Cost of the Olympic Games
Sports-related costs for the Summer Games since 1960 is on average USD 5.2 billion and for the Winter Games USD 3.1 billion. This does not include wider infrastructure costs like roads, urban rail, and airports, which often cost as much or more than the sports-related costs. The most expensive Summer Games are London 2012 at USD 15 billion and the most expensive Winter Games are Sochi 2014 at USD 21.9 billion, again including only sports-related costs. [1] Costs per athlete is on average USD 0.6 million for the Summer Games and USD 1.3 million for the Winter Games. For London 2012, cost per athlete was USD 1.4 million; for Sochi 2014, USD 7.9 million.
Budget overruns are common for the Games. Average overrun for Games since 1960 is 156% in real terms, which means that actual costs turned out to be on average 2.56 times higher than the budget that was estimated at the time of winning the bid to host the Games. Montreal 1976 had the highest cost overrun for Summer Games, and for any Games, at 720%; Lake Placid 1980 had the highest cost overrun for Winter Games, at 324%. London 2012 had a cost overrun of 76%, Sochi 2014 of 289%.
The table below is listing the not so hard costs of the Games. Due to the multitude of reporting methods, the table contains both the operating costs and total final costs (which include various infrastructure upgrades and security costs), known and not estimated. Net loss or gain are measured against the operating budgets. Intangible costs (such as to the environment and society) and not so total benefits (through tourism) are not included here.
Table
Host City | Year | Final Operating Budget |
Total Costs | Taxpayer Contribution | Profit/Loss | Year Debt Paid Off | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Athens Summer Olympics | 1896 | 3,740,000 ₯[2] | nil ₯ | Donations by George Averoff of 1,000,000 ₯ covered potential losses | |||
London Summer Olympics | 1908 | US$394,000 est.[2] | £6,377 | ||||
Paris Summer Olympics | 1924 | 5,496,610₣[2] | |||||
Amsterdam Summer Olympics | 1928 | $1,183,000[2] | $18,000 | ||||
Los Angeles Summer Olympics | 1932 | $1,000,000[2] | |||||
Berlin Summer Olympics | 1936 | $30,000,000[2] | |||||
London Summer Olympics | 1948 | £761,688[3] | £29,000[2] | ||||
Helsinki Summer Olympics | 1952 | 1,580,000,000 mk[2] | 49,000,000 mk | ||||
Melbourne Summer Olympics | 1956 | A£5,400,000[3] | A£300,000[2] | ||||
Tokyo Summer Olympics | 1964 | US$72,000,000[3] | |||||
Mexico City Summer Olympics | 1968 | US$176,000,000[3] | |||||
Munich Summer Olympics | 1972 | 1,972,000,000 DM[2] | |||||
Montreal Summer Olympics | 1976 | CDN$207,000,000[4] | CDN$1,410,000,000[4] | CDN$990,000,000[4] | 2006 | A special tobacco tax was introduced in May 1976 to fund the loss | |
Lake Placid Winter Olympics | 1980 | US$49,000,000[5] | US$169,000,000[5] | USD $8.5,000,000 deficit | |||
Moscow Summer Olympics | 1980 | US$231,000,000[6] | US$1,350,000,000[6] | USD $1,190,000,000 deficit | This was the year that The United States and 64 other Nations boycotted due to the invasion of Afghanistan. | ||
Sarajevo Winter Olympics | 1984 | US$55,400,000[7] | US$110,900,000[7] | US$10,000,000 [7] | The first Olympics since 1932 to make a profit | ||
Los Angeles Summer Olympics | 1984 | US$320,000,000[8] | US$413,000,000[8] | $75,000,000[9][10] | US$250,000,000[11] | 1984 | The first Summer Olympics since 1932 to make a profit[10] |
Calgary Winter Olympics | 1988 | CDN$438,000,000[12] | CDN$899,000,000[12] | CDN$425,000,000[12] | CDN$32,000,000[12] | 1988 | |
Seoul Summer Olympics | 1988 | USD $4,000,000,000 | US$300,000,000[11] | 1988 | A record profit for a government-run Olympiad | ||
Barcelona Summer Olympics | 1992 | US$850,000,000 | US$9,300,000,000[13] | US$10,000,000[11] | 1992 | Operating costs were put at 9.1% of the total cost. The vast majority of spending was to improve infrastructure.[14] | |
Albertville Winter Olympics | 1992 | USD $1,200,000,000 on infrastructure[15] | USD $67,000,000[15] | ||||
Lillehammer Winter Olympics | 1994 | US$1,100,000,000[16][17] | US$250,000,000[16][17] | ||||
Atlanta Summer Olympics | 1996 | US$1,800,000,000 | US$609,000,000[9] | US$10,000,000 | 1996 | Despite the profit, Atlanta's heavy reliance on corporate sponsorship drew criticism of commercialization | |
Nagano Winter Olympics | 1998 | ~US$10,000,000,000 in new infrastructure[18] | Net loss | Estimated 2015[18] | The full cost of the Nagano Olympics is unknown, due to Nagano Olympic Bid Committee vice-secretary general Sumikazu Yamaguchi ordering accounting documents burned[18] | ||
Sydney Summer Olympics | 2000 | A$6,600,000,000 [19][20] | A$3,000,000,000 (A$363,5000,000 borne by the public) | A$2,050,000,000[21] | USD $2,100,000,000 loss [22] | 2000 | |
