I got to agree, no sane government should want to pay the price demanded these days for the Olympics.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/28/the-olympics-are-dead-why-should-anyone-want-be-a-host-city-anymore
Quote'The Olympics are dead': Does anyone want to be a host city anymore?
With Boston's bid collapsing due to lack of support, it seems now more than ever the Olympics exist solely for cities looking to make a political statement
Les Carpenter
Tuesday 28 July 2015 15.28 BST
The reason Boston's residents didn't want to be Athens is the same reason the residents of Oslo or Krakow or Stockholm don't want to be Athens. Hosting an Olympics is a corporate sinkhole sucking billions of dollars and a city's future into a bottomless abyss of excess.
The internet is clogged with slide shows of empty, broken, useless stadiums built in the euphoria of a coming Olympics or World Cup then abandoned soon after, allowed to fill with weeds, rodents and other signs of human escape. Is there a better sign of Greece's collapse than a pile of useless sports facilities crumbling since the torch went out in the summer of 2004? What use did Athens have for a baseball stadium anyway? It's crumbling among the weeds just like the field hockey venue, the canoeing center and the training pool green with algae.
Those who were going to force the Olympics on Boston vowed their Games would be frugal, insisting they would build upon existing facilities and erect temporary stadiums, cutting costs. But even the $4.5bn required to organize the Games and $6bn needed in new roads and parks seemed perilously low when considering the massive amount of building needed to placate the International Olympic Committee. While Rome and Paris will fight for the right to put itself in financial peril a bigger truth should be clear:
Why should anyone want to host an Olympics anymore?
On Friday the IOC will vote to see which city is going to host the 2022 Winter Games. The vote is between Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan. And this may well represent the future of Olympic bidding – cities in countries who will spend any amount to run a Games hoping to make an international political statement.
"The thing I've learned is that you have to have local support," said Jeff Ruffolo, an American who was heavily involved in operating Beijing's 2008 Olympics, has helped China prepare its 2022 bid and has worked on other bids in the US, including a failed attempt in Honolulu for 2024.
Boston did not have local support for the 2024 Summer Games. A small group of businesspeople, signing up for six-figure salaries, forced the bid through the US Olympic Committee despite strong opposition in the city's neighborhoods. A similar grassroots opposition worked against the bid proposals in Oslo, Krakow and Stockholm for the 2022 Winter Games. The costs of hosting the Olympics seemed too extreme, the rewards too small.
"The idea of a bidding process is a joke," Ruffolo said. "Everybody's laughing about it except for the people in Lausanne (Switzerland, home of the IOC). They don't realize they are riding a dead horse. There was a time when the Olympics was a good thing – Los Angeles in 1984, Barcelona in 1992, even Beijing needed 2008 to prove to the world it could do this – now since 2008 it's a poison pill.
"The Olympics are dead. It's a dying concept no one wants to touch."
After Rome, Paris, Hamburg and maybe Toronto or Doha – all fighting to host the 2024 Games – the list of Olympic hopefuls may quickly dwindle until only bidders will be places like Beijing or Qatar or breakaway Soviet republic. These are places that won't need to worry about local opposition when writing checks in the name of national pride. The concept of getting one big city to compete against another, with each promising more extravagance is probably an old one. Fewer municipalities will have the money to waste.
Ruffolo has spent much of the last 10 years in China, working for a government that would spend whatever it takes to prove to the world that its system is the best. China had little trouble building its grounds for the Beijing Games and seems to care little that the facilities from those Olympics remain unused. The point was never an eternal, reusable city.
As part of its 2022 bid, Beijing's organizers will pull from a nearby lake to manufacture the piles of snow needed for mountain sports and will construct a giant, high-speed rail line to whisk athletes and spectators from the city to the remote outdoor locations. Who can compete against this? Who would want to?
China will keep bidding for every international event that comes along, overwhelming competitors from more democratic nations by promising to deliver anything necessary to land those games.
"The Chinese don't give a crud about the Winter Olympics," Ruffolo said. "What they really, really, really want to do is host a World Cup. They put in a [Winter Olympics] bid because they were asked to do it. We need to think like the Chinese [in the US]. We need to put our efforts behind one city."
If the US wants to be able to host another Olympics, Ruffolo said, it must build momentum for a single city, pushing that city for as much as 10 years. Failed bids in New York for 2012 and Chicago for 2016 should have shown how ill-prepared American cities are to compete for an Olympics in today's world. Boston's withdrawal on Monday said volumes about the effort to generate local interest in hosting a Games.
Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, the IOC gathers, this week, to choose the 2022 Winter Games. Beijing or Almaty. It probably doesn't matter. The choice might well be the future of Olympic bids.
I think there is still healthy competition among big cities for hosting the summer olympics. Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul fought to host the 2020 summer olympics. The winter olympics is an entirely different matter.
International sports in general aren't what they used to be.
The Olympics will become an event hosted in various countries most other countries try to disassociate themselves from.
Summer Olympics in Baku, anyone? The Kabul Winter Olympics?
When Norway hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics, the region around Lillehammer got a major boost, but the costs of being a host now are just eye-watering.
