The Summer Olympics represents a special time in sporting history. There is a sense of pride that comes from rooting for your home country. Athletes competing in the games also are rewarded with years of hard work being literally turned in gold medals. A common theme has been overshadowing the Olympic Games for the past four years. This theme is the environment in which the games are held. Both Sochi and Rio De Janeiro are Olympic destinations that have been questioned on the readiness for tourism and housing for Olympic athletes.
Throughout the Olympic Games in Sochi, athletes took pictures of problems they encounter during their stay and shared them on social media. From the running water not working in the hotels to the slopes being littered with stray dogs, the problems with Sochi didn’t go undetected. Most of them even became a laughable farce when it came to the mistakes with the bathrooms.
When it comes to Brazil, the problems become more serious and the mistakes become less comical. The recent Zika outbreak causing athletes to skip this year’s games, the crime rate in Rio, and the lack of readiness for the games are just a few of the mistakes in Rio. Not to mention the mistreatment of workers, who built the stadium and the Olympic grounds.
Now, if we look back to the last 10 years, each Olympic Games has had its problems. London 2012 was understaffed, Vancouver 2010 imported snow because it was so hot, even Beijing 2008 had runners and cyclists wearing face masks do to the pollution. The reason why these problems are taking away from the games in Rio is because this could have been prevented. The IOC, or International Olympic Committee, knew what it was getting into. Brazil was host of the FIFA World Cup in 2014, and most, if not all, of the problems faced then are still in effect two years later.
250,000 people were forcibly removed from their homes; families were compensated in the tens of thousands dollar range. It was reported that the poorer Brazilians slept outside these stadiums because they had no other place to go. The cost of building the 12 stadiums was a hefty $12 billion dollars; prior to the World Cup, Brazil’s economy was stating to recover from the financial crisis it experienced in 2008. Not to mention the protesting in the streets. Forbes.com even called Brazil hosting the World Cup as “The Worst Publicity Stunt in History.”
How the IOC chose and stuck with Rio as a host to the games is mind numbing. Scholastic.com outlines the process of how a host country is chosen by the IOC.
“1) The city must prove it is big enough to handle the Olympics….2) The city needs to convince residents that the expenses of covering the Olympics (which may be covered by raising taxes) are worth it in city improvement and new jobs….3) The cities needs to maintain a highly positive media exposure to carry the games.”
The description explains that the IOC needs to investigate the city and find that it meets the criteria under these three guidelines. Clearly rule 1 and 2 are questionably broken when it comes to regarding Brazil. Of course there are rumors of the voting being rigged, but after the World Cup, the stadiums in Brazil would have gone to waste. If not for a tourist attraction like the Olympics, Brazil may have gone back into the debt it just had overcome. That being said, pity is not a reason to host the Olympic games.
In the opening days of the Olympics crime has also become a factor. In the first few days since the opening ceremony, tourists have been robbed at gun point, and the Australian athletes were robbed after leaving their rooms due to a fire drill. That is a representation of the lack of safety these athletes are currently under. Team Great Brittan has resorted to banning the maid from cleaning their rooms in the Olympic Village. Another black eye for both Brazil and the IOC. And we are just under a week from the games starting.
When looking at the environment of the Olympic Games, South Korea should be learning a lesson from Rio, as the games are in PyeongChang in 2018. The expectation is that the games need to have enough safety to make the athletes comfortable, and raise the bar when it comes to hosting the Olympics. The IOC also needs to reflect on the bad reputation the last two Olympics have had. If the committee continues to pick questionable cities, they are letting down both the athletes, and the billions of people watching at home.
