- Numerous countries attempt to become the next hosts for the Olympics with the hopes that they will promote their national pride and benefit financially by showing their hospitality. However, those benefits pale at the significant cost that is necessary to undertake such a grand event. Specifically, the benefits of being an Organising country with a permanent headquarters are the following:
- The historical dimension and perspective is fascination as the return of the Olympic Games to their motherland Greece evokes deep emotional appeal. The organisation will be reborn and it will shine once more, and through the Olympic values (good fight, noble rivalry) people shall regain their true goal and meaning to life which is free of exploitation – corruption at the altar of personal interest and gain.
- The Return of the Olympic Games to Greece would constitute a neutral ground for the games, independent from any regional conflicts that may occasionally cause tensions, boycotts, and safety risks. Greece’s firm decision to promote the idea of an Olympic truce, is an international intervention of a significant political importance in the current volatile international environment. The sports facilities will be built once in the host country and their maintenance costs will be negligible compared to the construction of new Olympic facilities in different cities every four years. Specifically –
- The Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 costed thirteen billion dollars,
- The Olympic Games in China in 2008 cost hundreds of millions of dollars just for the Opening Ceremony.
- The Olympic Games in London cost fifteen billion dollars.
- The Olympic Games of Tokyo, that were meant to take place in 2020 was a gigantic financial disaster with the costs surpassing all records, without any certainty of the time and conditions that will permeate during its Opening.
- The opportunity for less financially privileged countries to organise the Olympics, as each organising country aims to promote itself, with the ability to be displayed on all internet search engines throughout the four years prior to the games with the brand name “GREECE”. This possibility of withdrawal from all countries, and not just those that are financially strong serves the purpose of true Olympic values – including everyone and promoting sportsmanship all over the world.
- Eliminating the bidding process for the Games will save valuable time and resources, as the process on its own is expensive. Those costs, should the Olympic games return to Greece, would become a cost-cutting boost to numerous countries. Those last years we can observe the phenomenon of countries withdrawing their candidacies. Specifically –
- Hamburg in December of 2015 withdrew its candidacy from taking over the Olympic Games in 2024.
- Rome in September of 2016 withdrew its candidacy from taking over the Olympic Games in 2024.
- Budapest in February of 2017 withdrew its candidacy from taking over the Olympic Games in 2024.
- Postponement or cancellation (such as in Tokyo) due to the global pandemic or other contingencies does not create any financial impact on the host country.
- A country like ours allows the Athletes to train in Greece without problems all year round due our favourable climate.
- The Athletic Communities, through stable organization and a powerful revival of the genuine Olympic spirit, will be able to solidify their path and their athletic identities without being exploited.
- Large corporations and sponsors will be able to donate their funds into charitable goals and authentic sportsmanship.
- Each Organizing country will be promoted all over the world and benefit from the success of the organization in a country like Greece which has always been attractive to tourists. The Organization of the 2004 Olympic Games shows that Greece is a developed country that has the ability to succeed in an immensely difficult achievement which requires a tremendous amount of organization skills, professionalism and a knowledge in highly advanced technologies.
- During the time that it takes to construct and build the foundations, thousands of people have been evicted or moved to different locations. According to some studies, in the last 20 years of Olympic Games’ Organizations, around 20 million people have be relocated. At least 750 thousand people have been relocated in Seoul when the Korean Government decided to use low-income areas in order to build stadiums. During the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, around 30,000 African American people had to be moved so that the roads leading up to Sports Venues. In Beijing, during the Olympic Games, 1.25 million people lost their housing. It costs a lot to be a city that organizes the Olympic Games.
BENEFITS AND ARGUMENT
THE BENEFITS AND ARGUMENTS FOR BEEING THE ORGANISING COUNTRY
ARGUMENTS AND BENEFITS OF GREECE AS A PERMANENT HOST COUNTRY
“What the mind and the heart is for a human being, Greece is for humanity,” the great philosopher and poet J. W. von Goethe once said, truly believing that humanity as it is shaped today, a humanity that wanders in the darkness can be saved and ascended from the depths of the void of spirit only when it is led by the ageless values of th Greek civilization.
The benefits for Greece being the permanent Host Country are the following:
- Greece is the birthplace of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Idea and classical sports as we know them, thus it deserves an extra reason to be the host and not to be limited to only just entering the Olympic Stadium first.
- Our Country offers everything that is required. Our climate, geopolitical locations, safety and security, the necessary experiences in organizing large Athletic Events and we have the knowledge and effective results in Hospitality.
- Greece becoming a Permanent Host will make our Country attractive in terms of Global Sports and Hospitality for the preparing Athletes and Sports Teams all throughout the year.
- By renovating the already existing venues and facilities, we give the opportunity to our children and Athletes to have respectable Sports’ Facilities. It goes without saying that renovated facilities will be accessible to people with disabilities. We, as a society, need to accommodate and understand that disabled people are valuable members of our society and they deserve unobstructed access to Sports’ Facilities and workplaces.
- The renovated and already existing Olympic Facilities will host other large Sports Events.
- It is also important to note that the modernization of the Sports Facilities will give plenty of opportunities to Greek Municipalities to develop. This, in effect, will contribute to the mutual cooperation between Downtown and the Suburbs to create a positive outcome on employment.
- The organization of the Olympic Games will give the opportunity to many municipalities in our country to actively participate in such an important event of international unity. Sports activity and leisure programs, development of environmental progress are some of the means which will contribute to the development of the country as a whole.
- Greece being a Permanent Host for the Olympic Games will offer a tremendous opportunity to develop and overcome the difficulties our country has faced in terms of tourism, and with the help of the public and private sector we can take a notable leap in the right direction.
- Permanent Hosting of the Olympic Games strengthens trade and increases the financial and purchasing power of the country. The Olympic Games can provide the conditions that allow high growth rates even in a global recession.
- The development of trade leads to the development of many industries (such as catering, retail, entertainment, hospitality, etc.) The infrastructure of the permanent hosting country creates jobs, utilizes the scientific potential of the country and improves the quality of life of the citizens.
- The encouragement of sports activity, as a consequence of the organization of the largest world sports event, and the youth’s shift towards sports, contribute to a new social dimension.
- Restores and awakens the global interest in ancient Greek culture, with immediate effect of increasing interest and traffic all our archaeological sites throughout the country,
- The return of the Olympic Games back into our country stimulates again the values of the Olympic Spirit by creating healthy standards for young people to look up to.
- Greece’s position in the world is strengthening.
The hosting of the Olympic Games in our country will provide an opportunity to review the values that we experience in our modern life. Implementation of the Olympic values on both personal and social levels will result in the general improvement of ourselves and the emergence of modern Greece as a spiritual beacon of the world.
«I feel that this is the ideal place to reflect on the evolution of our society. We are in a haven of peace and balance, where centuries remain engraved on the stones, the meanders of the Alpheios river, the beauty of the vegetation and the serenity which pervades this unique place, Olympia, where sport started on its most glorious and finest course».
Juan Antonio Samaranch
