The Dark Side of the Olympics

The Olympics are an inspiration to many people. Olympics give young people an opportunity to dream that it could one day be them standing on the podium. They have the power to unite people from around the world to celebrate with pride the achievements of amateur athletes. This all sounds great but there is a dark side to the Olympics that needs to be considered. What used to be a celebration of amateur sport has turned into a commercial enterprise that caters to the interests of the wealthy and big business over the average citizen. The Olympics are really an insider event as obtaining tickets to the events and hotel accommodations is something that is difficult for the average family with the incredibly high prices. The Olympics Games organizers promise protection of civil liberties, financial accountability, environmental sustainability, and that the poor would not face evictions or rent increases. However none of things promises have been delivered on.

The International Olympic Committee does everything in their power to protect the rights of its sponsors; unfortunately they do not feel the same way about free speech or democratic rights. Rule 51of the IOC Olympic Charter does not allow any “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas. Also unfortunate are the municipal and provincial governments going right along this by pushing their own bylaws that go too far. The provincial government passed Bill 13 which would employees of Richmond, Vancouver and Whistler to enter private homes and properties to remove any unauthorized signs. The security budget has grown considerably from the ridiculously low original number of 175 million to one billion.

The widening of the Se...

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...enovations and then increasing the rent rates to levels that low income people cannot afford. The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has gathered numbers on the Olympics for the past twenty years that imply over two million people have been displaced as a result of the Olympics causing price increases and evictions.

The Olympic Games can have some benefits for the host city; they are a source of pride and can provide inspirational stories of athletes who achieve their dreams of competing for gold at the games. How can one justify holding a seventeen day party that will cost billions of dollars, while the funding for things like health care and education are being cut. The government has also made funding cuts to youth sports programs, now if the Olympics are really about sports as they claim you would think that they would want to increase funding for sports.