For the most part, people see the act of hosting the Winter Olympics as a privilege to be sought after by countries capable of doing so. But once the games are over, what happens to the cities that hosted them? History has shown that the result is typically not positive.
The most dramatic example is that of the 1984 Olympic tracks in Sarajevo, which were left to fall apart after the conclusion of the games. Although it is believed the conflict that took place there in the early 1990s was the cause of the track’s decay, it was simply the fact that no one had any use for it.
With tensions building in the Ukraine, it is easy to see how a similar situation could happen with Sochi. The center of the violence is occurring in the region of Simferopol, the major city located inland from the Crimean Peninsula, a city that is only 6 hours away from the Sochi Olympic grounds by plane. The issues concerning Sochi were only relevant when they were shown to the public on TV, but now, with what is happening only hours away, it is hard to believe that people could stay focused on the post-Olympic stability of Sochi.
This year’s Olympics were also the most expensive ever, costing a reported $50 billion. This is outrageous, considering the cost of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver was under $9 billion. Between Beijing and Sochi, there was almost a hundred billion dollars spent, dwarfing the costs of the past Olympics.
Bearing in mind that there have also been rumors of over $30 billion of the Olympic funds in Sochi are being kicked back to corrupt Russian politicians.
It seems as though the appeal of hosting the Olympic games is no longer about a desire to represent global unity, but rather a way to make easy money. Perhaps the fault lies with the Olympic committees who decide what country will play host to the games.
Although the track record of the Olympics isn’t great, some years have clearly been much worse than others. The next winter Olympics is going to be in Pyeongchang, South Korea, a mere 5 hours away from the most militarized border in the world. Hopefully Sochi serves as a stern warning towards over-spending, and the games can go back to a more simplistic identity.