majority vote of all three countries was a firm "No." Oslo, Norway had a budget of $5.4 billion, but it was feared that costs could easily rise above that cap. Sweden and Poland shared similar worries. Is it worth it to spend billions of dollars on a sporting event? While hosting an event such as the Olympics can boost the economies of developing nations, many other nations spend more money than they earn back.
In addition to financial issues, requirements for nations bidding to host the Olympics by the International Olympics Committee have gained international attention. The following list was part of the list of requirements for the Oslo, Norway bid:
Cars and drivers for IOC members, with special dedicated highway lanes
Street lights synchronized to prioritize IOC traffic
Separate airport entrance for IOC members
Hotel mini-bars must have only Coca-Cola products
Samsung phones for all IOC members
All meeting rooms must be kept at exactly 68 degrees.
All furniture must have "Olympic appearance."
"IOC members will be received with a smile on arrival at hotel"
Perhaps the icing on the cake is allegations of corruption in the IOC, which are plenty. There have been countless rumors of bribery throughout the committee, and multiple official reports and even lawsuits against committee members by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Almaty, Kazakhstan and Beijing, China are the last two cities in the running for the 2022 Winter Games. Beijing lacks an appropriate ski mountain, and the nearest one is 120 miles away. The IOC will elect the host this summer.
In my opinion, it looks like the winner of the 2022 Winter Olympics bid will either be the last city that doesn't drop out, or the one that can best afford to bribe the IOC. Countries are saying "no" to hosting the Olympics because they realize and understand that it's really not worth it.
The Olympics have a rich and noble history, and when they began internationally, I believe it was done with the best intentions to bring the world's nations together through sport. However, as time went on, corruption worked itself into the Olympics and ruined the fun for the rest of us.
I can only hope that the Olympics will improve and corruption will work its way out of the IOC. Realistically though, it looks like the Olympics will continue on its current path.
Thoughts?
Citations:
Abend, Lisa. "Why Nobody Wants to Host the 2022 Winter Olympics." Time. Time, Inc, 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://time.com/3462070/olympics-winter-2022/>.
Gibson, Owen. "Sochi 2014: The Costliest Olympics Yet but Where Has All the Money Gone?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/oct/09/sochi-2014-olympics-money-corruption>.
History.com Staff. "The Olympic Games." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/olympic-games>.
"IOC - International Olympic Committee." Current Bid Process 2022. Olympic.org, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.olympic.org/content/the-ioc/bidding-for-the-games/current-bid-process-2022/>.
Petchesky, Barry. "Nobody Wants to Host the 2022 Olympics." DeadSpin. Kinja, 27 May 2014. Web. <http://deadspin.com/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-olympics-1582151092>.