Salt Lake City Winter Olympics | 2002 | US$2,000,000,000 [23] | US$1,200,000,000 [24] | US$600,000,000[25] | US$101,000,000[26] | 2002 | Additional security costs were incurred in the wake of the September 11 attacks |
Athens Summer Olympics | 2004 | US$15,000,000,000[27] | US$9,000,000,000[28] | US$6,200,000,000[29] | US$14,500,000,000[30] | The cost of the 2004 Athens Summer Games has been cited as a contributor to the Greek government-debt crisis. Many of the venues lie vacant and rotting; the Independent newspaper reports as many as 21 out of 22 are unused.[31] | |
Turin Winter Olympics | 2006 | US$700,000,000[32] | USD $3,200,000[33] | The Italian government created a lottery game to cover its financial losses. | |||
Beijing Summer Olympics | 2008 | US$44,000,000,000[34] | CNY 1,000,000,000 (US$146,000,000)[35] | 2008 | |||
Vancouver Winter Olympics | 2010 | CDN$ 1,700,000,000[36] | US$ 6,400,000,000[37] | US$ 2,300,000,000[38] | CDN$ 2,500,000,000[39] CDN$ 70,000,000[40] |
2010 | Included in the total US$6,400,000,000 cost are the $1,000,000,000 for security, $2,500,000,000 for transportation extensions and upgrades, and $900,000,000 for the new Vancouver Convention Centre (An additional $554,000,000 was spent by the city including a portion on the Olympic Village).[37][41][42] |
London Summer Olympics | 2012 | US$10,400,000,000[43] | US$14,600,000,000[44] | US$4,400,000,000[45] | GBP £nil[46] | 2012 | Additional costs include $90 million for converting the Olympic Stadium (London) to a football venue[47] |
Sochi Winter Olympics | 2014 | US$51,000,000,000[48] | The most expensive Olympic Games in history, surpassing the previous record set by the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.[49] | ||||
Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics | 2016 | US$11.6 billion [50][51] | |||||
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics | 2018 | ||||||
Tokyo Summer Olympics | 2020 | ||||||
Beijing Winter Olympics | 2022 | ||||||
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Flyvbjerg, Bent; Stewart, Allison; Budzier, Alexander (2016). The Oxford Olympics Study 2016: Cost and Cost Overrun at the Games. Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n1/JOHv1n1f.pdf
- 1 2 3 4 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/2307426/London-2012-must-learn-from-the-1bn-Sydney-hangover.html
- 1 2 3 "Official Report of the XXIst Olympiad Montréal 1976" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 1978. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- 1 2 "XIII Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid - Final Report" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- 1 2 "Official Report of the XXII Olympiad Moscow 1980" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 1981. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- 1 2 3 "FINAL REPORT published by the Organising Committee of the XlVth Winter Olympic Games 1984 at Sarajevo" (PDF).
- 1 2 "Official Report of the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad Los Angeles, 1984" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 1985. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- 1 2 Julia Campbell. "Cost to Host Olympic Games Skyrockets". ABC News. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- 1 2 "Olympic Cities: Booms and Busts". Cnbc.com. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- 1 2 3 "Beijing Olympiad: Profit or Loss?". China Internet Information Center. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- 1 2 3 4 "XV Olympic Winter Games: Official Report" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 1988. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ↑ Flyvbjerg, Bent; Allison Stewart (2012). "Olympic Proportions: Cost and Cost Overrun at the Olympics 1960-2012". Working Paper. Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
- ↑ Brunet, Ferran (1995). An economic analysis of the Barcelona’92 Olympic Games: resources, financing and impacts". Working Paper. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- 1 2 "Olympic Cities: Booms and Busts". Cnbc.com. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- 1 2 Nina Berglund. "Lillehammer marks OL anniversary". News In English. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
compared to the NOK 8,500,000,000 spent on Lillehammer
- 1 2 "Exchange rate, US dollar (USD)". Norges Bank. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
January 1994 7.5109
- 1 2 3 Schlotterbeck, Bianca (19 January 2012). "Nagano, Japan (Winter 1998)". Olympic Cities: Booms and Busts. CNBC. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ↑ Craig, David (2009). Squandered. Constable & Robinson Limited. p. 300. ISBN 9781849011617.
