# Nobody wants to host the 2022 Winter Olympics **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 27, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387 "2014-05-27T17:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/1 "2014-05-27T17:34:26Z")
Stockholm dropped their bid in December, and Krakow has just dropped their bid. There are concerns that Oslo will be dropping out soon because one of the coalition parties is opposed. That leaves Beijing, Lviv, Ukraine, and Almaty, Kazakhstan. Political realities mean it’s unlikely Lviv will get the Games. But the 2018 Winter Olympics are in South Korea, and the IOOC doesn’t like to give back to back Games to the same region, so that would be a mark against Beijing (not to mention the mountains are over 100 miles away), leaving the dictatorship of Kazakhstan as the front runner for the Games. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/2 "2014-05-27T19:10:04Z")
I was surprised that no USA cities submitted bids. At first, I figured that it was because a 2022 win would pretty much disqualify the country from hosting 2024, but then I realized that “being a country not in Europe” pretty much disqualifies the USA from 2024, as otherwise it would mean that there would be three consecutive Summer Olympics held outside of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/3 "2014-05-27T19:35:45Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I was surprised that no USA cities submitted bids. At first, I figured that it was because a 2022 win would pretty much disqualify the country from hosting 2024, but then I realized that “being a country not in Europe” pretty much disqualifies the USA from 2024, as otherwise it would mean that there would be three consecutive Summer Olympics held outside of Europe. Which of course cannot happen, because at heart, the Olympics is a European club. The Winter Games have struggled to find a host before - the 1976 host dropped out and in 1960 they held it in Squaw Valley, which wasn’t really a place at all. If they have to hold it in Kazakhstan, they will. Dictatorship’s never stopped them before - see Beijing, Sarajevo, or Moscow. And I wouldn’t be THAT quick to leave out Beijing. Yeah, it’s two in a row in Asia, but Beijing you know will put on a good show, and the mountains being far away really isn’t relevant (it’s been the case many times that the skiing was a long way from the host city.) It would be a safe pick. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/4 "2014-05-27T19:57:17Z")
Bring them back to Calgary. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/5 "2014-05-27T20:06:51Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If they have to hold it in Kazakhstan, they will. Dictatorship’s never stopped them before - see Beijing, Sarajevo, or Moscow. Or Sochi three months ago. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/6 "2014-05-27T20:14:38Z")
The IOC might actually \*want \*Lviv, just to shove it in Putin’s face. Not at all clear Ukraine can do it anymore, with its current distractions, though. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/7 "2014-05-27T20:46:32Z")
Can we just drop this nonsense and set up two permanent Olympics locations in Greece and Switzerland? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/8 "2014-05-27T21:28:55Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Can we just drop this nonsense and set up two permanent Olympics locations in Greece and Switzerland? Works for me- but so far, the IOC has always managed to find cities and countries eager to shell out money on their behalf. Until that stops, why would they want to change things? In the same way, I’ve always been against American cities paying to build stadiums for MLB and NFL teams. But until cities get tough and refuse to pay for them, why would any team owner voluntarily fork over his own cash? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/9 "2014-05-27T22:00:12Z")
Has any city ever before hosted both the Summer and Winter Games? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/10 "2014-05-27T22:04:42Z")
Considering the enormous amount of money that cities lose on hosting the Olympics with no long-term gain other than a bunch of empty hotels and arenas that they’ll never use again, it’s surprising anyone still wants to host the darn things. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/11 "2014-05-27T22:10:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Considering the enormous amount of money that cities lose on hosting the Olympics with no long-term gain other than a bunch of empty hotels and arenas that they’ll never use again, it’s surprising anyone still wants to host the darn things. Yeah, they’re of questionable value for the host regime in most cases. But it’s quite understandable why dictatorships have caught on! It’s great PR at home, and there are no angry voters to toss you out on your ear when they lose a shit ton of money. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/12 "2014-05-27T22:20:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Has any city ever before hosted both the Summer and Winter Games? [Nope.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olympic_Games_host_cities) ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/13 "2014-05-27T22:29:08Z")
I wonder why the State of Colorado doesn’t bid for the games. I know it turned them down in 1976, but things are so much different now in terms of infrastructure. Put the skiing events in the mountains - there are tons of hotel rooms available there - and the skating events in Denver. You have the Pepsi Center that seats almost 20,000 for the marquee skating events, plus the University of Denver and Colorado College have rinks that seat over 7,000 for the preliminary hockey games and qualifying rounds of figure skating. There are two more hockey rinks, one in Metro Denver and another in Fort Collins that host minor league hockey that can be used for curling and possibly short track speed skating (not sure about that.) Put regular speed skating outdoors again - the NHL has no trouble building temporary rinks in baseball stadiums. Use Mile High Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies. The only infrastructure that would need to be built would be a bobsled run and a ski jumping hill, and maybe a temporary structure for the aforementioned short track speed skating. Also, the Olympic Village. There’s plenty of hotel capacity, especially if you split up the crowds between Denver and the mountain resorts. It certainly wouldn’t cost the multiple billions some of these other cities spent. I think they could make money. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/14 "2014-05-27T22:47:27Z")
Would the issue of legal marijuana hurt Denver? It may not be an issue in 2022, but I’m not sure how the IOC would feel about it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/15 "2014-05-27T22:52:59Z")
Can you blame them? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/16 "2014-05-27T22:57:24Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Would the issue of legal marijuana hurt Denver? It may not be an issue in 2022, but I’m not sure how the IOC would feel about it. I’m not sure why that would be an issue for the IOC. I’m sure half the athletes are getting baked during the games already. Especially the snowboarders. I don’t think marijuana is even on the list of banned substances. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/17 "2014-05-28T02:58:46Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I’m not sure why that would be an issue for the IOC. I’m sure half the athletes are getting baked during the games already. Especially the snowboarders. I don’t think marijuana is even on the list of banned substances. I remember in the 1990s there was a snowboarder who did test positive for marijuana and it wasn’t on the banned list at that time. I remember quite a few “Hash Pipe Event” jokes from the late night talk hosts. I just wonder if the IOC would like to avoid endless stories on marijuana during the lead up to the games. I’m sure they didn’t want the main story about Solchi to be Russia’s gay laws. 2022 is a long ways away, and I have no idea how marijuana will be viewed at that time. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/18 "2014-05-28T03:29:23Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > …And I wouldn’t be THAT quick to leave out Beijing. Yeah, it’s two in a row in Asia, but Beijing you know will put on a good show, and the mountains being far away really isn’t relevant (it’s been the case many times that the skiing was a long way from the host city.) It would be a safe pick. Agreed; at this point it’s a pretty safe bet that Beijing is going to get the games. It’s a shame Munich’s bid went nowhere; I’d really like to see how Germany handles certain aspects of it’s history during the Opening Ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/19 "2014-05-28T03:29:29Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > … leaving the dictatorship of Kazakhstan as the front runner for the Games. Not sure why only Kazakhstan gets the moniker ‘dictatorship’ here, or why it would be an obstacle to organizing Olympics. In terms of human rights abuse and the violation of civic and political freedoms, both China and Russia have worse records than Kazakhstan, and both have organized recent Games. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387/20 "2014-05-28T03:36:57Z")
I found articles that suggest that the opposition in Oslo is over the issue of the costs. But how much construction would really be needed in Norway? Don’t they already have most of the sports venues and a large number of hotels? So couldn’t they run the games on the 1984 Los Angeles model of almost exclusively using existing facilities? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nobody-wants-to-host-the-2022-winter-olympics/689387.md?page=2)