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Are the hosting of the Olympics becoming the next ‘black spot’ no one really wants to receive?
Why...
Does everyone who has previously won an Olympic bid then say it was never worth it, yet countries queue up to host it? The Moaning Minnie list of previous Olympic hosts is longer than the ribbon gymnasts wave about on their floor exercise. (Quick question here. In an age of equality why are only women allowed this exercise?) The Australian grumble about how the Olympic village outside Sydney was originally a rubbish tip and at least they have returned it to that. The bird’s nest stadium in Beijing might as well be birds nest soup and the Olympic structures in Rio crumble like rocks of cocaine that are sold there. I read today in the London Times that before Paris has even fired a starting gun there is much mooching and shrugging of shoulders of unhappy Parisians. The hoteliers are complaining that the hotels are at only 70% occupancy as so many tourists have taken to Airbnb. Restaurant bookings are down as again those in Airbnb are cooking in. “Pourquoi”, (why) cry our French cousins, the stub of a Gauloise cigarette screwed into the corner of their downturned mouths. GREED is the answer. The simply ridiculous price hikes by the cheese eating surrender monkeys, as Homer Simpson once described the French, are just one step too far. Add to that the by-the-throat greeting by Parisians to foreigners and you have a recipe for attendance disaster that even Escoffier could not have whipped up. Of course as an extra ‘amuse-bouche’ to this PR meal disaster is the fact the French have had an election with change in direction that makes a weather vane in a tornado look stable. With a two part vote the first set swung France to the right. “Quelle horreur” the media all wept as they ran around hands on cheeks like the figure in The Scream by Edvard Munch. So they then get every single other party to co-operate on candidates on tactical voting to beat Marine Le Pen and instead end up with a far left Government who want 90% top rate of tax, retirement dropped from 65 to 60 and unlimited immigration. And who think the Olympics an outrageous waste of money. Do I see conflict of interest raising its head here?
...and another thing
I suppose large countries with massive economic wells of money to dip into can afford the eye watering cost. China shelled out $54.6 billion to host the games. But even Brazil, not known for its core economic strength spaffed away nearly $19 billion on the five ring circus.
The reality of course is that, as with the World Cup when Russia and Qatar seemingly bought their way into the host chair, all Olympic Games are simply going to rotate around a select few countries who can pay for it. That would be sad.
Of course I’m a dreamer but would it really be beyond the IOC to just build two venues… one in Northern Hemisphere and one in Southern in neutral territory that they maintain with contributions from every nation in the Games. And alternate. The rest of the time the facilities are open to any nation to train for their athletes or use for other events. Same for football.
Hey ho pip pip.
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