The Olympic Games and Financial Benefit - Essay Example

The Olympic Games does not Produce any Real Lasting Social and Environment Legacy, it Only Produces Short-term Financial Benefit. Olympic games, held once in four years, is the greatest sporting event in the world. It is an assembly of people from all continents, ethnic groups, religions, languages and political outlook. The mammoth crowd of athletes, coaches, officials, doctors, journalists and the vast number of spectators that flock from every nook and corner of the world make the event a unique and spectacular jamboree. There is a general lament over the shape of modern Olympics as they have become too big and too far. The ancient Olympics held in Greece were a cultural celebration of the ancient world in the center of civilization. The monstrosity of the Olympics is slowly emerging as a shared concern. As a columnist expressed it: “I once wrote that I had a love affair with the Olympics and Id now fallen out of love with them, and that was as long ago as 1968. It was one of the reasons I called it a raddled old tart. Commerce has now taken over and the Games have become too big and too important; too important to the feel-good factor of individual nations, and too important to the competitors who are just totally channeled and focused.”(The Mail on Sunday) The main concerns that need to be addressed in order to salvage Olympics from the negative forces that hold it hostage are many. There is on the one hand the commercialization of sports degrading a cultural and spiritual pursuit into a mundane and lewd opportunity to accumulate wealth in the hands of a greedy few. In addition to this demon there is the use of politicization of Olympics as a tool to wage war on countries. “Yet today, the United States and Soviet boycotts of the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics, and the patriotic fervor inspired by the U.S. ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics seem to leave little doubt that sport is anchored strongly to a nations political-economic system. (Vinokur 17) Sports was traditionally used to enhance health. However, drug abuse is the order of the day in modern sports. Another questionable area of Olympics is the doubtful social benefits of sports to the wider public. Do Olympics result in ecological problems by the massive construction activity in large areas? Recent history of Olympics also is marred by the dreaded menace of international terrorism striking without notice resulting in the large-scale destruction of people and property. Olympics are the prime-sporting event promoted globally and commercialized to the core. (Greising, 1966). The commercial nature of the megha event is evident from the fact that in 1996 for merely acquiring an affiliation at least $40 million each was spent by top sponsors. (Starr and Springen, 1996). Companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and General Motors, it is estimated, have spent up to $300 million each on sponsorships fro television oriented advertising and on live site promotions. (Thomas, 1996). The global nature of the games involves nearly 200 national teams (Wall Street Journal) from all corners of the world is a key advertisers as the need for global managing of brand image has made the game venue and the event a purely commercial activity. Though the grandiose ideals of Olympics as a vehicle for the expression of human brother hood the commercial aspect of the games is in the main agenda of the commercial world. The Logistic companies, Media companies and the tourism and hospitality industry, will share the main booty of the Olympic profits. It is good to look at the staggering task of logistic management in London Olympics based on the past data. To understand the expected magnitude of logistics in London Olympics 2012, a cursory glance of some of the key data from Athens and the projected logistics requirements of the Beijing Olympics is will be helpful. The logistics involved in hosting Athens 2004 were staggering. (Antoniou) a budget of almost 2 billion Euros, 5.3 million ticketed spectators watching 10,500 athletes competing in 28 sports in 35 different venues. The proceedings were covered by more than 21,000 media representatives and supervised by more than 40,000 security personnel. According to the projections from the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, the Beijing Games are expected to bring together a total of 200,000 athletes, journalists and officials from 200 countries. Among them, there will be more than 20,000 athletes. The number of spectators might be somewhere around 8 million. The event will require a record number of more than 1.2 million pieces of sports equipment. This mind-boggling logistics demands for the Beijing Games will make it a unique event in all sports history. Though preparation for London Olympics 2012, has started it is very difficult to make projections regarding numerical aspects of the event from a distance of some seven years. But if the present trend is an indicator of the unfolding future, there is every reason to believe that 2012 will be a grandiose celebration befitting the illustrious name of the historical city of London. Consequently the logistics of the event would call for advance strategic planning, the absence of which can jeopardize the orderly and successful completion of the most colourful quadrennial pageantry which humanity puts up. What will be the magnitude of the logistic challenge of 2012 London Olympics? The ongoing preparation to address the logistic challenges of the Beijing Olympics and the analysis of the bulk of work done in the days of Athens Olympics can be used as indicators to quantify the magnitude of the task for the London Olympics. The emerging projection of the logistics of the mission and the preparedness needed to meet the contingencies that may emerge with no advance notice is a daunting task. The Olympic Games, the worlds biggest sports event that fascinate the participants and spectators alike, call for a staggering number of sports equipment. The Games will require 1.30 million pieces of sports instruments and equipment. At least 25000 tennis balls, 1500 cricket balls, 7000 basketballs and 700 boxes of magnesium powder will have to be stocked and the prompt supply chain management of the listed inventory should reach at the right spots at the right time with clock like precision. In addition, the main dining room in the Olympic Village will have to handle 80000 portions of food daily. The mega event has become the target of terrorist groups and the danger is ever present. The use of Olympics as vehicle of expression of protest came with the use of satellite television in 1964.It was then that people who wanted to make a protest whether worthy or dirty understood that they could make it at the Olympics because it will attention of the world. According to a reporter “With the advent of beaming television by satellite in the late Sixties, terrorists, politicians, pressure groups and cheats gained access to a worldwide stage of 3.5 billion viewers.”