Make the Winter Olympics Urban

We did not see much of the Vancouver Winter Olympics as we were in Brazil . . . though it was a delight to watch some events on Brazilian TV, which was uninterrupted by commercials!  Whatever you may think of the Olympics, the athletic feats are impressive, the stories behind some of the Olympians are compelling, and it looks like Vancouver put on a great show.  I'm not surprised--it's a beautiful city and the perfect place to showcase such an event.

 

Despite the angst over the money spent on the Olympic village and other facilities, overall, Vancouver had many of the venues already set up, such as GM Place and Pacific Coliseum.  True, the controversy over expanding the road to Whistler riled some locals, but overall, the city could withstand the onslaught of visitors and building of venues that are necessary for a momentous two week extravaganza.

 

Summer Olympiads generally are held in national capitals or large cities of global importance (with the exception of Atlanta in 1996, a decision that still is odd to me!).  Winter Olympics, however, generally have been held in small venues, in romantic places like Chamonix, Albertville, and Grenoble, France; St. Moritz, Switzerland; and Squaw Valley, California, which before 1960 had one ski lift.  The past twenty years, larger cities such as Calgary, Salt Lake City, and Torino, Italy, have hosted the Winter Games, and that's a welcome trend.

Why?  Awarding the Olympics to small cities means construction projects that are often overwhelmed by cost overruns, facilities that will hardly be used (or taken down after the games), and environmental damage that cannot be repaired for decades.  True, past Olympiads in Lillehammer, Norway, and Nagano, Japan, have had a relatively modest environmental impact.  And while emotionally, I think South Korea deserves the 2018 games, the thought of all the construction in PyeongChang worries me.  The Korean organizers may say these will be a "Green" Olympics, but bulldozing forests and building huge hotels, roads, and athletic facilities is hardly "environmental," no matter how many solar panels or "sustainably harvested" building materials are used for these projects.  Perhaps some facilities and hotels could be in Sokcho, a charming city on Korea's eastern coast that is a pleasant town full of friendly locals?

 

Let's take a look at Sochi, Russia, the host of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.  This subtropical town is already established as a resort (thanks to Stalin), but the preparations for the games already look disastrous.  Roads and rail lines are going through national parks and other areas hosting wildlife.  Environmentalists, activists, journalists, and anyone opening their mouths are being harassed by Vladimir Putin's cronies.  Thousands have been forced out of their homes, allegedly forced to sell for less than market value.  Then you have all the corruption allegations that are plaguing the construction around Sochi . . . one highway being built is costing about US$130 million a kilometer!  Never mind the fact that Sochi is one of the few places in Russia that does not see snow--most events will be held in the nearby mountains, while ice skating and hockey will be held among the town's palm trees.  You would think that there are other cities in Russia that have the population and infrastructure in place to hold the games, but my guess is that Putin saw the potential in skimming off millions from construction projects . . . and in fairness, Russia did get the short end of the baton when Jimmy Carter (foolishly) boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow because of the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan.

 

Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee's decisions are fueled by politics, a trend accelerated by Juan Antonio Samaranch, a social-climbing Francisco Franco insider who insisted on being called "His Excellency" and who transformed the Olympics from an amateur competition to one that has become a mega-corporate indulgent lovefest.  Sadly, cities and countries will drive themselves into debt to host these games . . . and are often left with a long post-Olympic hangover, as in the case of Montreal and Athens.  But at least these are cities where you already have development.  There are already plenty of cities around the world that have the stadia, hotels, and roads that can support the Olympics.  So instead of turning a small resort into a destructive construction zone, let's be "green" by hosting such events in places such as Vienna, Helskini, Santiago, or Quebec City than can sustain them.