The Olympics. Overrated?

By: Inès SV
  You probably all know about the big event in Paris, 2024 that some people are
using as a point of pressure on the government. Introducing something that has been
going on for hundreds of years, but fewer and fewer countries are attracted to this
event: The Olympic Games! Next year, starting July 26, a big event will happen in France,
one that some people have been eagerly awaiting, but others… less so. The Olympics
were reintroduced by James Coubertin in 1896 and were first hosted in Athens, Greece.
And they were a beautiful opportunity to bring countries together. Until now. Today we
will be talking about how the Olympics these past few years have been failing to be what
they originally were, and why so. The Olympic Games are unique and reunite countries
and ethnicities, but should be overseen and regulated differently, as the current
management of the Games poses financial problems, ethical violations, and social issues.

Many countries have lost money in the bidding process and spent a humongous
amount of money for a bid that they may likely lose and will make the country owe
debts. If the countries do get chosen as hosting countries, the countries have to have
the necessary infrastructure and funds. The country might develop an economic crisis
or worsen the country's state, like the 2004 Athens Games, which plunged the country
into crisis: Greece now has 401.71 billion dollars of debt. Becoming the country that
hosts the Olympics does not happen automatically. A country has to 'bid" first, meaning
that they have to apply in a competition to be a country chosen for the Olympics. The
process costs a lot of money, resulting in financial loss to a country even if finally they
aren't chosen. The Edpreur proclaims that" According to most reports and studies, the
short-term economic impact of hosting the Olympics tends to be less positive than
anticipated. For example, Tokyo lost 150 million euros in the 2016 bid. This led many
economists to prompt the idea that countries without the necessary infrastructure may
be better off not submitting a bid for the Olympics." Countries without the necessary
infrastructure can sometimes spend more than double the amount of a country that
already has all of the infrastructure needed for the Olympics. Some countries are not
considering bidding because of the economic impact on their countries, proving that the
bids need to be reformed to optimize the economy of poorer countries or countries in
crisis who bid. As a result, for the 2024 Olympic Games, only two countries decided to
bid, because the rest of the countries did not want to spend money on something that
they couldn't profit on. The number of the countries who were biding was small,
compared to the usual 15 or 20. Paris and Los Angeles were competing in the bidding,
and both countries lost huge money.  Anthony Bugler in France Amerique states that
"This time, however, it faced only one competitor, L.A., compared with the usual five or
six. That’s because cities are no longer jostling to stage the Olympics, deterred by
spiraling costs, financial risks, and public opposition, not to mention allegations of
corruption in the bidding process." In addition, according to Reuters, the cities that have
decided to bid are Los Angeles, Paris, and Budapest. Budapest shortly resigned after the
start of the bidding process, for "A lack of political and national unity behind the
application that it blamed on the opposition." Paris had the biggest budget with 6.2
billion, while LA (Los Angeles) had 5.3 billion in budget. Hungary withdrew because “For
Budapest and Hungary the Olympics is a national issue,” the government said in a
resolution published on the national news agency MTI." This proves that countries, even
with the promising future of being able to advertise their nations, have decided for a
safer route, by not bidding. This proves that the Olympics bidding system is down. Why?
because if countries are willing to give up the chance of being internationally known,
then it means the bidding does have a financial problem. Some might say this is a normal
price for the organization of such an event, but this affects countries that might not even
participate in the Olympic Games. In this domain corruption reigns, making some
countries cheat their way into bidding, like the Salt Lake Bidding scandal, where six
members of the bidding board were, according to the Guardian, kicked out for alleged
acceptance of bribes. Unfortunately, countries that cheat their way in have trouble
maintaining their budget and may plunge their country's economy. A study from Oxford
University, dating from 2012 found that countries explode their budget by an average of
252% for each Summer Olympics, since 1976. In short, the bidding system does not
work and needs to be taken into account if we want to make the Olympics a better
opportunity and event for the whole world.

