Salt Lake City makes a (kinda) snarky point every 4 years to tell the IOC that they could host the Winter Olympics again with just 3 months notice. It’s only kinda snarky because it’s true: all the venues are still in place, used regularly, and in good form (if not improved since 2002).
Let’s hope the firemen don’t go full Bradburyan
Yea, I won’t be watching Rio 2016. I mean, the Summer Olympics are extremely boring, especially compared to the Winter games, but I usually have a look at some of the stuff. But this is a travesty.
Welcome to Hell
Really has a ring to it.
The day my home city voted against bidding for the Summer Olympics 2028 by a large majority was one of the days that restored my belief in my fellow citizens a little bit.
[quote=“sdmikev, post:4, topic:80606”]But this is a travesty.[/quote]Perhaps it will pass that certain point where it becomes an irresistible farce.
I sure wouldn’t mind if this is the beginning of the end, and that no one will bother to have an Olympics of this scale ever again – but no, Tokyo will probably have to fail just as miserably first, and there will probably be some crazy times in the next four years if that’s going to happen.
This would be Tokyo’s second time. The first time they did a ton of environmental damage to the surrounding areas, displaced hundred of families, destroyed navigable waterways and had very corrupt construction bidding.
And this was the Olympics which heralded Japan’s post-war economic boom. The one they tout as an example of “really successful for the city”
The upside was the construction of the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka. Which was useless for the Olympics as there were no events in Osaka. I have ridden it. It is wonderful. Feels like you are floating on the rails for 3 hours. Comfy seats and those rail specialty bento boxes available at the stations or on the train.
This is a lot of the problem I think. The olympics are not being rewarded to who will provide the best environment for the games; it’s being used as a way for second and third world countries (sorry, for lack of better terminology) to announce being ready to move up a notch. The olympics prey on poorer countries’ delusions of grandeur, and they simply can’t afford it. It’s cargo-cultism, confusing the symbol (brand new sports facilities) with the thing (prosperity, good governance).
How am I not surprised that of course Utah manages to do it right.
You find this is more true with summer olympics than winter ones. Winter olympics tend to be in remote locations to begin with (Sochi was an exception) so you don’t usually see the massive population displacement for construction involved. Also they tend to be done in areas which are known for winter sports. The most popular sports of those olympics also requires the least real infrastructure outlay, a skating and or hockey rink.
Yea, but they can afford it. Half their population isn’t living in crushing poverty.
is this before or after the trickle-down effect?
Yeah, well it was one of the most corrupt Olympics, too.
I’d think they’d hold off on their snark.
Worldly “perfection” as righteousness?
The amount of plastic surgery and antidepressants that’re commonplace in Utah is very sad to me, from the stories my ex-Mormon wife tells.
Lying for the Lord at work!
I’m not sure if “most corrupt” is accurate, more like “most caught.”
Also, the bribery stuff was all in the before-time. Romney came in and all was washed clean. Aamen!
I didn’t use “the most”, but rather “one of the most.”
And that makes it okay? Now I get why people from Utah are snarky. They can’t admit to the impropriety surrounding their Olympics.
Can we all agree with “fuck the Olympics” already? What a shit institution.
Yeah, in its current incarnation. I don’t watch. It’s so off-the-charts, overproduced and commercial, it’s like watching someone binge on butter. Nom-nom-nom, down the hatch, one stick after another. I’d favor a back-to-the-athletics movement, using existing venues only.
Harry Shearer’s podcast does a good job taking the piss out of them every week or so. “The Olympics! It’s a movement, and we all need one … every day!”
You missed a word 
