Due to difficulties in Rio, the IOC is unlikely to have the games in Africa or India anytime soon

[davidn3600]

Several prominent members of the International Olympic Committee said the difficulty getting Rio de Janeiro ready for the Summer Games likely means the organization will shy away from again holding the world’s biggest sporting event in cities that exhibit any signs of instability.

The comments, among the strongest yet by IOC officials about their frustration with Rio’s preparations, show the organization backing away from a previous goal of opening up the Games to a broader selection of cities.

Rio, the first South American city to host the event, was supposed to mark the dawn of a new, more adventurous era for the IOC. It is instead shaping up as a cautionary tale about how volatile conditions can be in developing countries. Ambitions to hold the Olympics in Africa or India appear shelved indefinitely, according to IOC members and people who work closely with the organization.​

“Rio has been the biggest challenge we have ever faced,” said Gerhard Heiberg, a longtime IOC member from Norway, who headed the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer. “Maybe we will spend some more time thinking about going to the last continent. We need some assurance it will be a success.”

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In 2009 when the IOC picked Rio, Brazil’s economy was projected to become one of the five biggest economies in the world by now. It has instead fallen into its worst recession in decades, and the government is embroiled in a pervasive and distracting political scandal.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/rios-olympics-woes-sour-ioc-on-developing-world-as-games-site-1470071852

Looks like the IOC will stick with wealthy countries and the first world for awhile.

[MicaelS]

1. Permanent Sites are the best solution.

One for the Summer, another for the Winter. Spend the money in upgrades, not new construction.

[davidn3600]

3. Get a few stable cities and rotate

If you look at some of the facilities used in previous Olympics, they have become wastelands. Always having new construction for 3 weeks of games is a ridiculous waste of money. Most of the world has figured that out.

[procon]

4. That's what I've always thought, too.

The olympic committee could still raise money by selling sponsorships or co branding the various ceremonial events, the buildings and event venues. They would also make money by bringing in corporate vendors to supply and maintain the olympic village. Participating countries would be able to pay to use the facilities for training throughout the year, and that would really help poor nations. All the nations could select relatively neutral host countries to build new olympic facilities, and pay fees to support the permanent structures, but that would be far less costly than paying for the whole show.

[uponit7771]

2. Africa isn't a country...

[CBGLuthier]

10. No one said Africa was a country.

I am certain they meant no country in Africa or India will be chosen. I find that an acceptable form of shorthand that did not diminish my comprehension.

Now me, I hate the fucking Olympics so the citizens of Africa, the continent and India, the country, should consider themselves lucky.

[world wide wally]

5. Do you remember Republicans cheering when Brazil was awarded the Olympics over the USA

because they saw it as a defeat for Obama?

[RockaFowler]

6. I do

And that always made me wonder if they were real Americans after all

How could anybody cheer that??

[bullwinkle428]

7. I will ALWAYS remember that. I participate on a board

that deals with all things related to golf, so many of the posters are pretty right-leaning, to say the least. The topic of multiple player withdrawals from the Rio games has prompted lots of cries of "I can't believe they chose to hold the Olympics in a third-world hellhole!!1!"

These were the very same people celebrating the games not getting awarded to Chicago, seeing it as a giant "fuck you" to Barack Obama.

[davidn3600]

8. Chicago was eliminated on the first vote, I believe

Rio got it over Tokyo and Madrid.

It had little to do either way with Obama. Chicago's bid was plagued over questions about the crime rate and who's actually going to pay for it. The city was in debt (and still is). The economy throughout the US was also still rocked by the real estate crash. Those are the issues that spearheaded the opposition. Although it turns out Rio may have been the worst choice, if it wasn't in the cards then it's likely Tokyo or Madrid would have won it over Chicago anyway.

Chicago has a soaring murder rate, increasing poverty, and debt problems. The Olympics is not what the city needs. Some leaders say it would have helped motivate positive change in the city, but it would be only temporary. As history shows, Olympic host cities don't do particularly well once the games end. There is a lot of debt and the jobs the games brought are immediately ended.

The IOC has allowed the price tag for these games to get out of control. Sochi's budget was originally $12 billion when the games were approved there. The final bill was over $55 billion and the Russian government is struggling to maintain the facilities and infrastructure that are rarely being utilized today.

Headlines over the cost of Sochi was a big reason Boston withdrew it's bid last year. The IOC may end up turning to Los Angeles for 2024. Otherwise, they may not get a serious bid from an American city again for a long time.

[world wide wally]

9. I saw the video of the cheering going on at Republican HQs (and I'm sure others did too)

Explain that

[Ron Obvious]

12. Strange: every problem you list for Chicago is so much worse in Rio.

I like the idea of a few permanent host cities myself.

[davidn3600]

13. But it wasn't at the time....

8 years ago, Brazil was looking like it was about to break out and become one of the world's top economies. The markets were very bullish on Brazil.

[clutterbox1830]

11. Ironic thing

Ironic thing is that if the Olympics were held in the US, the media would be covering much more on it and less on politics... and less on Trump's public snafus.

[former9thward]

14. I remember the people of Chicago cheering.

Who are pretty much all Democrats and I was one of them. The Olympics would have saddled Chicago with a generation of debt while enriching Daley's cronies and contractor donors. Screw that.