Another big controversy about the games is that the Olympic Games enable
countries to violate the rights of all workers working on building the necessary
infrastructure for the Olympics. For example, in France, some pools and training centers
have to be built to house the athletes and to host competitions. France already has 98%
of its infrastructure available but needs to construct some more. Unfortunately, France
is using illegal means to construct infrastructure.  Lara Hamidi, a journalist for Politics
Today informs us that "These undocumented workers will likely be employed on poor
terms and conditions and not receive the pay and benefits that lawful employee should
expect to receive in France." This shows that even though France is advertising giving
legal jobs to young people who are struggling, it is complete hypocrisy, as the workers
working right now work from 5 am to 9 pm, paid 90$ per day, in bad conditions cites
Politics Today. The IOC ( International Olympic Committee) has managed to not see
what was happening in the Games’ preparation. The fact that similar events happened
last year and that the IOC has done nothing to prevent this from happening again is
inadmissible. It is like the IOC forgets the Olympics every year, not learning from past
mistakes and events, which simply cannot continue like this. If every year people are
being underpaid, then when will the world ever learn? The IOC needs to be more aware
of the construction management in their chosen host cities and pay closer attention to
what the host city is doing in terms of construction and work employment. Sadly, in the
past Olympic Games, similar events have happened, like the Beijing Winter Games, in
2022 which the IOC ( International Olympic Committee) could have used as a lesson to
pay more attention to the hosting country's building process. In the 2008 Beijing Games,
the migrant workers who were paid to build the National Stadium were forced to clear
out of the city and go back into their rural towns, making them lose their jobs. Beijing's
excuse was that the city needed to be "cleared out." According to Reuters, "There is no
official law stating migrants have to leave once the job is complete, but many lack the
proper paperwork to stay."In short, the city is official/ legal in doing this, but it is still an
action that will affect many families. The author Fortesa Latifi, writer for Teen Vogue
States that "The scandals of the Beijing Olympics weren’t limited to the government’s
treatment of the athletes: migrant workers were reportedly denied proper wages and
protections while building infrastructure for the Games, leading to accusations of human
rights violations during the 2008 Beijing Games."This proves that the problem of illegal
migrant workers in France and worldwide is happening and that nobody has thought of
acting on this in case this problem ever happens again. But the Olympic Games
procedure has allowed for this to happen, and even more gravely, this shows that France
is in such a crisis that they are reduced to underpaying workers while accepting to host
the Olympics. The less informed side of the argument might argue that the IOC need
not pay such close attention to the host country, as they are impartial to the country's
actions. But the IOC does have a responsibility in this matter, as they are the ones who
have chosen the host country out of the countries who have decided to bid. To
summarize, for the games to continue and become a unique chance for people to meet
and fraternize, this horrifying problem has to stop. If the Games are advertised as an
event that promotes freedom and equity, then we first have to be sure there is equity
and freedom at the core of the Games itself. Many countries see the Games as an
opportunity to publicize their country and try to do so by intense training for the
athletes, pushing them to the limit. For example, in China, which made athletes work in
so harsh conditions, there were injuries.

