Impact of hosting the Olympic Games

• Modern Olympics


  Came back in 1896 based on the ancient Olympics from 3,000 years ago in Greece
• Baron Pierre de Coubertin


  French aristocrat who brought back the Olympic Games with a public school ethos
• Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a student of history and knew about the ancient Olympic Games in Greece and later in Rome under the Roman Empire</b>
• Baron Pierre de Coubertin was inspired by the cult of athleticism and moral integrity he saw in English public schools in the 1850s-1870s
• Baron Pierre de Coubertin wanted to bring back the Olympic Games with the public school ethos of fair play, physical endeavour, and moral integrity
• The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius" which means "Faster, Higher, Stronger"
• Olympic values

  • Promoting the development of physical health and moral qualities
  • Spreading goodwill across nations
  • Bringing the best athletes in the world together
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created in Paris in 1894, two years before the first modern Olympic Games in 1896
• The British Olympic Association (BOA) was formed in 1905 to govern and organise British participation in the Olympic Games
• The BOA is independent from the British government and relies on sponsorship rather than government funding to avoid political interference in the Olympics
• Hosting the Olympics


  • Very expensive, often costing billions
  • Can have positive and negative impacts on sports and participation
• Impacts of hosting the Olympics on sports

  1. Profiles of sports and participation rates increase

  2. Role models are created, but can face pressure to cheat

  3. More organised and better structured sports with new clubs

  4. World-class facilities left behind, but can be underused

  5. Funding and sponsorship increases, but often decreases after the event
• The 2012 London Olympics cost the UK £9 billion to host during the global recession
• Facilities left behind after hosting major games

  • Can allow you to develop and train more elite athletes in the future
  • Can be a 'white elephant' - facilities that cost a lot of money but don't get used much after the event
• White elephant


  A facility that has been created but is not used and is a waste of money
• Hosting a major games

  Increases sponsorship and funding for the sport
• British basketball received 8 million pounds of funding for London 2012 but has not received any since
• Hosting a major games allows poor athletes to become more professional and train full-time
• This goes against the amateurism that Baron Pierre de Coubertin wanted for the Olympics
• Impacts of hosting a major game on society

  • Expense
  • Social integration
  • Participation
  • Employment
  • National pride
  • Transport
  • Tourism
• Expense

  The high cost of hosting a major game, which some believe should be spent on healthcare and education instead
• Social integration


  People coming together to watch sport and socialise
• Participation

  Increased participation in sport and physical activity in society
• Employment


  Jobs created in preparation for and during the games, but often not sustained afterwards
• National pride

  The feel-good factor and sense of national pride when the host country performs well
• Transport

  Improved transport links, but also increased pollution and congestion
• Tourism


  Increased tourism and spending, but also increased risk of terrorism
• Impacts of major games on the economy

  • Increased income from spectators and tourism
  • More jobs created
  • Increased tourism for years after the games
  • Increased sales of products, services, etc.
  • High costs of hosting the games
  • Loss of jobs after the games
  • Failure or underperformance leading to drop in income
• Impacts of major games on politics and government

  • Positive reflection on the ruling political party
  • Increased unity and sense of purpose
  • Opportunity to showcase the city/country
  • Increased risk of terrorism
  • Increased congestion and pollution
  • Underperformance reflecting badly on the ruling party
  • Failure to achieve legacy goals being an embarrassment
  • Games used as a form of political protest