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

[celedhring]

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.

Yeah... in f***** December 

[The Larch]

Then again, who cares about the winter olympics.

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

Then they should offer to organize them. I mean, winter olympics have traditionally been held in some rather small places. The madness is making the winter olympics, by definition a rather small affair, a massive undertaking. Right now the winter olympics have 98 events, in Salt Lake in 2002 there were 78, 57 in Albertville in 92 and 39 in Sarajevo in 84. There's some rather severe event inflation going on.

[The Brain]

Don't forget the retard olympics.

[Norgy]

The NFL? 

[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.

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.

[The Brain]

The NFL? 

[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.

I don't really think that this would 'revitalize' Boston or New York.

[The Minsky Moment]

It can easily be done, just requires discipline, honest government, and some creativity, so . . . yeah, I guess that rules out the US cities.

[DGuller]

Weren't Salt Lake City Olympics very financially efficient, Mitt Romney jokes aside?

[Valmy]

It can easily be done, just requires discipline, honest government, and some creativity, so . . . yeah, I guess that rules out the US cities.

It sounds like the Winter Olympics should just rotate between Canada, Japan, and the Nordic countries then

[Eddie Teach]

It sounds like the Winter Olympics should just rotate between Canada, Japan, and the Nordic countries then

Remove Canada and maybe you've got a point.

[crazy canuck]

Don't worry.  Toronto doesn't have the mountains required for a winter Olympics.  They may try for the summer Olympics though.

[Josquius]

London would be happy to have it back again. The "legacy" has been great for Stratford area and the city as a whole. I quite often go to events at the Olympic Park and surrounding area, and finished a 10K race in the stadium itself last weekend, in the footsteps of the greats. It was also a great message of solidarity - the 7/7 attacks happened the day after we won the bid.

As far as money goes:

In the end, London spent $10.4 billion on the games, but reported (PDF) a profit of $87 million in March of 2013. Which is small—but better than losing cash, nonetheless.

So by now we should be even more in the black, especially with the rate of property development in the area. 

http://gizmodo.com/do-the-olympics-ever-break-even-1529295819

Interesting, reports I've heard said the opposite. With particular the reuse of the main stadium

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

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

So you really just need the NHL and other hockey leagues to form the frozen equivalent of FIFA and make their own quadannual international tournament.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Then they should offer to organize them. I mean, winter olympics have traditionally been held in some rather small places. The madness is making the winter olympics, by definition a rather small affair, a massive undertaking. Right now the winter olympics have 98 events, in Salt Lake in 2002 there were 78, 57 in Albertville in 92 and 39 in Sarajevo in 84. There's some rather severe event inflation going on.

It's all the X Games shit.