(The Mail on Sunday) This is also an event that could be expected many years ago in a particular venue. In 1968, students of Mexico City used Olympics to protest against the oppression of the dictatorial government and the ensuing shoot out resulted in the death of 200 youth. The ghastly killing of 11 Israeli athletes clouded the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, Germany. The dramatic episode in which the Arabs seized the Israeli teams residence in Olympic Village and the shoot out that followed left 16 persons dead. In the passage of thirty-three years terrorism has acquired a global arena and the acts of terrorism are no more stray incidents. An expectation of terrorist onslaught and strategies for counteracting the menace with adequate preparedness is the highest priority in any event any where in the world. In London Olympics 2012 also an adequate machinery to combat the hazard of terrorism should be well in place. With the terrorists choosing the whole world as the theatre of war, building the Olympic facilities has become like building a structure in the enemy territory. The Olympic event itself becomes the best of targets for terrorists. The September 11 attack in New York and the London bombing have shown the vulnerability of the sophisticated defense systems that the developed countries have so painstakingly built at a staggering cost. Moreover, the idea of Pierre de Coubertin, games, as tools to bring down conflicts between nations should be used to combat terrorism also. The experience of UK has shown that the terrorist tactics of IRA did not end by fighting out, but greatly quelled by reaching out. Since Olympics is an occasion where humanity celebrates its togetherness paramount importance should be given in applying the powerful tool of difference reconciliation communication as an effective weapon to fight terrorism. Communication might achieve what combat has failed to do. At the same time all the conventional anti terrorism mechanisms should be in place. Ecological concerns now loom large in the London Olympics. London is already a crowded city and where do we put Olympics. They have found the Lower Leas Valley of the East End. But the proposed site is habitat for Kingfishers, Sand martins and the reed beds. The southern Lea is the green lungs of the east London for more than 35 years (Simms). Once this site is turned into a concrete jungle to host Olympics, as it is no compensation sites are available. The area, which houses 350 businesses, will have to be relocated. Olympics is similar to a war and everything will have to be done on a war footing and the environmentalist will be delegated as a jarring person who spoils the fun. According to Andrew Simms, policy director of the New Economics Foundation: “A small cautionary tale sits on the doorstep of the proposed site for the London Olympics. Bow Creek Ecology Park, complete with reed-beds and public footpaths, was meant to be a major part of the environmental legacy of the London Docklands Development Corporation from the 1980s.”Environmental concerns are highest priority for Beijing Olympics (Chepseiuk) but will the ideals be followed in a country where human rights and right to protest is still only a dream. According to Brian Viner the Olympics are not a social service. It is for the wealthy to make more money. The past Olympics games have witnessed ruthless dislocation of human dwellers from there home without adequate compensation. Before 1996 Olympic games even ten years before blacks had to leave their homes to welcome the Olympic inspection committee. “They could hardly be permitted to see shambling, black derelicts begging for dimes just across the street from the imposing grave of Martin Luther King, with its poignant inscription `Free At Last, Free At Last, Thank God Almighty We Are Free At Last”(Viner). It is sad fact that when Olympics were being thought of Atlanta was not having enough public latrines. The preceding year of the Atlanta Olympics 9000 homeless people were arrested. Atlanta was a city with 20000 homeless in city of only 400,00.Much of the building of the Olympics arenas were built by the homeless and who were being cleared from the site to give a better look for the city. Atlanta Olympics also tells the story of black house being demolished to provide the venue for Olympics. In the city of Atlanta it is a sad fact that public housing was not a priority while Olympics was a priority. Olympics are not a social service. China is hosting Olympics? Can it legitimately do so? Its mounting problems of poverty, over population and social inequality are side lined for the show. ======= Works cited. Antoniou Jim. Athenian Transformations: Athens Is Undergoing Traumatic Transformations in Preparation for the Olympics. The Architectural Review. Volume: 215. Issue: 1287. : May 2004. Page Number: 74+ Chepseiuk Ron. Beijing Goes for the Olympic Green.. Journal Title: Environmental Health Perspectives. Volume: 110. Issue: 9.. Page Number: 512. Greising, David. "Run, Jump and Sell: Commercial Exploitation of Sports Explodes." Business Week, July 29, 1996. Simms Andrew. London Olympics Bid: Trampled by the Gold Rush. New Statesman. Volume: 133. Issue: 4689. May 24, 2004. Page Number: 14. Starr, Mark, and Karen Springen. "A Piece of the Olympic Action." Newsweek, January 15, 1996 The Mail on Sunday.Is It Time to Scrap the Olympics? July 28, 1996.page 6. Thomas jr., Emory. "The Bottom Line: Is an Olympic Sponsorship Worth It? As the Price Climbs, Companies Are Desperate to Find Out." Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1996 Viner Brian. `The Olympics Are Not a Social Service. They Will Help People with Money To make More Money. Its Capitalism in Action; Night & Day. The Mail on Sunday. July 14, 1996. Page Number: 19. Vinokur Martin Barry.More Than a Game: Sports and Politics. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1988. Page Number: 17. Read More