The Olympic Games

[myrosiedog]

I love the Olympics and can't wait for the winter games in 2010.
I don't mind that Rio got them. I think it was about time for a SA city to get them.

I always thought that the games brought in BIG money for the host city. I'm not completely sure about this, but.... Atlanta did very well in the sustainability part. They turned their atheletes village into housing, the stadiums are being used, etc.

[Google]

 

[norealityhere]

While it would have been great to have them in Chicago, I can certainly accept South America getting their opportunity.

[psycobabe007]

While I am happy that the IOC is showing diversity by finally giving South America a shot at the Olympics, yeah, it would have been cool to have the Olympics in Chicago. But I think Rio will definitely be a cool and different place to be. My family and friends have talked about going to London for the 2012 Olympics but Rio would be a definite cool alternative !

[Amy Lee]

I am so over the Olympics and their antics.

[Ionan]

Originally Posted by Little Sew&Sew

Chicago can't afford to pay their own police officers and firemen . . . how can't it be expected to spend BILLIONS of dollars on what is basically a party that lasts for 3 or 4 weeks.

There are so many more worthwhile things we could us that money for.

Well, ever since the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics, American olympics(at least) have been (mostly) entirely financed by private companies (McDonalds and Coca-Cola, etc) and because of this, Olympics held in the USA has always(or usually) made a huge profit( Los Angeles in particular made a profit in both 1932 and esp. in 1984 which is the most profitable olympic games in history)

One of the big complaints of the IOC against Chicago, is that they didn't have their bid initially backed by govt funding guarantees or something. The reason for that is because Chicago had already had enough financial agreements with many private organizations to pay for construction, etc.

Also, if the case about spending BILLIONS of dollars is an issue, why was RIO awarded the games? With all their poor, third world-like neighborhoods, and incredibly high crime rates and corruption, you'd think that they'd need the money even more to solve those problems than any of the other bid cities.

Anyway, since Rio was awarded the games, I wish them luck, but I do not have confidence in their ability to host the games just yet. I mean if London 2012 is plagued by HUGE over-budget issues, what is the potential for Rio to completely fall apart during the preparations? (esp. with the 2014 World Cup hosting duties, which I'm positive means about 20x more to them than the Olympic Games). i just hope it doesn't turn out like the 2007 Pan Ams, where the brazilian crowds booed foreign athletes and cheered when they messed up while they were competing(esp American athletes). How rude.

[Missyboxers]

Originally Posted by MsFroggy

I was lukewarm on Chicago getting the Olympics so I'm not too broken up and I kind of thought Rio will get it. The only surprise was seeing Chicago out so early.

For anyone living here the first thought when you heard the word Olympics was probably not "Oh, cool, that's just going to put us on the map!!" but "Oh, crap! Traffic is going to be murder and what about the lake shore??" Our traffic already sucks big time and people who have lived in their neighborhoods all their lives have been priced out to make room for soulless, generic three-Starbucks-on-every-street kind of artificially gentrified havens for people with 1.5 kids and medium sized low maintenance pets. I call them Stepford neighborhoods and no, you don't want to see them. Trust me. All those inconvenient South Side neighborhoods around the planned venues with all those inconvenient normal not-so-rich people would have suffered the same fate under the guise of the Olympics. A hospital was going to be razed to make room for a stadium. Yeah.

I agree, though I'd go a bit further and say I thought Rio was a lock to get it. They have the World Cup in 2014, so presumably some of the facilities will be in place for that and thus maybe there won't be such concern that the facilities won't be finished in time. Plus, again, South America's never had it. The US had the summer games in '96 and the winter games in '02. Someone else deserves a shot, and I think it will be cool to see what Rio does. I did not, however, think that Chicago would bow out in the first round.

As for the bolded part, when New York was up for the 2012 games, a localized version of that thought was running through my head.

I'm also excited for the games this winter.

[lopevian]

Anxiously awaiting the Winter Olympics! My absolute favorite sporting event. Am currently re-watching the 2006 Torino games (11 VCR tapes worth!). Snowboard Cross, which made its Olympic debut in Torino, is particularly fascinating...and harrowing! Of course next to the Skeleton, it looks like child's play. Oh boy oh boy oh boy...can't wait! Any Canadians here planning on attending any events? Would love your first hand observations! Don't make a habit of wishing my life away, but February CANNOT get here soon enough.