Norgy is right - only insane autocracies want to host these things these days.
Quote from: Martinus on July 29, 2015, 04:22:59 AM
Norgy is right - only insane autocracies want to host these things these days.
Tokyo - 2020 :unsure:
Hamburg is supposed to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but I doubt they'll get enough traction for that. If there is a plebiscite, I predict a loss like in the case of Munich's application for the 2022 Winter Olympics. People here are disenchanted by the corruption and commercialisation of the whole thing and are not willing to destroy the environment or their cities for it.
Germany will apply to host the Euro 2024 though. But then investing money into football stadiums is not a big loss for Germany as they are all continously used.
Quote from: Monoriu on July 29, 2015, 04:29:57 AM
Quote from: Martinus on July 29, 2015, 04:22:59 AM
Norgy is right - only insane autocracies want to host these things these days.
Tokyo - 2020 :unsure:
I see your Tokyo and raise you: An Emperor.
Tokyo is also the largest urban area on the planet. The likelihood that the stadiums will have continous use after the games must be higher there than just about anywhere else.
True. We have a bobsleigh track that's virtually unused. Any takers?
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:
QuoteIn 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 (http://gizmodo.com/do-the-olympics-ever-break-even-1529295819)
Quote from: Brazen on July 29, 2015, 05:31:17 AM
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:
QuoteIn 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 (http://gizmodo.com/do-the-olympics-ever-break-even-1529295819)
I guess the question is whether this money could have been spent more productively, either in terms of profitability or meeting needs of the populace. Is there nothing people in London actually need to improve their quality of life?
Oslo were contemplating a Winter Olympics bid, but were shot down by a plebicite during the last local elections.
The problem for many European cities is that the infrastructure needed would mean demolotion of areas still perfectly hospitable and really heavy investment.
However, I notice the IOC has become far more responsive to criticism than say FIFA, which still has its head up its arse.
When it comes to real winter sports, such as the biathlon, alpine events, ski jumping and cross-country skiing, the Olympics aren't that important anyway. There's the continous World Cup each season and World Championships every second year.
I, for one, would not be sad to see the Olympics being laid to rest.
Best Olympic legacy ever. Weeeeeee!
(https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/ad_176627175.jpg)
http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/29/the-arcelormittal-orbit-tower-is-being-turned-into-the-worlds-tallest-slide-5317358/?ito=facebook (http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/29/the-arcelormittal-orbit-tower-is-being-turned-into-the-worlds-tallest-slide-5317358/?ito=facebook)
Quote from: Martinus on July 29, 2015, 05:55:58 AM
I guess the question is whether this money could have been spent more productively, either in terms of profitability or meeting needs of the populace. Is there nothing people in London actually need to improve their quality of life?
More affordable housing.
QuoteBy 2030, the Park will be home to more than 10,000 new households, among the first to live in the brand new E20 postcode.
Our plans will see five new neighbourhoods, planned around green spaces and squares, and built to be lasting homes for those who live in them. They will include contemporary homes taking lessons from London's traditional Georgian and Victorian squares and terraces, looking out over parklands and waterways.
Around a third of them will be affordable housing, with many of them built for long-term rent as well as to buy. Each neighbourhood provides play areas, schools, nurseries, community spaces, health centres and shops, with places to relax, play and exercise, all within easy walking distance.
http://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/homes-and-living (http://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/homes-and-living)
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.
Winter Olympics have only one purpose: the ice hockey tournament. That's more than enough.
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 06:04:24 AM
Then again, who cares about the winter olympics.
Nordic/Central European countries. And hockey fans.
Granted, that's not a lot of people. :blush:
I only started to hear about the winter olympics in the 90s, when I moved to Canada. It doesn't snow in Hong Kong.
According to Albert Hammond, it never rains in southern California, either.
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 06:04:24 AM
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. :D
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.
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?
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 29, 2015, 08:08:08 AM
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.
Ah, just like Canada then.
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 29, 2015, 08:37:17 AM
Ah, just like Canada then.
Last I checked Canada was pretty good at its #1 sport.
Maybe this is what San Juan Puerto Rico needs, to host the Winter Olympics.
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.
Quote from: alfred russel on July 29, 2015, 08:55:08 AM
FIFA gave the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo
The corruption is truly boundless.
Quote from: Valmy on July 29, 2015, 08:42:58 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 29, 2015, 08:37:17 AM
Ah, just like Canada then.
Last I checked Canada was pretty good at its #1 sport.
:hmm: True
but we suck at Soccer.
Quote from: alfred russel on July 29, 2015, 08:55:08 AM
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 :cry: :bleeding:
Quote from: Norgy on July 29, 2015, 06:27:18 AM
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 06:04:24 AM
Then again, who cares about the winter olympics.
Nordic/Central European countries. And hockey fans.
Granted, that's not a lot of people. :blush:
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.
Don't forget the retard olympics.
