'The Olympics are dead': Does anyone want to be a host city anymore?

[The Larch]

Even if big sporting events are tarnished by corruption in the organizing bodies and their association with unsavoury regimes in these recent bids, some of them still have a clout that is prestigious enough to get western cities and countries to bid for them. Hosting the summer olympics or the world cup is still an amazing way to put your city and/or country in the world's spotlight for up and coming parts of the world and a great tool to revitalize already established places.

Then again, who cares about the winter olympics.

[Duque de Bragança]

Winter Olympics have only one purpose: the ice hockey tournament. That's more than enough.

[Norgy]

Then again, who cares about the winter olympics.

Nordic/Central European countries. And hockey fans.
Granted, that's not a lot of people. 

[Monoriu]

I only started to hear about the winter olympics in the 90s, when I moved to Canada.  It doesn't snow in Hong Kong. 

[Norgy]

According to Albert Hammond, it never rains in southern California, either.

[garbon]

Even if big sporting events are tarnished by corruption in the organizing bodies and their association with unsavoury regimes in these recent bids, some of them still have a clout that is prestigious enough to get western cities and countries to bid for them. Hosting the summer olympics or the world cup is still an amazing way to put your city and/or country in the world's spotlight for up and coming parts of the world and a great tool to revitalize already established places.

Then again, who cares about the winter olympics.

But isn't that why it is going to be more dodgy places that really want the games? New York (not The US) need the games to get on the map.

[celedhring]

Barcelona has long been considering a bid for the winter Olympics (yeah, don't laugh), but the newly elected far left major has withdrawn from it.

[Grey Fox]

The problem with the Winter Olympics is the FIS and their insane mountain requirements. There is only so many mountain cities big enough to host an Olympic.

The IOC keeps pretending it will easy location requirements but I've seen no indication it was really doing it.


Why do the Chinese give a damn about hosting a Men's World Cup?

[Monoriu]

Why do the Chinese give a damn about hosting a Men's World Cup?

Chinese LOVE football.  If you ask the Chinese what their favourite sport is, football is surely the number one.  But they suck at it.  The only time the Chinese ever got into the World Cup finals was in 2002, when both Japan and S. Korea automatically qualified because they were the hosts.  Even so, they failed to score a single goal, and failed to get a single point in the group stage.  In all other tournaments, they failed to qualify.  In 1986, they lost to, you hear it right, tiny Hong Kong in the qualifying stage.  The Chinese league is a joke and it can be safely assumed that a majority of the matches are fixed.  The Chinese won countless olympic gold medals, but football is very elusive.  It isn't something where you can lock up a small number of elite players and make them do nothing but practice to get a gold medal for the motherland. 

So they need something big in football.  The best, and probably only, way for the Chinese football team to qualify for the WC finals once more is to host it. 

[Grey Fox]

Ah, just like Canada then.

[Valmy]

Ah, just like Canada then.

Last I checked Canada was pretty good at its #1 sport.

[lustindarkness]

Maybe this is what San Juan Puerto Rico needs, to host the Winter Olympics.

[alfred russel]

The Olympics are awesome. Even if the Olympics are relegated to shitty places because of corruption, they will still be awesome because of the competition.

The Olympics seem to be more responsive to this concern than FIFA. FIFA gave the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo rather than Istanbul, probably because of this concern, and Istanbul isn't that bad a place. FIFA of course had no issue with Qatar.

Even so, even though Qatar is one of the most ridiculous locations ever, assuming the world cup is held there, the world will still tune in and it will be a great tournament because of the players and competition.

[The Brain]

FIFA gave the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo

The corruption is truly boundless.

[Grey Fox]

Ah, just like Canada then.

Last I checked Canada was pretty good at its #1 sport.

True

but we suck at Soccer.