After hosting a successful Summer Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing is once again being considered to host. They would share the nomination with the neighboring city, Zhangjiakou. Beijing is on the short list for the bid to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022. The only other city up for the nomination is Almaty, Kazakhstan. The other locations that were up for consideration were said to have withdrawn from the nomination process.
The last Winter Olympic Games cost Russia fifty-one billion dollars and the Summer Games racked up a solid forty-four billion dollars in Beijing. The steep prices are cause for many to question the benefits of hosting the internationally renowned event.
Journalists took to the streets of Beijing to question citizens, about their opinions on being the host once more. Li Dangdong, age 28, was asked whether he supported the Olympics with the immense spending of yuan. Dangdong stated, “I definitely support it…the Olympics can help make the economy grow and house prices will rise.” Dai Shixiang, age 82, was also asked the same question. He believes that the results, of the massive spending, would far exceed the costs because it would increase China’s reputation and more stadiums would be constructed.
There were multiple Chinese citizens asked about the Olympics and many of which seem in favor. The Olympics tend to stimulate the economy of the host cities, therefore Beijing looks to benefit from the event once again.
As long as the central government pays for local boondoggles … well, don’t we in the US elect our representatives to bring home the bacon? (Isn’t that sensible both politically and economically, too, to see that local input is factored into [for example] national infrastructure and other project decision making?)
But in the US we have the opposite boondoggle: stadium projects paid for by local government that subsidize profitable pro sports teams. Is not the key therefore whether Beijing can recycle venues used in their last Olympics to host the next one?
My own opinion is that Greece should have been made the permanent host to the Summer Olympics. For the Winter games??
I would guess that Beijing wouldn’t have to spend as much money for the winter as they did for the summer, assuming they are able to re use some of the stadiums that were built. For example, could an ice skating rink be put in the already built birds nest?
The first time when the Olympics were hosted in China, to smog and air quality was a major concern. I feel like this would be an even bigger concern since many of the sports in the Winter Olympics need to be played outside. (I don’t think they make stadiums big enough for indoor ski jump.) How is this going to affect things like the snow and so on? I’m sure the athletes will have a lot to say about it as the date gets nearer.
While I can clearly understand why China wanted to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, it was the nation’s coming-out party as a global superpower, I don’t see what the benefits of hosting the winter Olympics would be. Additionally, as we’ve seen in Brazil after the world cup many of the stadiums constructed for such massive events run the risk of being left completely unused later on.
Of course people are supportive of hosting another Olympics, who wouldn’t be excited to shine in the global spotlight for a few weeks? But as much as I would like to be stunned by another phenomenal opening ceremony in the Bird’s Nest, I’m not so certain that another Olympics would necessarily solve China’s problems. Sure, tourists will flock and merchandise will be purchased, but that isn’t going to magically transition China into the consumerism-based economy it needs to be. Also, does China really want to pour even more investment into construction?