What an ecological catastrophe

Have you seen these images?

Sarajevo ski jump 1984 winter games

Baseball venue at Hellenikon Olympic complex in Athens

  

Beach volleyball venue 2008 Beijing Olympics

Swimming pool Olympic Village Athens

(All images above from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3730579/As-Rio-Olympics-kicks-eerie-photographs-reveal-derelict-sites-past-games.html)

I was aghast!!  What an ecological tragedy, an unmitigated waste of money, concrete, resources and an absolute affront to this planet.

I have never done anything like this before, but I couldn't help myself.

I established the contact details for the Chairman of the IOC and sent him a letter.

"16 August 2016

Attention:  Mr Thomas Bach

IOC

Route de Vidy 9

1007 Lausanne

Switzerland

Dear Mr Bach

“The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” (source:  https://www.olympic.org/the-ioc/promote-olympism)

I viewed all the images, and read the following article, with absolute horror:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3730579/As-Rio-Olympics-kicks-eerie-photographs-reveal-derelict-sites-past-games.html

What an ecological / recycling / financial nightmare – all in the name of the Olympics.  Surely, one of the aims of the Olympics should be for it to be more globally sustainable, and with the minimum of negative impact on our fragile planet / global ecosystem?

With that in mind, perhaps something positive can come from this disaster because what immediately sprang to my mind was the following question.

Why on earth hasn’t the IOC adapted to modern times?

How could this be achieved?

Re-use, re-purpose.

There are winter games, and summer games – so the Olympics are already “fragmented”.

Plus, with all previous 26 individual Olympic hosts (see appendix 1), not everyone was able to accommodate all the disciplines e.g. I understand that golf has only 3 venues

Appendix 1

If the larger summer games were segmented according to weather and sport classification /discipline and each “group” (see appendix 2) was hosted in different countries, instead of just one country, then the immense logistic and financial load could be shared amongst those countries.  Adopting such an Olympics Games allocation would then allow for that diminished financial outlay / burden to be allocated more proactively within the hosting country e.g. given the financial situation worldwide, and especially with the number of poor and starving in Rio, it could not actually afford to build the stadiums it did.  But because it wanted to expose the country to a larger (future tourist) audience it applied to host the games.  How much more could have been done for that country’s benefit and the long term benefit its inhabitants, without that immense expense of hosting the entire Olympics? 

Appendix 2

Furthermore, this would prevent scenes like those in the link above from occurring, as the combined existing 26 various Olympic venues would be in more regular use.

Instead of the single host country building a plethora of brand new Olympic stadiums – for a once-off 16-odd day use – why couldn’t the various events be allocated to those countries who have already built those enormous facilities?

That wouldn’t prevent new hosts from entering the future Olympic hosting scene.  In fact, knowing that they will not have that enormous logistic burden and capital outlay, it would probably encourage new hosts to apply for the privilege of hosting a single Olympic “group”.

To my mind holding water (swimming / diving / waterpolo) segment of the Olympics in cold places like Russia / Stockholm / Antwerp / Helsinki to name a few is crazy.  Rather, why not allow places which have the appropriate hot weather - like Saudi Arabia / Los Angeles / Barcelona / Brazil / Australia / South Africa - to be the revolving hosts of that particular discipline?  The additional strain on athletes to perform in unsuitable weather is surely not what the Olympics is all about and can’t allow them to perform at their full potential.  The additional handicap of having to run a marathon / 10 000 mtr race in weather that is too hot, or swim in freezing cold water, is surely detrimental to the athletes health – and, I feel, to the broader sport appeal.

And ball sports – all those countries who have hosted the Rugby World Cup, or the Football World Cup – they already have the venues – which, again, are seldom used, but the venues still have to be maintained and income derived from their existence / inherent and on-going costs.  Places, again, like Saudi Arabia / Los Angeles / Barcelona / Brazil / Australia / South Africa would be ideal as an Olympic Rugby 7’s / Football venues – because we (South Africa) have already hosted the Rugby and Football World Cups and thus already have the facilities to be Olympic hosts without having to incur the additional costs in order to host the numerous other Olympic disciplines.

This adaption by the IOC would reduce the total travelling footprint of the athletes and organisers / the international media / and the spectators, and would allow for a much larger, more varied and discipline specific spectator attendance.  How many people can afford to travel the world in order to watch the Olympics in the one host country?  However, if some of the games are held in their own country (or a close neighbouring country) you are more likely to have a greater (physical) audience.

And that doesn’t include the audience who watch the Olympics electronically either.

We are more fortunate than those who hosted the Olympics prior to 1980 as we now have the technology to allow anyone in the world to watch the Olympics via their TV’s or computers.

I believe that the Olympics has the potential to reach an even greater audience than ever before – if you can adapt to the times?

Consider also allocating a week to each discipline “group” – e.g. as per appendix 2, that would be 10 disciplines or a 10 week period – where the events within each group would not run concurrently with any of the other “groups”.  Have you thought of how many additional events that would enable the electronic viewers to watch?  How much additional “broadcasting” income could be derived from the extended TV coverage licences?  How many additional young viewers you could expose to the various disciplines, and who could thus be encouraged to become future sportsmen and women – future Olympians?

Spread the Olympics worldwide – in smaller “groups” of disciplines.  Allow each host country to benefit financially, instead of incurring a debt it takes years for that country to recover from, invariably to the detriment of that country’s inhabitants.

Surely all of the above is the more in line with the spirit and ethos of the Olympics?"

I couldn't sit back and do nothing.  I was too offended.

Obviously there would be various details to work around, but to me it makes total sense.  What do you think?





Update:  Strange how things happen, isn't it?  Complete synchronicity :)  This article was published on Green Times website on Wednesday this week.  Seems to make my suggestion even more appropriate...

Source:
 http://thegreentimes.co.za/climate-change-limits-potential-host-cities-for-olympic-games/