The NFL? :huh:
Quote from: garbon on July 29, 2015, 07:20:02 AM
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 06:04:24 AM
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. :D
:contract:
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 09:44:44 AM
Quote from: garbon on July 29, 2015, 07:20:02 AM
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 06:04:24 AM
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. :D
:contract:
I don't really think that this would 'revitalize' Boston or New York. :unsure:
It can easily be done, just requires discipline, honest government, and some creativity, so . . . yeah, I guess that rules out the US cities.
Weren't Salt Lake City Olympics very financially efficient, Mitt Romney jokes aside?
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 29, 2015, 12:22:03 PM
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 :P
Quote from: Valmy on July 29, 2015, 12:39:51 PM
It sounds like the Winter Olympics should just rotate between Canada, Japan, and the Nordic countries then :P
Remove Canada and maybe you've got a point.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wrjphoto.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F11%2Frob-ford.-A-classy-guy.jpg&hash=6bfa3e33b5dfe3e6674579628c46c3405a1511ea)
Don't worry. Toronto doesn't have the mountains required for a winter Olympics. They may try for the summer Olympics though.
Quote from: Brazen on July 29, 2015, 05:31:17 AM
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:
QuoteIn 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 (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
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 29, 2015, 06:16:03 AM
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.
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 09:41:32 AM
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.
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on July 29, 2015, 01:51:33 PM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 29, 2015, 06:16:03 AM
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.
They've already done it:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=750156
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 29, 2015, 12:22:03 PM
It can easily be done, just requires discipline, honest government, and some creativity, so . . . yeah, I guess that rules out the US cities.
For the most part, even if doing it correctly, doesn't seem like it'd be that great for residents of any major US city.
Quote from: Barrister on July 29, 2015, 01:53:12 PM
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on July 29, 2015, 01:51:33 PM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 29, 2015, 06:16:03 AM
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.
They've already done it:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=750156
Meh. NHL rules and rink sizes.
QuoteThe first World Cup competition since 2004 will feature national teams from the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, and there will be two all-star teams, one made up of the top 23-and-under North American players and another featuring the top NHL players from the European countries that aren't represented by their national teams, including Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Norway, Denmark and Latvia.
The Olympic tournament with NHL players will still be missed. :(
Quote from: DGuller on July 29, 2015, 12:36:13 PM
Weren't Salt Lake City Olympics very financially efficient, Mitt Romney jokes aside?
I said US *cities*
I like the one where you have the four skiers going at the same time. Looks like an actual race.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 29, 2015, 02:51:09 PM
I like the one where you have the four skiers going at the same time. Looks like an actual race.
Ski cross?
That's the one.
Quote from: Valmy on July 29, 2015, 12:39:51 PM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 29, 2015, 12:22:03 PM
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 :P
France, Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy and even the Czechs and Poland compete at high levels there. So does the US. The sprint skiing teams of Canada and the US are well on their way to beat the rest.
Heck, even Spain had a drugged-up former German gold medalist at Salt Lake City.
I think like with most sports events, the issue is twofold; you have corrupt organisations and corrupt and drugged athletes. We should make a choice. Either everyone is allowed to throw money around like it was no tomorrow and drug themselves to perfection only to have their hearts explode at the finishing line, or it should be policed Nazi style with lifetime bans, completely transparent voting and application and at an amateur level like the Olympics used to be.
Professional sports could allow spears, cock rings and AK47s and full frontal nudity for all I care.
Quote from: Norgy on July 29, 2015, 03:40:41 PM
France, Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy and even the Czechs and Poland compete at high levels there. So does the US. The sprint skiing teams of Canada and the US are well on their way to beat the rest.
Heck, even Spain had a drugged-up former German gold medalist at Salt Lake City.
I think like with most sports events, the issue is twofold; you have corrupt organisations and corrupt and drugged athletes. We should make a choice. Either everyone is allowed to throw money around like it was no tomorrow and drug themselves to perfection only to have their hearts explode at the finishing line
It's an idea whose time has come (again): https://screen.yahoo.com/weekend-drug-olympics-000000571.html (https://screen.yahoo.com/weekend-drug-olympics-000000571.html)
:D
Quote from: Norgy on July 29, 2015, 03:40:41 PMHeck, even Spain had a drugged-up former German gold medalist at Salt Lake City.
That was hillarious. The guy came out of the blue and got Spanish citizenship. Suddenly all the media were cheering on him and calling him "Juanito", hyping him to the utmost degree. Then when he tested possitive he went back to being Hans and nobody ever spoke about him anymore.
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on July 29, 2015, 01:52:54 PM
Quote from: The Larch on July 29, 2015, 09:41:32 AM
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.
You mean the interesting sports & the only ski events that don't need a crazy moutain?
Looks like the Winter Games 2022 will be held in either Beijing or Almaty.
Yay.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/33730477
QuoteBeijing to host 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics
Beijing has been chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, beating the bid of Kazakhstan's Almaty.
Having hosted the 2008 Olympics, the Chinese capital will be the first city to host both a summer and winter Games.
Beijing and Almaty were considered outsiders when the 2022 bid race opened two years ago.
But after a host of European cities withdrew for political or financial reasons, the Chinese bid beat Almaty by 44 votes to 40 with one abstention.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Beijing was awarded the Games because it fitted its new agenda for a "stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency".
