# Feasability of hosting the Olympics **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 6, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736 "2010-09-06T01:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/1 "2010-09-06T01:40:58Z")
I’m trying to write the “Just OK American Novel”. One the characters is a Paralympian (swimmer). I set the Olmypiads she competes in in the following cities, and ask SDMB, could these cities feasabily host the Games? (keep in mind: Paralympics, while smaller, are in same host city as Olympics) Copenhagen Jakarta Johannesburg Sao Paolo ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/2 "2010-09-06T03:35:35Z")
According to the forum at [www.gamesbids.com](http://www.gamesbids.com). Copenhagen is thinking about bidding for the 2020 games. The games are being held in Rio de janeiro in 2016 so Sao Paulo is out for the near future. The I.O.C. really does not like to have countries repeat without a lot of intervening years. (Athens in 1996 was too close to Los Angeles in 1984 for a lot of people.) Capetown is considering a 2020 bid . I do not know about Jakarta. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/3 "2010-09-06T03:39:05Z")
> [@audit1](#): > > ( **Athens** in 1996 was too close to Los Angeles in 1984 for a lot of people.) I think you mean Atlanta. Otherwise some people have a real problem. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/4 "2010-09-06T03:48:00Z")
Copenhagen just hosted the World Outgames. Not sure about Johannesburg, but Cape Town been mentioned as a very good candidate for the first Olympics in Africa. Sao Paolo is capable of hosting the games, but with Rio de Janeiro getting 2016 it’ll be a long time before SP get’s a chance. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/5 "2010-09-06T03:50:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@audit1](#): > > > > ( **Athens** in 1996 was too close to Los Angeles in 1984 for a lot of people.) > > I think you mean Atlanta. Otherwise some people have a real problem. 😃 Whoops. Brain Fog. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/6 "2010-09-06T03:52:31Z")
I’m more concerned about the city’s ability/willingness to host. (BTW, in story these Games are mid-21st C.) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/7 "2010-09-06T06:15:04Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I’m more concerned about the city’s ability/willingness to host. (BTW, in story these Games are mid-21st C.) That’s in 40 years or so. Who knows what will happen in the intervening time? Considering that this is all in the future, you could set it pretty much anywhere and have it be plausible. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/8 "2010-09-06T06:31:12Z")
Any of those cities would work. More fun, considering this is in the future, would be to pick an unlikely city: Kabul, Afghanistan Pyongyang, North Korea Sanaa, Yemen Minot, North Dakota ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/9 "2010-09-06T07:12:56Z")
One problem is the costs or running an Olympics. If you are thinking of making piles of money, forget it. A city hosts the Olympics for the prestige of hosting the Olympics. The costs have risen greatly each time. I hope by the time your novel is set, a way is found to run a leaner and cheaper events. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/10 "2010-09-06T07:37:40Z")
> [@audit1](#): > > One problem is the costs or running an Olympics. If you are thinking of making piles of money, forget it. A city hosts the Olympics for the prestige of hosting the Olympics. The costs have risen greatly each time. I hope by the time your novel is set, a way is found to run a leaner and cheaper events. London is aiming to be a much leaner, cosier event than previous years, but it’s still costing just under $15bn. That’s about half of Beijing, but still. I wonder whether Jakarta might baulk at that price. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/11 "2010-09-06T10:18:56Z")
Jakarta would have money issues. It would have to pump a lot of money into the city to make it workable. There’s never been a “Muslim” Olympics so this might be do-able if you can come up with the money to upgrade the city services Johannesburg has a awful reputation for crime. It simply isn’t safe enough, at least from reputation. You might want to try setting it in a country like the United Arab Emirates or Qatar. An Arab Olympics is something that has been pushed for. The heat is one thing stopping it and the ability to get huge numbers of non-Muslims in/out of the countries has been questioned as well. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/12 "2010-09-06T12:16:51Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Johannesburg has a awful reputation for crime. It simply isn’t safe enough, at least from reputation. Well hosting the World Cup is a pretty big international event and the safety didn’t appear to be an issue then. Perhaps the reputation will start changing now? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feasability-of-hosting-the-olympics/552736/13 "2010-09-06T15:59:06Z")
And Brazil is hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014, so I think Sao Paolo would also be plausible. As **Kyla** said, who knows what any country will be like in forty years? (In 1970, would anyone have thought that Beijing or Athens would be hosting the Summer Games in the future?)