And what about the athletes? Sadly, there is a problem concerning them too:
athletes from all over the world come to the Olympics to compete. And some countries
see this as a chance to advertise their country, and to add more fame to their country
by making their athletes win. Which unfortunately is not at all what the Olympics are
about. The Olympics are about a passion ( sports) that untie people from all around the
globe, not about unhealthy competition and harassing people. Countries put
unnecessary pressure on athletes, often young teenagers, to undertake unhealthy, unfair,
and even dangerous methods in the quest for Olympic gold. Certain nations even
enforce doping or oblige children to work excessive hours of training as athletes.
 According to Imogen Braddick, author in the Sun, "With a colossal population of 1.4
billion, China has a sprawling state-backed operation that puts young athletes through a
brutal training regimen to prepare them for the world stage." Jessica Shuran Yu, a
champion figure skater, trained in China says she was abused daily when training for
many years. She would be kicked hard if she made mistakes and she was once kicked so
hard that it left her with a permanent scar on her leg. This shows that the Olympics are
not only used by countries to glorify their athletes but to feel obliged to proclaim the
country's superiority in citizens shows that the Olympics casts negative and too
competitive pressure on countries. Some countries put pressure on athletes so that the
athletes will maintain a good image of the country and threaten them to the point of
breaking their mental and physical health, which breaches Human Rights, and destroys
the whole idea of healthy competition. For example, Simone Biles, a gymnast competing
in the 2020 Beijing Olympics decided to stop her competition. "It’s been stressful this
Olympic Games,” said Simone Biles in a USAToday interview: “It’s been a long week. It’s
been a long Olympic process. It’s been a long year. Just a lot of different variables and I
think we’re just a little bit too stressed out, but we should be out here having fun and
sometimes that’s not the case.” But not many people have the strength to know and
stop when a passion becomes unhealthy. For example, Fortesa Lafiti in Teenvogue tells
about how "In China (...)According to a report from the New York Times, a diver lost a
retina; female athletes were pressured to resume training soon after childbirth, during
the 2008 Beijing Games." This proves that abuse is still present in the Olympics and has
not been addressed enough in the Olympics. These scandals have violated Human
Rights, Rights that are reserved for everyone, the rights that hold the most important in
our world, and yet they were breached. In conclusion, one can see that unhealthy
competition can do irreparable damage and that countries who think along the lines of
winning at whatever price must be stopped and surveilled immediately. One could argue
that the country needs to train athletes harshly for them to be able to compete in the
Games. But in no way does this justify the beating and harassment of athletes. In this
case, athletes can be as young as four years old, spending their whole lives in this almost
military system. This is in no way fair and changes the lives of children that could have
led a life of their choice.

In conclusion, The Olympic Bidding procedure needs to be reformed because countries

are paying too much for something that will not make them profitable. The Olympic
Games procedure and bidding have to be optimized and the rules put into valor so that
none of these accidents and violations happen again, to make the Olympics a more
feasible feat. Countries use illegal methods to build the missing infrastructure and all of
these problems must be solved. Numerous countries pressure their athletes and have
lost sight of the fraternity and healthy competition of the Olympics. To achieve this, here
are some solutions for each problem: the hosting city must have at least 65% of the
infrastructure already provided or provide good ecological and sustainable solutions.
The Game procedures have to be optimized to be a more reliable and economical
budget for bidding countries, like compacting all of the functions to be shorter and more
succinct. The IOC should visit the athletes and countries preparing for the Olympics and
inspect the training schools and methods, especially in countries that have had past
scandals on these subjects. Finally, what do you all think about the Olympics and how
they have been run? Did you think about some solutions to these problems?

Works Cited:

Why Hosting The Olympics Isn't Worth It Anymore. "Insider Business"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bXJGZgR1BU&t=2s Feb 5, 2018,

Lelcester, John, Costly and complex cleanup of Seine River underway ahead of 2024 Paris

Olympics" PBS

NewsHour"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/costly-and-complex-cleanup-of-seine-river-un

derway-ahead-of-2024-paris-olympics April 11, 2023,

Hamidi, Lara Paris Olympics: Hypocrisy and Illegal Abuse of Migrant Labour "Politics Today"

https://politicstoday.org/paris-olympics-abuse-of-migrant-labour/ May 31, 2022

Lafiti Fortesa 8 Biggest Olympic Scandals and Controversies in History

"TeenVogue"https://www.teenvogue.com/story/biggest-olympic-scandals

Pascual Julia Paris 2024: The undocumented workers building the Olympics ' Le Monde"

December 5 2022Paris 2024: The undocumented workers building the Olympics

Bu Kitty Beijing Olympic clean up sweeps out migrant workers 'Reuters" July 21, 2008,

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-migrants-idUSSP26521520080721

Author Unknown "Paris 2024, Site Ofiiciel" https://www.paris2024.org/fr/

Bulger, Anthony, Right and Wrong Choices for the Paris Olympics"TheObserver"

https://france-amerique.com/right-and-wrong-choices-for-the-paris-olympics/ Feb 24, 2023,

