Hosting the Olympics

Andrew Zimbalist, writing for The Atlantic Cities, explores the notion that host cities benefit from the Olympics:

Of all the hype surrounding the Olympics, some of the biggest tends to be economic. The event is often billed as a boon to business for its host city - a two-week burst of tourism and valuable television time, as well as a spur for much needed infrastructure investment. But is it true? Do countries really gain from organizing the Olympic Games?

The answer is: It depends, but don’t count on it. There may be a few former hosts that experienced a long-term economic benefit, such as Barcelona, but scholarly research has found that any gains are difficult to identify.

I’ve been lax in my posts here mostly because of my interest in the Olympics. I always enjoy the competition, the stories of triumph, and the pageantry of the Olympics. It’s too bad that the host cities have such trouble getting value for their efforts.