Sochi 2014 Olympics - most costly ever

[Gman]

Not surprisingly, the Sochi 2014 Olympics has turned out to be the most costly ever. Sadly we have other problems like world hunger, pollution, worldwide economic corruption, and wars but we would rather spend it on sports?

"When Russia bid to host its first Winter Olympics back in 2007, the document quoted an expected cost of around $12 billion. However, as the extensive renovation of the city of Sochi has unfolded in the years since successfully winning the rights to stage the Games, that number has ballooned to around $50 billion -- more than four times over budget. It will be the most expensive Olympics yet, surpassing Beijing's 2008 Summer Games."

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/04/sport ... e-numbers/

[RickD]

Given Russia's track record, if the money wasn't spent on the Olympics, I don't think the money would've been used to feed the hungry.

[Gman]

Given Russia's track record, if the money wasn't spent on the Olympics, I don't think the money would've been used to feed the hungry.

I don't think it's just Russia but any country or host that forks out huge amounts of money for this drama... Like we are going to remember any of this stuff a few years later when someone's record get's broken by 1/10th of a second?

[1over137]

Olympic stadiums in Greece are devastated. Money spent and now ruins.

[Gman]

Olympic stadiums in Greece are devastated. Money spent and now ruins.

Good point.. And now they will have to spend more from their already devastated economy to tear it all down.. Kind of reminds me of this verse.

1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

[PeteSinCA]

Sochi was a winter resort during the Stalin era of the USSR ... for its mild winter weather. Choosing Sochi for a Winter Olympics was a, "What were they thinking?!" grade decision. 5-day weather forecasts are pretty good, and, of course, 10-100 year climate forecasts must be believed. But foreseeing weather and snow conditions 5 or 10 years from when a games site is picked is pretty dicey, and the Olympics have had some disappointments in choices for Winter Games. But siting a Winter Games near a warm winter weather seacoast resort?!

Sochi isn't eactly on the well-beaten path, so I suspect Sochi fell out of fashion, either soon after Stalin died or after the Soviet Union "fell". So, it was a resort not equipped to handle the massive number of people that come with an Olympics, and it had probably been in neglect and decay for several decades. So Sochi and the surrounding area probably had to be fully rebuilt. And I suspect the workmanship was pretty slipshod - "Haste makes waste."