- Question
Are Olympics an overall good or bad for the cities where they are hosted?
The Olympic Games are a set of international sports competitions that occur every four years for winter and spring sports, or every two years overall. Each competition is held in a different city in a different country, with the potential possibility to repeat a location. As the world economy and tourism expanded in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, there has been some debate as to whether the Olympics is an overall good or bad experience for a host country.
The Olympic Games are an overall good for their host city
The Olympic Games stand for both international camaraderie and competition. To be a host is to step into the international spotlight in a favorable way and present the best of one’s city and country. It is a phenomenal opportunity for host countries, cities, and citizens to announce to the international community that their city is a place ripe for appreciation. The Olympics Games can stoke the local economy, increase prestige, and even benefit communities long after they are over.
The Olympic Games are an overall bad for their host city
The Olympic Games are an antiquated form of international competition that comes with imagined prestige for the hosts. The sheer scale of construction required to host the Olympics Games can overwhelm an unprepared economy, as well as cause damage to already vulnerable citizens. While hosting the games can bring a city and country into the international eye, the intangible alleged benefits are doing so are vastly outweighed by the literal, negative, and concrete impacts on a city.