Despite expected costs of up to £962m ($1.5bn), the IOC said: "Beijing will rely heavily on existing venues, including those built for the Games in 2008, such as the iconic Bird's Nest stadium."
The statement added: "Thanks to an additional contribution from the IOC of approximately £564m ($880m) to support the staging of the Olympic Winter Games in 2022, Beijing is confident that it will either break even or make a profit."
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, were estimated to have cost £31bn ($51bn), making it the most expensive Olympics in history.
The Games, which was supported by former NBA star Yao Ming, will be divided between the capital and the city of Zhangjiakou - which is 118 miles north-west of Beijing and will host the snow events.
Despite concerns about a lack of natural snow in the mountains, and protests from human rights groups, Beijing had been the clear favourite to win the vote after it successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The IOC said in a statement: "Beijing aims to use the Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports in a region that is home to more than 300 million people in northern China."
But Human Rights Watch said the decision was "a slap in the face to China's besieged human rights activists".
Sophie Richardson, China director of the pressure group, added: "The Olympic motto of 'higher, faster, and stronger' is a perfect description of the Chinese government's assault on civil society: more peaceful activists detained in record time, subject to far harsher treatment."
Olympic skeleton champion Lizzie Yarnold told BBC Radio 5 live: "Before 2008 there was a lot of discussion around human rights and awareness around it. I hope that the International Olympic Committee have taken that into consideration and are going to make actual changes this time, rather than just discuss it.
"The venues need to be technically excellent. They need to be Olympic standard for you to bring good performances as athletes. I really hope the IOC will make sure that things are ready for the World Cup races that will have to take place there before the Olympics."
So that's two Winter Games in a row in shitty time zones for Europeans: South Korea, then PRC. Not that Almaty would have been much better.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.prokerala.com%2Fnews%2Fphotos%2Fimgs%2F800%2Fbeijing-aug-1-2014-xinhua-handout-photo-provided-207465.jpg&hash=f8fdda62678d6a9e32a7db063fbd3729d8d0a58b)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_bid_for_the_2022_Winter_Olympics
QuoteThe Beijing Olympic Games Bidding Committee unveiled the gymnasium layout plan for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on 20 February 2014: five ice events will be held at the Olympic center, the Capital Indoor Stadium and the Beijing Wukesong Sports Center. Competitions for luge, bobsleigh and alpine skiing will be held in Xiaohaituo Mountain area northwest of Beijing, 90 kilometers away from downtown. All other skiing events will be held in Taizicheng Area in Chongli County, Zhangjiakou, 220 kilometers away from downtown of Beijing and 130 kilometers away from Xiaohaituo Mountain Area.
Surprised that the voting was so close.
Does it mean China will be pissed off at Kazakhstan? :tinfoil:
So we have in the next years:
- Summer Games 2016: Rio :)
- Winter Games 2018: Pyeongchang :mellow:
- World Cup 2018: Russia :(
- Summer Games 2020: Tokyo :)
- Winter Games 2022: Beijing :(
- World Cup 2022: Qatar :bleeding:
Euro 2016: France :)
Euro 2020: Twelve different countries :bleeding:
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2015, 11:38:34 AM
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Copacabana.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2015, 11:38:34 AM
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Feels like a "meh" location for Winter Games.
Quote from: Zanza on July 31, 2015, 11:37:14 AM
Euro 2016: France :)
Euro 2020: Twelve different countries :bleeding:
That too! :D
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/07/a-winter-olympics-in-a-city-without-snow/400250/?utm_source=SFFB
QuoteA Winter Olympics in a City Without Snow
The IOC's selection of Beijing as the host of its 2022 games is met with a lukewarm response.
When the International Olympic Committee selected Beijing on Friday as the host for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the Chinese capital became the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter games. This, most likely, isn't coincidental: Beijing's hosting of the Summer games in 2008 was generally considered a success, and Almaty, the Kazakh city whose bid placed second, lacks comparable experience.
A closer examination of Beijing's 2022 bid, though, reveals the selection is far more peculiar than it seems at first glance. One reason: It barely snows in Beijing. China's northern plain is extremely dry, and what precipitation that falls in the capital tends to occur during the summer. Beijing's Olympic planners have assured the IOC this won't be a problem—the country will simply use artificial snow to accommodate events, such as skiing, that require it.
But no amount of fake snow can cover up China's lack of tradition in winter sports. Part of this is socioeconomic: Much of China's population is poor by developed-world standards, and the equipment costs of winter sports tend to be prohibitive.
Another issue is the peculiar nature of how sports function in China. Most top Chinese athletes—think basketball's Yao Ming—are selected from a young age and placed in state-run sports academies, where they receive extensive training in addition to receiving an education. Traditionally, China has centered its attention on summer sports like table tennis, swimming, and gymnastics, rather than sports like skiing, ice skating, and hockey. In recent years, skiing has become a popular sport among China's wealthy—but much of the population remains unable to take part.