Braddick, Imogen Inside China’s horror Olympics’ machine where children are beaten, athletes

picked in DNA selection "New York Post" Feb 4

2022https://nypost.com/2022/02/04/inside-chinas-horror-olympics-machine-where-children-are-

beaten-athletes-picked-in-dna-selection/

Do the Costs of Hosting the Olympics outweigh the Benefits? No Host has Finacially Gained

from it"The EdPreneur" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDgpaj6AHpI Feb 13, 2022,

Siddons, Larry IOC expels six members in Salt Lake City scandal "The Guardian"Wed 17 Mar

1999 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/1999/mar/17/ioc-expels-members-bribes-scandal

Axon, Rachel, Why did Simone Biles withdraw from Olympics? Here's what we know as she will

return for one event "USA Today

Sports"https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/28/2021-olympics-what-we-know

-simone-biles-individual-events/5397525001/

Against For Nuanced

Why Hosting The Olympics Site Offciel JO 2024
Isn't Worth It Anymore (photos) Right and Wrong Choices for
( Opinions) the Paris Olympics
Opinion | The Olympics can
— and do — make the world
a better place - The Olympics Hosting - Pros &
Costly and complex cleanup Washington Post Cons - ProCon.org
of Seine River underway
ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics FrancsJeux Awards: the new Is Hosting the Olympics a
| PBS NewsHour Olympic motto, good idea of privilege or inconvenience? -
the year (4) - Francs Jeux The Perspective %
Paris Olympics: Hypocrisy and
Illegal Abuse of Migrant The Olympics are about Do the Costs of Hosting the
Labour - Politics Today diversity and unity, not Olympics outweigh the
politics and profit. Boycotts benefits? No Host has
8 Biggest Olympic Scandals don't work Financially Gained from it.
and Controversies in History (Graphs, quotes, facts)
| Teen Vogue
( research, expert quotes) 10 Reasons Why the World Paris Olympics 2024:
Olympics Contributes to Athletes to be kept cool
Paris 2024: The World Peace without air conditioning in
undocumented workers sustainability drive |
building the Olympics Paris 2024 Competition Euronews
The Massive Cost Of Hosting Venue Concept Map The Protests in France Are
(Maps, data)
The Olympic Games About to Collide With the
[Infographic] 2024 Paris Olympics | The
(Graph) Nation
Olympics Money: About as
Profitable as a Restaurant Inside China’s horror
(Graph, infographics charts) Olympics machine where
children are beaten, athletes
picked in DNA selection
Paris 2024 Olympics: The Next frontier in France's
Russian presence needs to be protests: Fake Olympic
clarified now volunteers | AP News
(Quotes)
Survey: Low Public Support
for Paris 2024 Olympics - The Economics of Hosting
Infobae the Olympic Games | Council
How Do the French Feel on Foreign Relations
About the Paris 2024 ( research statistics,
Olympics? infographics)
(Statistics, data)
https://www.theguardian.com/
Beijing Olympic clean up sport/1999/Mar/17/ioc-expels
sweeps out migrant workers | -members-bribes-scandal
Reuters (Expert Quotes, facts)

Bidding cities for the 2024

Olympic Games | Reuters

Why did Simone Biles

withdraw at Olympics?
Here's what we know as she
will return for one event
(Expert Quotes)
 CARS Checklist
Title of Source: Site Offciel JO 2024

CREDIBILITY

Who is the publishing The Company is the Official Olympic Games Organization
company or sponsor of this
source?

What are the author’s They are an official organization that is professional and has been
credentials? (e.g. university working towards the Olympic Games for many years now.
degree? Special awards or
recognitions?)

Is the author an authority or The authority is an expert on the subject for they are the ones who
expert on the subject? How have founded the Olympic Games foundation and movement Olympic
do you know? Games, Youth Olympic Games, IOC Sessions, Executive Board
meetings, and other IOC events. The head of their organization is an
expert in the field, a man called Thomas Bach. He has many awards,
for example, the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sport
Management.

