Olympics; bombings/terrorism and cost

[bradly1101]

I know that the Olympics provide our competitive natures with an outlet, but is it worth it? They are huge money drains, and not very often money makers.

On top of that, as an international event they draw angry, violent people who want to use the games as a megaphone for fear and their agendas.

As I see Russia criticized for their security problems leading to Sochi, we must remember that in 1996 we had our own home-grown Olympics bombing. The scales may be different, but is it worth it to put people in potential danger for a rivalry between countries? And are the games worth the money? At least they're covered well on TV. ;-)

http://www.businessinsider.com/sochi-olympics-cost-russia-51-billion-2013-2

 

[CanOWorms]

This damage can go beyond money and into the core of society. For example, this Olympics also has a social terrorism aspect involved with white privilege being used to oppress Nagasu in favor of Wagner in the US figureskating team.

 

[Genx87]

I have to wonder if it is worth having these games. Games that are supposed to represent the nations of the world getting together and shelving their differences for competitive play. When we are sending warships to the games.

 

[nageov3t]

I doubt most of that money was spent on security, though.

I've heard people guess that about 20-billion at Sochi has been "spent" in thefts/bribes. there's also the huge undertaking of transforming a backwater, middle class beach resort into a Winter Olympics destination, and probably fleets of trucks carting in snow given that the average January-February temperature there is about 50F (it's on the same Latitude line as Central Italy and the French Riviera)

 

[BoberFett]

This damage can go beyond money and into the core of society. For example, this Olympics also has a social terrorism aspect involved with white privilege being used to oppress Nagasu in favor of Wagner in the US figureskating team.

This guy has got to be a parody poster...

 

[gevorg]

Sochi was pretty much a Soviet era shithole before Olympics. It would probably been cheaper to build a new city from scratch somewhere "wintery", on high elevation.

 

[theeedude]

Sochi is just a front for Putin's syndicate to launder state funds into private fortunes.
Forget security, with the amount of theft and graft involved, if none of the buildings collapse from their own weight due to cut corners and stolen materials, it will be an accomplishment.

 

[Subyman]

I think its sad that most of the stories being run on the news revolve around "potential" terrorism at the Olympics instead of interviews with the athletes, tours of the facilities, or something that has to do with the actual games. Just now on NBC they ran stock footage of AK47s and RPGs while talking about "terrorists may already have passed into Sochi." They'd rather speculate about bombings instead of focus on the actual event.

 

[Gintaras]

Sochi was pretty much a Soviet era shithole before Olympics. It would probably been cheaper to build a new city from scratch somewhere "wintery", on high elevation.

gevorg, you're such shitty shithole yourself...looks, like you had very bad childhood...your parents alcoholics perhaps? never been @ sea resort before?

Have you ever been in Sochi? there a lot of positive people every summer every year...just you - a shithole call other people names and filled with a hate because of your bad childhood...

 

[Gintaras]

Sochi is just a front for Putin's syndicate to launder state funds into private fortunes.

Any proof? if not, you just another lonely troll....

 

[nageov3t]

Any proof? if not, you just another lonely troll....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putin's_Palace ?

surely, of all places in Russia they wouldn't be holding the Olympics in a summer resort town without good reason.

 

[gevorg]

gevorg, you're such shitty shithole yourself...looks, like you had very bad childhood...your parents alcoholics perhaps? never been @ sea resort before?

Have you ever been in Sochi? there a lot of positive people every summer every year...just you - a shithole call other people names and filled with a hate because of your bad childhood...

Hi Borat, long time no see!

I had a great childhood in Kazakhstan!

 

[dainthomas]

No question Saltzburg would have been the much better choice. You can't convince me giant bags of cash didn't change hands to let Sochi have it.

 

[HomerJS]

I think its sad that most of the stories being run on the news revolve around "potential" terrorism at the Olympics instead of interviews with the athletes, tours of the facilities, or something that has to do with the actual games. Just now on NBC they ran stock footage of AK47s and RPGs while talking about "terrorists may already have passed into Sochi." They'd rather speculate about bombings instead of focus on the actual event.

Frankly I can't wait for the next edition of the Women of Curling

 

[Slew Foot]

50 billion dollars? lol, 90% of that went to Putins buddies

 

[Ventanni]

Who pays for it all though, really? Is it Russia fronting all the money to build the stadium?

 

[davmat787]

No question Saltzburg would have been the much better choice. You can't convince me giant bags of cash didn't change hands to let Sochi have it.

Bribes happened in the choosing of Salt Lake City to host the 2002 Winter Games, so I am sure cash was involved in choosing Sochi, along with some other "perks" of course.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Winter_Olympic_bid_scandal

 

[StinkyPinky]

The London olympics was better than the Chinese one and only cost a third of the amount.

Money can't always buy success it seems.

 

[nageov3t]

Who pays for it all though, really? Is it Russia fronting all the money to build the stadium?

yep, the Russian government and generous "donations" from Russian corporations.

Other countries that have hosted the Olympics have overwhelmingly used public funds to pay for the construction of needed venues and new infrastructure. The Russian government, however, has gotten state-controlled companies and tycoons to foot more than half of the bill, which now stands at $51 billion and makes the 2014 Winter Games by far the most expensive Olympics in history...

Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister under Putin, described the tycoons' participation as a sort of tax imposed by the president.

"If you want to carry on doing business in Russia, here's the tax you need to pay — the kind of a tax that he wants you to pay," Kasyanov, now an opposition leader, told The Associated Press.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/russian-oligarchs-foot-most-2014-sochi-olympics

 

[Fern]

Seems to me that lately some very poor (or questionable) choices have been made as to where large events will be hosted.

Sochi and terrorist threats.

Brazil with infrastructure and budget problems as well as concerns about crime.

The Super Bowl in NY/NJ in early February, in an outdoor stadium. WTH?

Fern