Sue Cook’s Post

With host cities often saddled with high debts and sparsely used infrastructure in post-event years, are the Olympics really worth the billion-dollar price tag? Read my latest ✍ for Al Arabiya English #Paris2024 #Olympics

Before thinking about Paris 2024's opening ceremonies being one week from today, let's flash back to Paris 1924, in many ways the first modern Olympic Games. The Paris Games of 1924 fit historically in the window of five enormously significant Olympic Games sandwiched between the first and second World Wars- Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936. That the Olympics simply returned in Antwerp in 1920, after WWI caused the cancelation of the 1916 Games is probably significant enough. No Olympic truce for us 20th Century types. Amsterdam saw women on the track for the first time, Los Angeles marked a return to America and all that LA symbolizes in Olympic history, and Berlin is the culmination of the Olympics and political and social spectacle as Jesse Owens defied Hitler's ideals on supremacy as sport was a surrogate for statecraft. It is in these "sandwiched Games," the Olympics first began addressing the issues that defined the next one hundred years, gender, race, inclusion, opportunity and global politics of society not just sport. There is probably no better lens to see the modern Olympics coming of age than that of Paris 1924. Professional coaches, if not athletes. Yes, even tennis players like Rene Lacoste were amateurs, yes that Lacoste. It was the Olympics of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell made famous in "Chariots of Fire," of Johnny Weissmuller and Duke Kahanamoku who remain famous even today anywhere there is water, and of Jackson Scholz and the incomparable Paavo Nurmi. 1924 was also the year that Coca-Cola began the longest continuously running sports sponsorship in history with the Olympics that will celebrate its centennial in Paris this year. These Games would mark Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s, the father of the revived Olympics, last as President of the IOC. The folks at The Atlantic have compiled an amazing photographic history of the 1924 Paris Games to help us get ready for the 2024 Paris Games. #Olympics, #HistoryofSports #GlobalSports #SportsSponsorship

Does hosting the Olympics really have to be so expensive? Held every four years, the Olympic Games are not only a celebration of athletic prowess and international unity but also a notorious budget buster - and we examine what can be done about it. Olympics Paris 2024 #MCA #northstartravelgroup #MICE #meetings #conventions #APAC #olympics #parisolympics2024

THEN AND NOW: What 10 former Olympic stadiums look like today https://ift.tt/0AfZoma A general view of the Bird's Nest stadium, the venue for opening and closing ceremonies for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images The 2024 Olympics are underway in Paris. Some Olympic venues are abandoned after the games, but the main stadiums often get a second life. Here's what 10 Olympic stadiums looked like in their heyday and what they're used for now. The 2024 Olympic opening ceremony was different compared to years past. At the Paris Olympics, viewers watched as athletes sailed down the Seine in a fleet of boats, while the streets were filled with performers. Normally, though, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics are held in a huge stadium. Many, in fact, are built specifically for this purpose. But what happens to them after the games? Some are renovated and turned into sporting arenas. Others are left somewhat abandoned, as the city doesn't have the need for the thousands of seats. Or they're destroyed entirely — in Lake Placid, New York, the stadium used for the opening ceremony was demolished soon after the 1980 Games. Here's what Olympic stadiums looked like at their peak, and how they've changed since the torch was extinguished. Berlin hosted the Summer Olympics in 1936, mainly from the Olympiastadion Berlin, or Olympic Stadium. The Berlin Olympics were held from August 1 to 16 in 1936. Faulbaum/ullstein bild via Getty Images The Olympiastadion was built for the 1936 Summer Games, according to Britannica. A different stadium was used when Berlin hosted the Winter Games earlier that year.  Almost 90 years later, some of the venues from the Berlin Olympics are empty and abandoned, but the Olympiastadion is still being used now. The German soccer team Hertha BSC uses the Olympiastadion as its home stadium. Simon Hofmann/Bongarts/Getty Images After Germany was reunified in 1990, it wasn't clear what Berliners would do with the stadium. Eventually, it was renovated and reopened in 2004, according to Britannica. It's now the biggest stadium in Germany, has hosted the 2006 FIFA Men's World Cup and the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, and has been the home stadium for Hertha BSC since 1963. Most recently, the 2024 UEFA Euro final was held at the Olympiastadion. However, some of the other venues from the Berlin Olympics are abandoned, including the swim hall and Olympic Village. In 2008, the Summer Olympics were held in Beijing. The festivities opened and closed at the Beijing National Stadium. The opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium. Clive Rose/Getty Images The Beijing National Stadium, or the "Bird's Nest," was built inside Beijing's Olympic Green complex specifically for the 2008 Summer Games. In 2022, the Beijing National Stadium became one of the few Olympic stadiums that hosted both summer and winter games. The Beijing National Stadium in 2020. Artyom Ivanov\TASS via Getty Images ...