What point of view does This Site is very biased in the way of pointing to the Olympic Games.
this source seem to This is normal, for they are the organization of the Olympic Games.
portray? (Does it seem The website portrays and advertises the benefits and beauty of the
one-sided demonstrating French 2024 Olympic Games. They expose their building projects as
only positive or negative beautiful and ecological, talking about diversity and how bringing
information?) Explain. together nations for a mutual passion is enriching for the community.
They also talk about the Paralympics, giving a chance for athletes
with disabilities to perform and be recognized as universal Olympic
athletes. So, overall, this site is biased on the side of promoting the
Olympic Games as a beautiful and amazing opportunity to bring the
world together.

ACCURACY
How is the information It shows all the details about the building projects and plans. It also
relevant to your research talks about the general ideas of the Olympic Games of 2024 Paris.
paper needs? The site exposes all of their ideas but also the mascots, the dates
things will be opened, the maps and candidates, the testimonials of
athletes and organizers of the Games, as well as the citizens of Paris.

Has the information in this In many other sites, I have found similar information, though this site
source been found in other holds more detail and specifications because it is the original site for
sources? knowing everything about the 2024 Olympic Games.

CARS Checklist
Title of Source: Paris Olympics: Hypocrisy and Illegal Abuse of Migrant Labour - Politics Today

CREDIBILITY

Who is the publishing The organization that created this article is called Politics Today. They
company or sponsor of this are an organization that wants to explore the ever-changing politics of
source? our world and are strongly against any unfairness against human
rights and want the world to be more ethnic.

What are the author’s The author is called Lara Hamidi. She is a student at the Royal
credentials? (e.g. university Holloway University of London ranked in the 4 best universities. She
degree? Special awards or studies History, Politics, and International relations.
recognitions?)

Is the author an authority or The author is a university student but studies the topics she writes
expert on the subject? How about so is fairly knowledgeable on the subject. She studies at a very
do you know? good university that is one of the UK's best.

What point of view does This article is biased, but almost anybody would be on this article's
this source seem to side. The article talks about how Paris is using workers who are illegal
portray? (Does it seem and paid less than 80$ per day while they work from about 5 am to 9
one-sided demonstrating pm. They are used illegally to build infrastructure for the 2024 Olympic
only positive or negative Games. It displays mostly negative information but the subject itself is
information?) Explain. negative.

ACCURACY

How is the information This information helps me see how exactly the Olympic Games are
relevant to your research run and how they are helping the economy and the people living in
paper needs? the countries because I am orienting my thesis towards how the
Olympic Games need to fine-tune their rules and regulations as they
 are less observed and sometimes even ignored.

Has the information in this Another article from Le Monde talking about the same subject was
source been found in other shown, so the news is reliable and trustworthy, as Le Monde is a very
sources? credible website. As well as Business and Human Rights resources,
RFI, and The Local France.

CARS Checklist
Title of Source: Costly and complex cleanup of Seine River underway ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

CREDIBILITY

Who is the publishing The Publishing company is called PBS NewsHour

company or sponsor of this
source?

What are the author’s PBS NewsHour has an American Television News Program and is a
credentials? (e.g. university well-trusted newspaper and News Informant. Their organization is
degree? Special awards or non-profit and is made to inform with trustable facts and real events
recognitions?) that have happened. PBS NewsHour is a production of NewsHour
Productions LLC.

Is the author an authority or The author is named John Leicester and he is an official news
expert on the subject? How reporter for PBS News. He has also assisted on French News shows,
do you know? like TV5Monde and Dailymotion.

What point of view does The article is nuanced. The author talks about the benefits of cleaning
this source seem to the Seine and what the French government hopes to achieve by
portray? (Does it seem cleaning the Seine River up. But he also talks about the costs of this
one-sided demonstrating project and professionally takes an interview with a future Olympian
only positive or negative Athlete asking him for his views on the subject. The article is unbiased
information?) Explain. and if the author makes a claim whatsoever, he backs it up with
statistics to inform the people reading that it is not an opinion but a
trustable fact.

ACCURACY

How is the information This information helps me to know what exactly the Olympic Games
relevant to your research achieve and what actions the government of the future Olympic City
paper needs? takes action upon. This article shows that the Olympics can be a way
to help the world's ecology and boosts government officials to make
active decisions and projects for helping their city. This article helps
me find out more about the future projects of France. It also helped
me recover more statistics and public opinions like the interview with
 an Olympian athlete as well as the cost of the River Seine and its
impact on France's economy.

