The prospect of hosting any mega-event—especially the Olympic Games—is cause for serious consideration. At local, national, and international levels, the discussion takes shape around two key questions: is it worth it? And if so, for whom?
The question of worth is not limited to cost—although that certainly remains a crucial feature. Rather, there exists a series of interrelated concerns about how mega-events can disrupt cities, and distract from long-term planning agendas. Bids to host the 2024 Olympics from both Boston and Hamburg were withdrawn for such reasons. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro is demonstrating just how challenging preparations for the Olympic Games can be.
Here, we take a closer look at five key reasons why a city might be reluctant to host the Olympic Games.
1. Sheer Cost
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Here are the estimated costs of the last four Olympics, and the projected cost of the upcoming games in Rio.
- Sydney 2000: US$4.7 billion
- Athens 2004: €9 billion
- Beijing 2008: US$42 billion
- London 2012: US$11 billion
- Rio 2016: US$15 billion or more (over two decades following the event)
While the exact cost of any Olympics is difficult to pin down, and is often a point of contention, the last three games witnessed unparalleled public and private investment. Beijing, London and Rio have built longer term “legacy” planning into their budgets, to try to ensure that investment in hosting the games continues to pay off for years after the event.