- ↑ "Olympic glory at any price? - John Madden & James Giesecke - 26 Jul 2012, Business Spectator". Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "Sydney 2000 - Auditor Slams Costs".
- ↑ "Hosting the Olympics: cash cow or money pit?". Retrieved 2012-12-17.
- ↑ Roberts, Selena (2002-02-04). "IOC's Rogge Steps into the Cold - Feb 4, 2002 - The New York Times". Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ↑ "Olympics budget nearly $2,000,000,000 - Dec 11, 2001 - Sports Illustrated". CNN. 2001-12-11. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "Mitt Romney's Olympic history in the spotlight". The Daily Telegraph (Australia). 28 July 2012.
- ↑ "Salt Lake Tops Forecast - 2002-09-18 - The New York Times". 2002-09-18. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ↑ "As Olympic glow fades, Athens Questions $15,000,000,000 Cost - 2008-07-21 - The Christan Science Monitor". Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ↑ "How the 2004 Olympics Triggered Greece's Decline - 2012-08-02 - Bloomberg Business". Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "Olympics 'may cost Greece dear' - 2004-06-02 - BBC NEWS". BBC News. 2004-06-02. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ Schlotterbeck, Bianca (19 January 2012). "Athens, Greece (Summer, 2004)". Olympic Cities: Booms and Busts. CNBC. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ↑ "Olympic Cities: Booms and Busts". Cnbc.com. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ↑ "Turin Winter Olympics 2006 - 2014-02-06 - CIPRA: Living in the Alps". Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "Olympic Cities: Booms and Busts". Cnbc.com. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ↑ "Beijing Olympics to cost China 44,000,000,000 dollars - 2008-06-08 - Pravda News". Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "Beijing Olympics' profit exceeds 1b yuan".
- ↑ "Olympics cost B.C. $925M". CBC Sports. July 9, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
- 1 2 "Vancouver's Olympic Games overstated legacy and ignored true costs - 2014-02-07 - Rabble Canada". Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "IOC HEAD ROGGE HAPPY THAT 2010 VANCOUVER GAMES ARE ON TRACK - 2014-02-12 - TSN.ca". Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ "B.C. generated $2.5B from 2010 Olympics: report". Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ "VANCOUVER 2010 TAKES ITS FINAL BOW WITH POSITIVE FINANCIAL FIGURES". Retrieved 22 August 2016.
- ↑ "Winner's curse? The economics of hosting the Olympic Games". CBC News. July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Olympics cost B.C. $925M". CBC News. July 9, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ↑ "London 2012 - Final cost of London 2012 Games revealed". Yahoo. October 23, 2012. Retrieved April 2012, 3. Check date values in:
|access-date=
(help) - ↑ Gibson, Owen (October 24, 2012). "Olympic Games 2012 olympics olys,Paralympics 2012,Olympic legacy,Olympic Stadium,London (News),UK news,Politics,Sport". The Guardian. London.
- ↑ "London Olympics exceed initial budget by £6.52bn". Newstatesman.com. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ↑ "Locog London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,Olympic Games 2012 olympics olys,British Olympic Association,Sport politics,Sport" (PDF). LOCOG FINAL ANNUAL REPORT Page 33. London. March 31, 2012.
The results for the period show a net profit [...] which matches brought forward losses therefore bringing the cumulative financial position of the Company to £nil.
- ↑ Bond, David (2012-03-22). "BBC Sport - West Ham get Olympic Stadium after government ups funding". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ↑ "Sochi 2014: the costliest Olympics yet but where has all the money gone?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ↑ Why Sochi Is By Far The Most Expensive Olympics Ever ADAM TAYLOR, JAN. 17, 2014,
- ↑ "Finance". 2016 Working Group Report (PDF). International Olympic Committee. March 14, 2008. p. 88. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
- ↑ "Finance" (PDF). Rio de Janeiro 2016 Candidate File (PDF). 1. Brazilian Olympic Committee. February 16, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2010.