Essay 1 – The Olympics

Scottlyn Cottrell

KINE 5308

Dr. Bartee
The Olympics Cottrell 2

Introduction

“Full of blood, passion and extraordinary feats of athletic endeavour, the Olympic Games

were the sporting, social and cultural highlight of the Ancient Greek calendar for almost 12

centuries” (Olympic.org, 2018). For Americans, the Olympics are the biggest sporting event that

happens every two years. For the rest of the world the debate of the importance of it for them

rivals the World Cup. All can agree that the Olympics are a unifier in the world, which

recognizes the best of the best across the globe in their respectful sport. The history of the

Olympics goes back further than any other sporting event. The world Olympic comes from

ancient Greek Mythology, where the gods lived on Mount Olympus and the games were first

started in Athens, Greece. “The Games lasted a full five days by the fifth century BC and saw

running, jumping and throwing events plus boxing, wrestling, pankration and chariot racing. At

least 40,000 spectators would have packed the stadium each day at the height of the Games’

popularity, in the second century AD, with many more selling their wares outside” (Olympic.org,

2018). This event has remained tradition throughout the history of the world, but has evolved to

become more civilized. Every four years the best from each country in their sport meet to

represent their home, and try to win a medal for themselves and their country. There is so much

honor and glory that comes from these games, but there are so many effects of this huge event on

the host city. This paper will examine the impact of the Olympic games on the host city, both

good and bad.

The Good

There are good things that come out of hosting the Olympics on the host city. The city

will gain so much attention and it is an honor to host the Olympics. For some cities there is a big

payoff from building so many new facilities for the games. “The Calgary facilities have fared
well because they were close to downtown and there was a need for the facilities. The facilities

developed for the Vancouver Games in 2010 were also designed for renovated to help save

costs” (Fried, 27, 2015). This proved to payoff for Calgary because they were able to undertake

the responsibility of hosting and have been able to use the facilities following the completion of

the games. Very few cities are able to create a profit off of the games because of how much

money goes into putting on the games. “the 1984 L.A. Games turned a tidy $200 million-plus

profit and inspired the aspirations of other cities. The 2000 Sydney Games have been celebrated

by many pundits as the best-organized Olympics in modern history, with a legacy of an

improved environment, useful new transportation, real-estate development, and world-class

infrastructure” (Wallenfeldt, 2018). These are two examples of how hosting the Olympics can

produce positive results; sadly they are not the standard of how the cities fare during and post

hosting their own games.

The Bad

For all of the good things that can come from hosting the Olympics, there are a lot of bad

things that come from the act. The games have a concrete date of completion for all of the

facilities and there have to be top-notch facilities at the games. This means that there is an

incredible amount of money spent in order to be able to correctly host the games. In the previous

section the cities that are known for winning at hosting the Olympics were established, there are

some who are considered to be losers at the act of hosting. “Not only did Athens take a hit from

the 2004 Games, but some observers have pointed to the city’s less-than-stellar performance as a

catalyst for the country’s financial and economic collapse in 2008–09. The overrun on the final

bill for the Athens Games worked out to a cost to Greek taxpayers of about €50,000 per

household” (Wallenfeldt, 2018). The amount of debt that came from a city hosting one games
put the entire economy at risk. There is also the major fact that politics are always an issue at

every games since not every country can agree on things. Any big event is also a hub for sexual

trafficking, and the Olympics are one of the biggest occurrences of that, so it can put your own

citizens at a major risk. One thing that really sticks out is when an impoverished city hosts the

games. “Among the negative outcomes measured are ongoing debt from construction,

infrastructure that becomes unnecessary after the Games, increased rent, and unjust displacement

of citizens” (Wallenfeldt, 2018). This can displace families and really hurt people who are

already at a disadvantage in their home.

Conclusion

From a Christian perspective the negatives for hosting the Olympic games can outweigh

the positives. The Christian athletes can use this as a platform for professing their faith and

inspiring others to learn more about Christianity. It can also help spread the faith because all the

eyes of the world are on these athletes at the games. The huge negatives about sexual trafficking

and displacement of impoverished families are something that needs to change about the games,

and really weighs heavy on a Christian’s heart. There has to be more security at the games and

cities that can knowingly be capable of hosting the games, without pushing families out of homes

because of building new facilities, should be the only ones hosting.

 References

Fried, G. (2015). Managing sport facilities. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Wallenfeldt, J. (2018). 7 Ways Hosting the Olympics Impacts a City. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/list/7-ways-hosting-the-olympics-impacts-a-city

Welcome to the ancient olympic games. (2018, April 12). Retrieved from

https://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games