Sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder why anyone would want to do any business with the International Olympic Committee.
The Olympic Games is an albatross around the collective necks of taxpayers in host cities leaving behind staggering debt. There are ongoing investigations of bid cities bribing people connected with the IOC to land the big prize the Olympics. The IOC for some reason has permanent observer status at the United Nations. And the IOC is mad at the organizers of the 2018 South Korea Winter Olympics.
Seems that the IOC is concerned about the legacy that the 2018 South Korea Games might leave behind and inflicting harm on the image of the Games. South Korea better do something fast.
The International Olympic Committee is worrying about tarnishing the five rings. It is time to let the barons of the rings in on a little secret. Boston, Rome and Hamburg dropped out of the bidding for the 2024 Summer Games. There were just two cities that wanted the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing, China got that. Quebec City has dropped out of the running for the 2026 Winter Games. There has been no real financial report on the 2012 London Summer Olympics. There are allegations that the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics cost the Russian government $51 billion in US money.
Then there are slide shows available from news organizations that show dismal failure, abandoned Olympic venues. Atlanta’s legacy no longer includes the 1996 Olympic Stadium. Its life is over as it will be knocked down. The 1980 Lake Placid Olympic legacy includes turning the Olympic Village into an upstate New York prison.
The IOC image is bad no matter how much TV and politicians try to gloss it over.
By Evan Weiner For The Politics Of Sports Business
This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Evan Weiner.