Olympics Green Solution: Stop Moving Them Around

Grist:

For all the efforts to minimize the impact of the Olympics, one big solution never gets taken seriously. So much of the environmental and financial cost of the games comes from cities trying to build facilities that suit both a massive, two-week influx of athletes and spectators and also the long-term needs of locals.

The solution: Hold the Olympics in the same location every time, one spot for the summer games and one for the winter.

Read the whole story: Grist

Comments

[rougebaisers]

08:36 AM on 02/21/2010

Really. At least pick a place that has winter weather for the winter games.

[hbledlifetime]

06:15 PM on 02/19/2010

Not a bad idea.

[Virgil Kane]

01:16 PM on 02/18/2010

Why have the olympics at all then? Let's go back to the stone age while we are at it.

[Please-Play-Fair]

12:34 PM on 02/18/2010

Lame headline and article. If NONE of traveled around to work, pleasure, or anything else ... we would do a better job of being green. It's not realistic or possible.

We would have been so much better off if the Coppenhagen climate summit had been online and not had the elite and leaders flying personal jets and private cars. If we can't get the climate summit to figure it out, why ask anyone else??

[jwoww]

11:13 AM on 02/18/2010

Chicago starting in 2016 or better yet what about virtual olympics with XBOX live

[quillsinister]

10:45 AM on 02/18/2010

Athens, every time. :-)

[blaharumph]

07:45 AM on 02/19/2010

that would be awesome!

[BebeLush]

10:29 AM on 02/18/2010

Great idea. Never could see the sense is moving the damn thing every 2 years.

[Please-Play-Fair]

12:37 PM on 02/18/2010

Summer and Winter olympics used to be every 4 years and in the same year. They changed it to garner more viewership more often. So, they are every 4 years, but now staggered to have summer, then 2 years later winter ... and so on.

There is tremendous $$ that comes to the cities who host olympics. It's good for the local economies. The entire theme of the olympics is bringing all countries together ... so it makes sense to move it from place to place. The facilities that are built are always used for events long after the Olympics is over, so it is not wasteful per se.

[jwoww]

03:01 PM on 02/18/2010

not all olympics are profitable and most never recover the losses from the expense to build the venues, especially the summer games. since there is a big contingent from many more countries than the winter games

the venues are hardly used after the games unless they are in a big US city that a professional or college sport team can make use of them. The winter sports have the advantage of using exsisting sites such as ski resorts and indoor arenas. Since most of the sports are held at those places and spread out, the construction costs are not as substantial and the villages are much less because there is not that many countries compared to the summer game.

[abbienormal]

07:36 AM on 02/19/2010

According to a report on NPR, the Vancouver costs ran $6 billion over budget. It is a huge loss for them.

[rf dude]

10:24 AM on 02/18/2010

'
Well there goes Fiji's chance at hosting the Winter Olympics...

[beachsandshuffle]

09:42 AM on 02/18/2010

This has become a farce.

Crack a book and study up on Greek Olympians and you may see like I do that this world does not have the "Olympics"

Let's call it something else so everyone can pat themselves on the back and strut around, but we do not have Olympians with us on this day.

[LatteLiberals]

09:14 AM on 02/18/2010

The Games should be held in Antarctica. That way no nation will have a home field advantage. :)

[basta]

10:35 AM on 02/18/2010

Good one. But it should really be in Greece. They started it. And they need an economic boost.

It could be an international sport center year round for training and competitions.

Move the UN there too.

[jwoww]

11:14 AM on 02/18/2010

at least there will be snow excep if you ask the Greenies they'll tell you there is not left there