The upcoming Paris Olympics in 2024 will spotlight a collection of venues that fuse the city’s rich history with state-of-the-art design. Get the essential details on the capacity and sports each site will host and how to navigate to them. This article is your straight-to-the-point guide on the Paris Olympic venues, where every location has a story of its own! Today is the kickoff of #Paris2024 ! 🇨🇵 #Olympics #JeuxOlympiques2024

The opening ceremonies of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, captured on film, the first Olympics I can remember, with the entrance of the Olympic flame, accompanied by the greatest middle distance runners of the world including Kip Keino and Jim Ryun who competed on this track. These Games that began in such overt joy (and synthesizer music) and hope ended tragically and so the hopes of the city of Munich and of West Germany to finally put the horrors of the past in the past were dashed in violence. The murder of the Israeli athletes who came only to compete remains a tear in the fabric of sport. The Olympic Games, even with the attendant politics, commercialism, and corruption that accompany them, for me represent the purest of striving and of hope for the future. As the youth of the world assembles in Paris, a city of incomparable beauty, it is both my hope and prayer, that these Games go off without violence and honor the spirit of the athletes assembled and that even in a divided contentious world we can celebrate the human spirit. By the time they end, I do know that the athletes in victory and defeat will have honored that spirit. I am fortunate enough, after being an 8 year-old watching those Munich opening ceremonies from my Grandmother's sofa, to now work with several sport organizations from the U.S. and Canada competing in Paris and who are living the vision of a better world I saw for the first time on display in Munich. #Olympics #OlympicSpirit #Paris2024 #OlympicHistory #ValueofSport #Aspriation #BeautyofSport

Paris 2024, the French capital's successful bid to host the Games, promises to usher in a new era by blending history, beauty, and culture in alignment with the International Olympic Committee's vision for sustainability and youth appeal. Rachel Axon shares highlights: 🥇 Historical Significance: The Games return to Paris exactly a century after the city last hosted them in 1924. 🏟️ Iconic Venues: From the Eiffel Tower hosting beach volleyball to equestrian events at Versailles, the Games will seamlessly integrate Paris' historic landmarks. 🌟 Innovative Opening Ceremony: The ceremony will take place along the Seine, featuring a 6-kilometer route with 10,000 athletes and over 120 cameras capturing every moment. 🌐 Technological Advancements: For the first time, tickets will be entirely digital, enhancing convenience and reducing wait times. Paris 2024 is poised to be a transformative event, blending tradition with innovation and offering an unparalleled experience for athletes, spectators, and sponsors. https://lnkd.in/ezNJDiFm

Olympics and Paralympics: why should we believe the promises of positive legacy for host communities? With #Paris2024 about to start, stories emerge from Queensland that their bid included an a $1 billion upgrade of the Gabba stadium that was not supported by a business case. One of the problems with holding games organising committees (OCOG) to account for cost overruns and the legacies that remain (or not, like the legacy of cost blowouts), is that most OCOGs are rapped up within months of the event. Further, the past few events have seen political and social reshuffling that reduces the ability for post-event accountability of governments, bid committees and OCOGS (think Paris 2024 election, Beijing 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Tokyo 2020 COVID-19, Rio 2016 President impeached between events, Sochi 2014 invasion of Crimea...). Why should the voting public trust the budget estimates and legacy promises from those who bid for, and put on these wonderful events ? How can they increase their social license? #Olympiclegacies #Paris2024 #Brisbane2032 #sociallicense https://lnkd.in/eJVp8gtD

The Igniting Imagination: Reflecting Global Olympic Dreams One Sydney night, we stood at the edge of Darling Harbour, admiring the city lights reflected in the glossy water. Our design firm, FHA, had designed the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games symbol. Now, we needed to create the "look & feel" that would unify all expressions of the Games. In moments of uncertainty, the sacred source of imagination guides us and turns the impossible into the possible. Like a spark in the dark, an idea began to form in our minds: the Olympic rings reflected in the blue waters of the Harbour. We named it “Fluid Energy”. This creative vision of the rings bridging the gap between the intangible and the tangible became the unifying image for the Sydney Games and a valuable brand asset. As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympic Games, we are reminded that the Olympics are more than just sport and achievement. Countless organizations and people work together to bring the Games to life on a global stage as a gathering of peaceful humanity. Their cultural ambitions, commitment to goodwill, and ambitions to deliver the best possible outcomes for athletes, and their city are united for every Games under one unique symbol: the five inspiring rings of the Olympic emblem. #Paris2024OlympicGames #Sydney2000OlympicGames #BrandAustralia

The explainer provides an in-depth overview of the Paris Olympic Games 2024, detailing the history, key events, participants, costs, and the overall structure of the games. It outlines the historical significance of Paris as the host city, introduces the new sports added to the Olympic program, and highlights popular events. The article also discusses the budget and allocation of funds, the process of hosting the Olympics, including venue selection and athlete qualification, and provides details about the event schedule, venues, and sustainability initiatives. Additionally, it covers ticketing, security measures, and the overall impact of the Paris Olympics, emphasizing its focus on sustainability and innovation. Read more at... https://lnkd.in/dkS2D7mG #Paris2024 #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #Sustainability #SportsInnovation #OlympicHistory #NewSports #GlobalEvent #ParisHostCity #EventPlanning #Ticketing #AthleteJourney #GreenOlympics #SportsFans #OlympicSpirit