Then there's China's political climate, which, if anything, has grown more repressive since 2008. In the past seven years, the Chinese government has banned Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and has restricted speech on the social networks it allows to operate at all. Imagining an Olympics where athletes and spectators are cut off from Facebook is difficult in 2015—and may be even less plausible in 2022. For the second time in 14 years, the IOC has awarded the games to a country with a poor human-rights record.
"The 2008 Beijing Games have put an end—once and for all—to the notion that these Olympics are a 'force for good,'" Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, wrote at the time.
Kazakhstan is little better. The country is a classic post-Soviet autocracy, one where Nursultan Nazarbayev has ruled without opposition since independence in 1991. But Almaty, its largest city and former capital, nonetheless had several advantages over Beijing. It's an international winter-sports destination and already possesses the infrastructure Beijing will have to build from scratch. Almaty's plan to hold every event within a 20-mile radius of the Olympic village would have made it the most compact games in three decades. And, not least, the city has ample natural snow—a point Almaty's planners made repeatedly in its promotional materials.
Almaty took the bad news in stride Friday, and expressed a desire to bid for the games in the future. But is hosting the Olympics worth it? China dazzled the world in 2008 with state-of-the-art Olympic venues like the "Bird's Nest" stadium and the Water Cube, but seven years later, these structures remain underutilized and burdened with debt. In order to prepare for the 2022 games, Beijing will again construct many new venues—making it questionable the city will be able to finance the event within the confines of its $3.066 billion budget.
For China, though, the Olympics have always been about more than money. In 2001, Beijing's victory in obtaining the '08 games sparked wild nationwide celebrations and a sense that the country had "arrived." This time, however, the response was far more tepid.
"We are not that enthusiastic about it because it is not the Summer Olympics but only the Winter Olympics," Wu Xiaowen, an accountant in Beijing, told the Times. "We don't play or watch those games."
Quote from: Zanza on July 31, 2015, 11:37:14 AM
Euro 2016: France :)
Euro 2020: Twelve different countries :bleeding:
Getting tickets for the Euro 2016 seems hard though :( Most go to sponsors, as with World Cups. Platini will change that of course :rolleyes:
As for Euro 2020, that's Platini for you, again.
There is a very strong cultural preference that places academic pursuits above sports in China. The best students are supposed to be bookworms. Only bummers do sports. If a student proclaims that he is the best basketball player in his school, he'll be looked down upon. The entire school basketball team in my high school consisted of the worst students who cause trouble for the school. Good students play musical instruments. Only those who have failed their studies and are too poor will be taken in by the state sports institutions.
I won't worry about cost or snow. China has the money and determination to do a good job. The financial cost is not material to Beijing.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 01, 2015, 04:47:31 AM
If a student proclaims that he is the best basketball player in his school, he'll be looked down upon.
Same here. Prove it on the court, hotshot.
Quote from: Syt on July 31, 2015, 12:05:38 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2015, 11:38:34 AM
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Feels like a "meh" location for Winter Games.
It's mountainous, snowy and near Seoul. What more could you want?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2015, 05:58:25 AM
Quote from: Syt on July 31, 2015, 12:05:38 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2015, 11:38:34 AM
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Feels like a "meh" location for Winter Games.
It's mountainous, snowy and near Seoul. What more could you want?
north korean fireworks?
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on August 01, 2015, 06:58:14 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2015, 05:58:25 AM
Quote from: Syt on July 31, 2015, 12:05:38 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2015, 11:38:34 AM
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Feels like a "meh" location for Winter Games.
It's mountainous, snowy and near Seoul. What more could you want?
north korean fireworks?
Don't worry, NK will launch those at their own athletes who fail to win medals.
Quote from: Tonitrus on August 01, 2015, 08:34:34 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on August 01, 2015, 06:58:14 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2015, 05:58:25 AM
Quote from: Syt on July 31, 2015, 12:05:38 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2015, 11:38:34 AM
Why does Brazil rate a smile and South Korea doesn't?
Feels like a "meh" location for Winter Games.
It's mountainous, snowy and near Seoul. What more could you want?
north korean fireworks?
Don't worry, NK will launch those at their own athletes who fail to win medals.
Did North Korea qualify its football team for the next Summer games in Rio? Portugal managed to. It ends badly for North Korea in general if they meet.
Quote from: Syt on August 01, 2015, 03:42:31 AM
Then there's China's political climate, which, if anything, has grown more repressive since 2008. In the past seven years, the Chinese government has banned Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and has restricted speech on the social networks it allows to operate at all. Imagining an Olympics where athletes and spectators are cut off from Facebook is difficult in 2015—and may be even less plausible in 2022. For the second time in 14 years, the IOC has awarded the games to a country with a poor human-rights record.
Pretty sure the visiting athletes will not be affected by China's internet policies. I've stayed in mainland hotels and service apartments where access to the internet is unrestricted. If they think the places are frequented mainly by foreign guests, the party will allow access.
I don't mind euro 2020 and the many nation thing. Though with the talk of a international league for Europe it seems a little redundant.
