The start of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia is just three months away, and the deadline to apply to host the 2022 Winter Olympics is Thursday.
John Rennie Short, professor of public policy, was interviewed by KCBS News Radio in San Francisco about his proposal for a permanent site for the Summer Olympics.
“It seemed like it was becoming more and more expensive and more and more disruptive for cities to host the games,” Short said.
With stiff competition to host the Olympic Games and economic benefits for host cities that can often be smaller in scope than anticipated, Short said it’s logical to host the games in one location to avoid disruption and prevent dislocation of residents in host cities.
“If you could get a place that minimized any social disruption, there’s vast dislocation, often to lower income, marginal groups. Beijing for example, almost 500,000 people were displaced from their homes to host the games,” Short said.
He added a strong cost-benefit analysis is necessary to question the economic benefits of shifting the host city for the Summer Olympics every four years.
Tags: CAHSS, PublicPolicy
