By Olivia Eiken | Intern
Across the globe, the Olympic Games act as a force, bringing people together to cheer for a collective goal. In a world that is so heavily divided among various lines, there is often an energy of excitement and peace. However, with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games ahead, questions regarding the nationalistic and economic costs of the games remain.
One of the earliest political demonstrations in the history of modern sports took place at the 1906 Athens Olympic Games. Peter O’Connor, an Irish native, won second place in the long jump competition as a member of the British team. Fueled with passion, O’Connor climbed the flagpole that held the Union Jack and replaced it with a green Irish flag that read “Erin Go Bragh” or “Ireland Forever.” O’Connor did this as an act of political resistance to bring the world’s attention to Ireland’s desire for emancipation from Britain. Over a hundred years later, the Olympic Games continue to encourage a somewhat dangerous amount of nationalistic pride, with athletes acting as political pawns for their countries.
In a 2021 Washington Post article titled “Do the Olympics promote nationalism and international conflict?” writer Kathleen Powers said, “With rare exceptions, scholars treat this competitive mindset toward international sports as an indicator for nationalism, with victory on the field implying national superiority.”
A shining example of this was the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games, where the United States and the Soviet Union battled for the ice hockey gold medal while the Cold War was actively progressing.
While nationalism among civilians and athletes often encourages division, those who live in the countries hosting the games are unfortunately brought closer together by the economic and residential despair they are forced to endure.
Transforming a city to host a global event requires major changes in urban architecture and infrastructure. Politicians and business moguls take this opportunity to strengthen the image of the city and redefine its cultural establishment. To host the large mass of media, tourists and athletes who will be in the city, this often means that communities and neighborhoods perceived as “run-down” inevitably face destruction to build stadiums and dormitories.
This leaves largely minority and low-income residents to flee the city due to displacement and gentrification efforts. According to The Borgen Project, “720,000 people were forcibly moved in the Seoul 1988 games, and 1.5 million impoverished Chinese citizens were forcibly relocated before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.”
With the Olympic Games making their way back to the United States for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the city has already begun preparation for the financial burden that will be placed on its residents. In a 2016 study titled “Going for the Gold: The Economics of the Olympics,” economist Robert A. Baade found that hosting the Olympics is not economically viable in the slightest for most cities. For example, it was anticipated that the Tokyo Olympic Games would cost about $7 billion, but they actually ended up costing upward of $30 billion.
One possible solution that has been raised to solve the issue is establishing a handful of permanent locations for the Olympic Games. This would be more environmentally and economically sustainable than the current system. There would be a one-time cost to build the infrastructure, and the stadiums and buildings would continue to be reused in the following years instead of inevitably falling into ruins. Until then, the negative nationalistic and economic impacts of the Olympic Games will remain systemic and harmful.