Beijing Winter Olympics: :bleeding:
But then who cares about the winter Olympics.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 02:28:21 AM
Pretty sure the visiting athletes will not be affected by China's internet policies. I've stayed in mainland hotels and service apartments where access to the internet is unrestricted. If they think the places are frequented mainly by foreign guests, the party will allow access.
Unrestricted is not, I think, the term for this case. I think it's going to be like Sochi where the party goes to great lengths to make sure they have a way to quash unwanted attention.
Well, if Beijing didn't bid for the 2022 Winter games, Almaty would win by default. From a purely functional point of view, I think there is a good chance that Beijing will do a better job for the athletes.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 07:32:35 AM
Well, if Beijing didn't bid for the 2022 Winter games, Almaty would win by default. From a purely functional point of view, I think there is a good chance that Beijing will do a better job for the athletes.
We postponed our bid because Beijing bid. So they could have gone to Barcelona, which is also a ridiculous proposition in itself, mind.
Lviv would've had it in the bag if not for Putin. :mad:
Quote from: celedhring on August 02, 2015, 08:28:29 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 07:32:35 AM
Well, if Beijing didn't bid for the 2022 Winter games, Almaty would win by default. From a purely functional point of view, I think there is a good chance that Beijing will do a better job for the athletes.
We postponed our bid because Beijing bid. So they could have gone to Barcelona, which is also a ridiculous proposition in itself, mind.
I thought Spain needed to be bailed out not long ago?
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 07:32:35 AM
Well, if Beijing didn't bid for the 2022 Winter games, Almaty would win by default. From a purely functional point of view, I think there is a good chance that Beijing will do a better job for the athletes.
There are two things that are needed for a successful Olympics:
-decent infrastructure & support from the host
-solid venues for top level competitions
Yes Beijing should deliver on the first, and to the extent possible on the second. But from what I understand some of the mountains where the ski/snowboard competitions will be held may not have any snow. The plan is to just use artificial snow, but that is a sad way to hold the top competition in the world.
It is unfortunate that Oslo pulled out.
If you can have Winter Olympics in Sochi, you can have them everywhere. Not that you should, mind you.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 02, 2015, 10:31:07 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 07:32:35 AM
Well, if Beijing didn't bid for the 2022 Winter games, Almaty would win by default. From a purely functional point of view, I think there is a good chance that Beijing will do a better job for the athletes.
There are two things that are needed for a successful Olympics:
-decent infrastructure & support from the host
-solid venues for top level competitions
Yes Beijing should deliver on the first, and to the extent possible on the second. But from what I understand some of the mountains where the ski/snowboard competitions will be held may not have any snow. The plan is to just use artificial snow, but that is a sad way to hold the top competition in the world.
It is unfortunate that Oslo pulled out.
I obviously know next to nothing about winter sports. But my guess would be that weather is not 100% predictable. That means, even on mountains where there is supposed to be natural snow, it may not be entirely suitable for the competition on the day when the olympics are held.
What I am trying to say is, using artificial snow seems like a safer bet.
Quote from: DGuller on August 02, 2015, 10:36:06 PM
If you can have Winter Olympics in Sochi, you can have them everywhere. Not that you should, mind you.
I think they had the Alpine events in the Caucasus where there are ski resorts etc. I've seen pictures taken in January of the mountains they will be using for the Beijing olympics and there was no snow on them.
I know it will more or less work out with artificial snow, but why do that?
Quote from: alfred russel on August 02, 2015, 10:48:08 PM
Quote from: DGuller on August 02, 2015, 10:36:06 PM
If you can have Winter Olympics in Sochi, you can have them everywhere. Not that you should, mind you.
I think they had the Alpine events in the Caucasus where there are ski resorts etc. I've seen pictures taken in January of the mountains they will be using for the Beijing olympics and there was no snow on them.
I know it will more or less work out with artificial snow, but why do that?
Because countries with real alpine climates have democracy to deal with. And sometimes wars as well.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 02, 2015, 10:48:08 PM
Quote from: DGuller on August 02, 2015, 10:36:06 PM
If you can have Winter Olympics in Sochi, you can have them everywhere. Not that you should, mind you.
I think they had the Alpine events in the Caucasus where there are ski resorts etc. I've seen pictures taken in January of the mountains they will be using for the Beijing olympics and there was no snow on them.
I know it will more or less work out with artificial snow, but why do that?
Because it takes two to tango. You can't just say, oh Oslo is a nice place, let's hold it there. Oslo has to decide that it is worthwhile to them as well. For better or worse, the winter olympics is just not popular enough to make it easily commercially viable. So here is Beijing who is willing and able to do it, and is better than the competition.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 11:03:31 PM
For better or worse, the winter olympics is just not popular enough to make it easily commercially viable. So here is Beijing who is willing and able to do it, and is better than the competition.
And that is the crux of the problem. What counts as "commercially viable". If you want new and world class venues for every event, plus opening and closing ceremonies costing obnoxious amounts, then china and kazakhstan may be your two choices. But there was a time that such investment wasnt needed.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 02, 2015, 11:27:29 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 11:03:31 PM
For better or worse, the winter olympics is just not popular enough to make it easily commercially viable. So here is Beijing who is willing and able to do it, and is better than the competition.
