The Olympics Aren’t Good for Cities, So Can the Magic of the Games Survive?

For most people the Olympics are an extravaganza that’s broadcast on television for two weeks every two years. A baroque opening ceremony is followed by several sports—including many rarely seen on TV otherwise—and then a torch gets put out. For those who’ve tuned out since the flame was extinguished in Rio de Janeiro last summer, an update: The Olympics and the International Olympic Committee—the organization that parcels out the rights to host them—have a growing reputation problem. Cities don’t want them coming around.

Two years ago, when the IOC picked Beijing for the 2022 Winter Games, the only other option was Almaty, Kazakhstan. Oslo, Krakow, Stockholm, St. Moritz in Switzerland, and the Ukrainian city of Lviv had all backed out. For the 2024 Summer Games the IOC began with a healthy list of possible hosts. Then Budapest, Rome, Hamburg, and Boston gave in to resistance at home and abandoned their bids, leaving only Los Angeles and Paris at the table.