On September 7 this year, when the delegates from Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul gather at the International Olympic Committee headquarters (IOCHQ) in Lausanne to hear the name of the city chosen to host the 2020 Games, the scenes will play out as they always have. The “winners” will cheer wildly in the Swiss auditorium and on the chosen city's streets, and the “losers” will shrug and take it like sportsmen, choking back tears and grinning stoically. But you have to wonder... Will the “losers” be secretly relieved at avoiding the massive financial burden of hosting global events like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup and will the “winners” be quietly counting the number of schools, hospitals … [Read more...] about Madrid 2020 and the cult of the mega-event
Madrid 2020
Madrid’s Olympic bid: third time lucky?
On February 14 this year, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti pulled the plug on Rome’s bid for the 2020 Olympics. “The government doesn't feel that it would be a responsible gesture, taking into consideration Italy's current financial state”, he said. “If we find ourselves today in such a difficult financial position it is because similar decisions were made by previous governments without having considered the resulting impact in the following years.” But despite Spain’s dire economic problems, Madrid has pushed ahead with its own bid. According to La Razón, Madrid’s bid for the 2012 Olympics cost €60 million. The bid for the 2016 games cost €44 million. This time the process will … [Read more...] about Madrid’s Olympic bid: third time lucky?