Has the information in this Yes, the news of France's project to renovate the Seine River has
source been found in other made many newspaper headlines. The same information is found on
sources? other trustable sources like VOA (Voices of America), as well as RFI.

CARS Checklist
Title of Source:s Hosting the Olympics a Privilege or Inconvenience?

CREDIBILITY

Who is the publishing The Perspectives publishing company is called Perspective-Media

company or sponsor of this LTD. The Perspective is an award-winning journal. For example, the
source? Perspective has won the 2018 Webby Award Finalist – News and
Politics, the 2022 Independent Press Award WINNER in the category
of Current Affairs, and the 2022 Nonfiction Book Awards Gold Winner.

What are the author’s The author is called Elad de Piccioloto. He has an M.A. in Political
credentials? (e.g. university Communication.
degree? Special awards or
recognitions?)

Is the author an authority or Elad de Piccioloto has been doing marketing and research for the
expert on the subject? How past 9 years. He is a digital content manager but has studied
do you know? journalism and written professional and well-written articles with
interesting questions and relatable references to the topic.

What point of view does Elad de Piccioloto writes in a very nuanced manner exposing three
this source seem to pros and three cons, explaining them thoroughly as well as
portray? (Does it seem mentioning past events to press on his point further, making it credible
one-sided demonstrating and relatable. In the end, he does a short conclusion asking for the
only positive or negative public's opinion on the subject, which is the goal of The Perspective,
information?) Explain. and talking about how it depends on the economy and the
infrastructure of the city.

ACCURACY

How is the information This helps me see both sides of the Olympic story. I see both the
relevant to your research negatives and the positives and decide what to do with that
paper needs? information. There are six reasons all of which are all solid and
interesting facts for my essay.

Has the information in this I have seen similar articles about the cost and positives of the
source been found in other Olympics, like on Vogue Newspaper and Insider Business, as well as
sources?

CARS Checklist
Title of Source: Paris Olympics 2024: Athletes to be kept cool without air conditioning in sustainability
drive | Euronews

CREDIBILITY

Who is the publishing The Publishing company is called Euronews, which is also a TV news
company or sponsor of this show. This article is on a particular branch called Euronews. Green
source?

What are the author’s The author has studied at the University of Birgham, studying English
credentials? (e.g. university Literature and American Studies/Literature, she was a social
degree? Special awards or secretary, as well as at the University of Alabama, same studies, 1st
recognitions?) in the class.

Is the author an authority or The author is called Angela Symons. She is a verified journalist with
an expert on the subject? nine years of experience. She was the head leader of the editorial and
How do you know? commercial business and knows about writing professionally and
reporting. She is the Deputy Editor of Travel and Green, in the
Euronews center. She has written multiple articles with expert
knowledge on the subject, not amateur sounding at all. She is known
for working in the Euronews Department as a good journalist.

What point of view does The news article the author wrote seems to be asking good questions
this source seem to people might be asking about France's Ecological choices and if the
portray? (Does it seem actions will be done as well as knowing what to interpret the recent
one-sided demonstrating goals and the decisions of France. She writes as a skeptic, which
only positive or negative works well because it answers many questions with reliable facts and
information?) Explain. relevant quotes.

ACCURACY

How is the information This helps me to see how exactly the hosting countries for the coming
relevant to your research Olympic Games decided to take action. France has decided to go the
paper needs? ecological way and this article helps me to see if France is setting a
completely unreliable goal that would bring the economic crisis down,
or if it will really help and make the country's status more attractive, as
well as just helping the ecology.

Has the information in this The information in this source about Paris trying to find a new
source been found in other ground-breaking method for college athletes without air-conditioning
sources? has been found on NBC Sports, AB news, as well as ESPN. All of
these articles talk about the snake subject but raise different
questions. The Euronews. green one was the one I chose because it
was in the ecological section of the Newspaper, which seemed the
most appropriate.