3 key lessons from Paris for hosting successful Olympic Games

The athletes train for years, if not a long time, within the run-up to the Games – as do the host cities. It is not any small feat to host 329 medal competitions across 32 different sportsAround 10,000 athletes and more, and hundreds of thousands of tourists shall be welcomed.

In the case of Paris, there was quite a bit at stake because it was the primary time the event had been held there in 100 years. The city hoped to do things in another way by hosting the “greenest“ is the one version of the Olympic Games to this point that focuses on renewable energy sources, plant-based foods and sports equipment rental.

But Paris’s investment within the Games didn’t end there. The French capital undertook to arrange the Seine for open water swimming events – a move that, ahem, didn’t quite go to plan. It also built a brand new railway line to enhance connections to the Olympic venues.

While Paris took a novel approach in some areas, town faced the identical problems that host cities inevitably face: cost overruns.

The cost of the 2024 Games is estimated at slightly below $10 billion, 25% over the planned budget. Estimates from S&P Global RatingsWhile this isn’t as great an overreach as on the Olympic Games in Sochi (2014) or Rio (2016), it nevertheless reflects the fragile compromise that cities must make once they tackle the monumental task of hosting the Olympic Games.

“We are indeed seeing major overspending in the infrastructure sector, but the operational sector is also not without pressure,” says Alexander Budzier, a fellow in management practice on the Said Business School on the University of Oxford and co-author of a study on the overspending that the Olympics will entail.

In a way, the Paris Olympics are at a turning point that requires reflection on future events of this magnitude: should they stay as they’re, or is change urgently needed?

The problems of Paris

In preparation for the Olympics, Paris decided to limit the number of recent venues in an effort to control costs and carbon emissions. And so it happened. But in doing so, town became involved in what some have called “social cleansing” as lots of of individuals were relocated from near Île-Saint-Denis, where the Olympic Village is situated, and elsewhere. The government has denied that the move any connection with the Olympic Games.

The event looked as if it would have a weak start when the opening ceremony was marred by heavy rain, out of sync Filmingand controversial actions that some see as a parody of the “Last Supper” Painting.

The readiness of the Seine for an event of this magnitude was also an issue. The river was dangerously polluted until shortly before the Games kicked off. Then the athletes began turn into sick after a swim within the river (even though it isn’t yet confirmed whether the Seine is guilty).

Some of those problems are to be expected and difficult to plan for, says Ken Hanscom, who worked for the US Olympic team and is COO of the ticket platform TicketManager.
“A few bumps along the way that were expected. But I think the number of bumps that have been here, [in Paris] were very, very small,” said Hanscom Assets.

The Olympic hangover

Cities have often been “hungover” after hosting the Olympic Games previously. The Athens 2004 Olympic Games were significant due to their origins, but they weren’t followed by such a high price It was assumed that this step had brought in regards to the Greek financial crisis.

Meanwhile, the Olympic Games in Rio eight years ago left an enduring impression on the Brazilian capital abandoned facilities after the games. Corruption in Tokyo Scandals have been following town’s efforts to host the event and gain momentum despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is Paris proof against these effects? Perhaps not, but town has actually evolved from the mistakes of a few of its predecessors.

For example, cost concerns remain, regardless that the French capital is now using cardboard beds and there are fewer recent venues.

The paper, co-authored by Budzier, found that Paris actually got here in 115% above its original estimate in real terms, a price that would otherwise have been spent on public services – a priority that Budapest residents recognized and signed a petition for, resulting in Hungary dropping its 2024 plan. Olympic bid seven years ago. The Olympic Games in Paris had their fair Share of critics for a similar reason, although the event took place as planned.

Since the IOC Agenda 2020 launched Changing the best way future Olympics are hosted has required cities – including Paris – to think more about find out how to make the events sustainable. This has enabled progress, but it would still take a while to make it sustainable.

Mustafa Yalcin – Anadolu/Getty Images

“The estimated costs are coming down. At the same time, the cost overruns are still there,” said Budzier. “It doesn’t appear to be Paris is benefiting economically in the meanwhile. [the Olympics]So the advantages will turn into apparent later.”

The Olympic Games have also brought great success. When Los Angeles hosted the Games in 1984, it left town 223 million dollars profitThe London 2012 Olympic Games were designed as a model for the way the Games can drive urban regeneration and create infrastructure that advantages local communities.

The 3 characteristics of an Olympic success

So what does it take for the Olympics to achieve success? Hanscom, who has competed in 4 venues up to now, named three things along with basic elements akin to safety.

First, staying reasonably inside budget is a win. While the Paris Olympics didn’t really accomplish that, they did help limit a few of the big infrastructure and operating expenses. This can also be a part of an ongoing, evolving effort to bring the numbers into line. Paris officials justify the prices by saying are planning a change of use The Olympic Village’s housing units shall be used after the Games, and the advantages are difficult to quantify.

Second, strong local participation signifies that everyone directly affected by being within the host country or city is immersed in a terrific sporting experience. In Paris, a big proportion of spectators were expected to be French – a trend that Hanscom also observed.

There were rumours of unsold tickets and unbooked hotel rooms as fewer international tourists got here to town within the run-up to the Games (which hurt Air France KLM’s revenue). But hey, at the least the French got here.

In closing, Hanscom stressed that the Olympics were a very good show for each on-site and tv viewers. The Olympics had suffered from a decline in viewership lately and were desperately attempting to reverse that trend. But this yr Opening ceremony became essentially the most watched event on French television. Data shows that Audience numbers have even increased worldwide.

Bai Yu – CHINASPORTS/VCG/Getty Images

Overall, Paris might have been a hit, said Hanscom.

“I think there’s a progression of how they can continue to improve and evolve, because if you look at LA right now, I don’t think there’s a single new facility being built there,” he said. “It can always get better.”

The highlight provided by hosting the Games could create a positive “leverage effect,” Budzier stresses.

“Hosting the Olympics makes it possible to do things that would otherwise probably require decades of public debate and piecemeal interventions in a city that could easily be done,” he said.

Take the cleanup of the Seine, for instance. Previous French politicians had promised to make the river swimmable again, however the deadline kept getting pushed back – until Paris finally committed to hosting the Olympics. The city invested $1.5 billion to make the river water less polluted. Sure, the Seine wasn’t in top shape, but more has been done to wash it up lately than in a long time.

The world is watching with bated breath to see how the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics shall be even higher because of the tournament and its legacy. For now, there may be enough optimism that the concept of ​​a successful repeat of the Games is slowly but surely developing.