And that is the crux of the problem. What counts as "commercially viable". If you want new and world class venues for every event, plus opening and closing ceremonies costing obnoxious amounts, then china and kazakhstan may be your two choices. But there was a time that such investment wasnt needed.
While I agree that the olympics should be held on a more frugal basis, I still don't get what the problem is. As long as the games are held, and competitions are smoothly and fairly conducted, what else is there to complain about? So what if China and Kazakhstan are the only choices in 2022? Even if Kazakhstan hosts the games, I am quite sure that they will do a decent job. They are not a failed state. There is still healthy competition for the right to host these events.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 11:36:29 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 02, 2015, 11:27:29 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 11:03:31 PM
For better or worse, the winter olympics is just not popular enough to make it easily commercially viable. So here is Beijing who is willing and able to do it, and is better than the competition.
And that is the crux of the problem. What counts as "commercially viable". If you want new and world class venues for every event, plus opening and closing ceremonies costing obnoxious amounts, then china and kazakhstan may be your two choices. But there was a time that such investment wasnt needed.
While I agree that the olympics should be held on a more frugal basis, I still don't get what the problem is. As long as the games are held, and competitions are smoothly and fairly conducted, what else is there to complain about? So what if China and Kazakhstan are the only choices in 2022? Even if Kazakhstan hosts the games, I am quite sure that they will do a decent job. They are not a failed state. There is still healthy competition for the right to host these events.
I think you're contradicting yourself. Having China and Kazakhstan as the only two choices is the definition of lack of healthy competition. And I think it is a problem; Olympics can't sustain their legitimacy indefinitely if they become a tool for autocratic regimes to buy prestige.
To an extent though is this not the natural order reasserting itself? The crazy competition for hosting rights is a fairly modern thing right?
It didn't used to be such a huge deal
Quote from: DGuller on August 03, 2015, 01:52:46 AM
I think you're contradicting yourself. Having China and Kazakhstan as the only two choices is the definition of lack of healthy competition. And I think it is a problem; Olympics can't sustain their legitimacy indefinitely if they become a tool for autocratic regimes to buy prestige.
It could be a lot worse. Imagine only one city bidding for it. Imagine the two bids come from Syria and Somalia. Winter olympics is known for its inherent lack of popularity, but they still have two valid bids. Two valid bids for an event that will most likely lose money. If I invite bids from contractors to do some work, which is most likely unprofitable, I will be delighted if I receive two valid bids.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2015, 02:05:32 AM
It could be a lot worse. Imagine only one city bidding for it. Imagine the two bids come from Syria and Somalia. Winter olympics is known for its inherent lack of popularity, but they still have two valid bids. Two valid bids for an event that will most likely lose money. If I invite bids from contractors to do some work, which is most likely unprofitable, I will be delighted if I receive two valid bids.
Then the problem is with requirements that makes the games too expensive for the benefit they bring to their host. If the sporting events are a net economic drain, then only autocratic regimes will be able to spend their people's money to showcase their penis in all its glory. Democratic regimes are answerable to the people that shell out that money.
Found this on Wiki on the Oslo 2022 bid -
QuoteOpposition to the bid was largely due to the expense of organizing the games, as well as certain demands by the IOC. On the day of the Conservative Party vote against the bid, Verdens Gang revealed that the IOC had demanded a host of privileges, including free cocktail parties with the king and dedicated traffic lanes during the games.[17] Some requirements would have required special legislation, such as tax exemptions for IOC representatives and access to all public ad space in Oslo for use by IOC sponsors.[18] Other requirements, such as a dedicated power supply for each arena, as well as special VIP lounges of a specified size, with high quality food and specially designed Olympic furniture, would have required extensive renovation of every venue. Additionally, the IOC recommended that schools and some work places close, in order to decrease traffic and increase spectator attendance. The bid committee admitted that the cost of these requirements would be hard to assess, making the total cost uncertain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_bid_for_the_2022_Winter_Olympics
There are some interesting demands in there.
Similar with Munich which had considered a bid:
QuoteHowever, these plans were cancelled on 10 November 2013 when a majority of residents in the Munich area opposed the bid in referendums held in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Bavarian districts of Berchtesgadener Land and Traunstein (where the competitions would have taken place).[46] In each locality, a majority had voted against bidding: 51.2% in Munich, 51.6% in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 54.0% in Berchtesgadener Land, and 59.7% in Traunstein.[47] Opponents pointed to the high costs for hosting the Olympics, environmental issues, and criticism of commercialization of sports, particularly the IOC.
I predict Hamburg, which is currently considering applying for the 2024 Summer Games will have a similar outcome when they hold their referendum.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2015, 02:17:14 AM
There are some interesting demands in there.
I suspect those demands are pretty standard for IOC and FIFA events these days.
Quote from: Syt on August 03, 2015, 02:33:23 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2015, 02:17:14 AM
There are some interesting demands in there.
I suspect those demands are pretty standard for IOC and FIFA events these days.
And part of the reason why hosting this events is becoming unpopular.
