Mac's Poll - Let's Vote

Curious to know what the general opinion is? Cast your vote and let's see!!

POLL: Should Madrid host the 2020 Olympics?
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 @ 9:18 PM

The world's biggest sporting event for 2020 will be decided on Saturday night and Madrid has presented its third bid in a row.

Third time lucky? … Or give up and concentrate on bigger problems?

The cost of previous Olympics such as Beijing : €40 billion, London: €19 billion and the next games in Rio will cost: €4 billion : so far…as their original Budget was €2.8 billion are numbers that should scare any European country right now and especially Spain. But as always there are people in favour and people against.

Madrid's €1.9 billion seems cheap but we all know how good the Spanish are with building budgets!!! The reason they say it will be so cheap is because 80% of the infrastructure is already in place. The City has 27 Olympic sites ready to be used and there is no need to purchase any land as it all belongs to the council, additionally public transport meets requirements of the Olympic committee, so it all sounds good…

It is estimated that that the games would create between 300,000 and 350,000 jobs of all types. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Madrid could expect 83,000 full-time jobs as a result of the event. Just what Spain needs...

The IOC has estimated that €3.9 billion will be generated if Madrid gets the games. All sounds good with a budget cost of €1.9 billion doesn’t it?

How they work this out seven years in advance I do not know especially when Europe is in the way it is. So if the IOC is correct Spain will lose money as they are yet to finish any event or construction without doubling the original Budget as history shows us!

Anyway the other side of the coin is that Madrid owes €8 billion euros, twice as much as all other Spanish cities put together. But that has never worried Spanish politicians before after all its just debt! And we all know that Olympic accounting can be made as attractive as you want , at the end of the day it isa ll theory. Look at Rio they are on the way to doubling their original Budget and the games are still a way off. Many believe thes event are money pits and once committied there is no way out, you have to keep ploughing money in no matter what comes up a long the way. Eventhough the majority os venues are already built, six new venues are needed and some consider that that money could be more wisely spent on social services, hospitals and schools.

Many say that Spain is already a big tourism destination which doesn't need a boost. Last year, Spain visitors grew by 3% and spent 6% more, according to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism and this summer saw an increase on last years figures too.

Madrid 2020 organizers used a poll of 2,000 people to put support for the sporting event at around 80%, Catalonia's La Vanguardia newspaper published a poll collecting votes of over 15,000 people and showing that only 26% of people supported the capital's candidature.

Anyway what is your view? Whether they get it or not should Madrid have presented a bid for the 2020 Olympics in the first place?

Please cast your vote and leave a comment :)

0 Like

Permalink

Spam post or Abuse? Please let us know

10 Comments

Steve Hall said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 4:55 AM

It seems to me that the Olympics is JUST the impetus that Spain needs. The "usual" fixes have not worked.....this MIGHT!

Bill said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 6:10 AM

When Spain can ill afford to pay a lot of its public services staff as it is it makes you wonder how they are going to fund the building.... :(

steve cummings said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 6:50 AM

Has ANY country ever made a profit from the Olympics? Not wily individuals, but Countries? I can't think of one.

mike_walsh said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 8:26 AM

Is it right to fund such an event on Spain’s credit card? They say what it will cost but are in a dream world as to returns. What they do not tell you is the total cost when interest is added to the money borrowed to fund it. This is a jolly too far.

Mark said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 9:44 AM

The Impact of the Summer Olympics on its Host City

http://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=honors_history

Snip: "......the overall conclusion is that there are many setbacks to hosting the Olympics and it seems clear that the actual costs of hosting the Olympics far outweigh its perceived tangible benefits ........With an understanding of this conclusion, one would question why the cities continue to host the Olympics. Arriving at an answer to the question is rather simple; the benefiters of the Olympics are doing an excellent job covering up the fallacies in the perceived benefits of hosting the Olympics."

... the cover up job doesn't have to be 'excellent' when the jingoistic citizenry is so easily brainwashed.

catalanbrian said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 11:11 AM

One issue that no one seems to have grasped is that the costs are really irrelevant, provided that external costs (i.e. those from outside Spain) are kept to a minimum. The bulk of the costs of hosting the Olympics is from the creation of the infrastructure necessary to hold the games and this can be pretty much sourced entirely from within Spain. The costs of labour can be offset partially by a reduction in the social security costs and, there will be increased tax revenues from the workers being employed, both directly from those employed in the construction works, by the games organisers and by companies providing materials for the construction of the Olympic stadiums. Additionally there will be indirect benefits arising from the increased spending by the workers employed on the project. I agree with Steve Hall. This is just what Spain and in particular the Spanish construction industry needs.

Brian said:
Saturday, September 7, 2013 @ 1:40 PM

Politicians don't normally listen to the public view so what makes anyone think this will be different.
As is commented Madrid does have the basic infrastructure in place, a climate very suitable for all events and a transport system both local and international for all attendants.
Spain is also very sport orientated so give them a chance.

manxmonkey said:
Sunday, September 8, 2013 @ 9:30 AM

Madrid is the best of the three candidate cities. it is really an easy choice to make compared to Tokyo which would be a stupid choice (I've spent a lot of time there and that was before the political shenanigans created by Fukishama) and although Turkey is the politically correct choice of the loonies being a Muslim country it could tick a new box for being the "First". Probably the time bomb of terrible civil unrest; the rising strength of Islamic fundamentalists and the proximity to a massive middle east war zone hasn't even registered. So whatever happens Madrid won't get the contract - it would be too sensible!

Bert Siddebottom said:
Sunday, September 8, 2013 @ 4:51 PM

I can't see how Spain can host anything when they don't have a euro to scratch their arse with.

Edward said:
Sunday, September 8, 2013 @ 6:14 PM

" NO NO NO " Never !!! . Since Spain joined the EU the corrupt government and officials have conned the EU taxpayers out of millions upon millions of euros . Plus the millions of european
citizens who have been scammed out of their life savings buying Spanish properties . First !!!! they should pay back the money they have scammed and then adher to euro rules and appologise instead of luaghing all the way to the bank at the people they have scammed . So !!! " NO definately not " why should they be given the chance to scam even more millions out of honest trustworthy euro taxpayers ?