No wonder they prefer dictatorships to host these events.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 02, 2015, 11:36:29 PM
While I agree that the olympics should be held on a more frugal basis, I still don't get what the problem is. As long as the games are held, and competitions are smoothly and fairly conducted, what else is there to complain about? So what if China and Kazakhstan are the only choices in 2022? Even if Kazakhstan hosts the games, I am quite sure that they will do a decent job. They are not a failed state. There is still healthy competition for the right to host these events.
I don't have a problem with holding the Olympics in countries that are less than democratic. Worse things have happened than the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. If the Summer Olympics go back there at some point, that is fine with me. But the Olympics should be in places that have the proper conditions for events. From what I've seen, Beijing doesn't have proper conditions for the Winter Olympics--worse even than Sochi.
China has ski resorts, but apparently they want to showcase their capital. Which is unfortunate imo.
I'm waiting for the inevitable Qatar Winter Games, at latest in 2050 :P
Do any of you guys watch the Olympics anymore? I couldn't care less about them. :hmm:
I watch all of it.
Hell, I watched the Women's World Cup & The Pan Am games!
I even used to watch the Goodwill Games... :sleep:
Quote from: Caliga on August 03, 2015, 10:53:51 AM
Do any of you guys watch the Olympics anymore? I couldn't care less about them. :hmm:
Are there any sports you do watch?
I think the Olympics are great. Watch enough of various odd sports to last me for four years.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2015, 02:17:14 AM
Found this on Wiki on the Oslo 2022 bid -
QuoteOpposition to the bid was largely due to the expense of organizing the games, as well as certain demands by the IOC. On the day of the Conservative Party vote against the bid, Verdens Gang revealed that the IOC had demanded a host of privileges, including free cocktail parties with the king and dedicated traffic lanes during the games.[17] Some requirements would have required special legislation, such as tax exemptions for IOC representatives and access to all public ad space in Oslo for use by IOC sponsors.[18] Other requirements, such as a dedicated power supply for each arena, as well as special VIP lounges of a specified size, with high quality food and specially designed Olympic furniture, would have required extensive renovation of every venue. Additionally, the IOC recommended that schools and some work places close, in order to decrease traffic and increase spectator attendance. The bid committee admitted that the cost of these requirements would be hard to assess, making the total cost uncertain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_bid_for_the_2022_Winter_Olympics
There are some interesting demands in there.
So the Olympics is a former miss universe, now approaching 40 in a very bad way.... But who has yet to realise her looks are gone and only abusive dicks who want to use her to make themselves look good will touch her.
Quote from: Caliga on August 03, 2015, 10:53:51 AM
Do any of you guys watch the Olympics anymore? I couldn't care less about them. :hmm:
I watch the real sports.
League & Hunting, am I rite?
This is the product of the IOC being one of those completely unaccountable international organizations that have morphed into being probably the largest self-licking ice cream cone in the world.
And as they're not a country, one cannot even nuke them.
Some brave, democratic nations should just co-opt them. After all, what legal recourse/authority do they have? File a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court?
Quote from: Tonitrus on August 03, 2015, 07:32:43 PM
This is the product of the IOC being one of those completely unaccountable international organizations that have morphed into being probably the largest self-licking ice cream cone in the world.
And as they're not a country, one cannot even nuke them.
:yes: They need to be reformed.
Quote from: Tonitrus on August 03, 2015, 07:35:59 PM
Some brave, democratic nations should just co-opt them. After all, what legal recourse/authority do they have? File a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court?
But that won't work. The Olympics without Russia or China would suck. The world has lots of shitty places with governments that embrace corruption--just like with the UN, a worldwide organization won't be up to first world standards.
The developed world probably has more leverage over FIFA. Europe plus South America are the core of the sport, and while South America has corruption, I think it would follow Europe's lead. As would North America. Africa and Asia can't really do their own thing with credibility.
Just as they would suck without the U.S./Europe. Someone has to take a stand. :mad:
Unfortunately, as the IOC is stationed in Switzerland, so to avoid hypocrisy we might have to invade and dismantle them.
But who am I kidding? Any real move agains the corrupt IOC gets blocked when they push out those starry-eyed athletes as if they were adorable puppies, and tell us how we are killing their once-in-a-lifetime dreams for Olympic glory. Then we all cave.
It was no surprise to most of us around here that the Boston bid failed. Too crowded an area for starters. Traffic would be a mess for years during construction and people still remember the folly of the Big Dig. Then the corruption, lies and fabrications that came out of the groups pushing for it just finally sunk it. Neither the Governor nor Mayor of Boston could support it any longer, aside from lack of voter support. Both weren't really pushing for it, just waiting for the info to keep coming out on the whole thing and to see how viable the idea was.
Just build the Olympic complex near Mount Olympus and hold it there every four years.That worked out pretty well the first time, and Greece could use the investment and tourist dollars.
Quote from: grumbler on August 04, 2015, 03:04:36 PM
Just build the Olympic complex near Mount Olympus and hold it there every four years.That worked out pretty well the first time, and Greece could use the investment and tourist dollars.
That will never happen, it makes too much sense.