“And then there was no one left.” Paraphrasing the title of Agatha Christie’s beautiful yellow, if we go on like this, there will no longer be any city willing to apply to host major events. At the close of the games of Tokyo a hole is already expected 20 billion, completely in line with the more or less recent past.
With large events, certain categories certainly gain, such as tour operators or construction companies, but for the public, local or national coffers, they are a bloodbath. They already let us down lots of money to support the candidacy, others to carry out the great event if they win it, and moreover, in the case of unexpected costs, it is always the public coffers to cover the holes. It is no coincidence that Boston or Krakow refused to apply. It is no coincidence that Saint Moritz (which is Saint Moritz) is no longer a candidate for the Winter Olympics, as the population is against it: who knows why … Someone wonders why the last time the games were held in Switzerland it was 1948!
If I am that thing that is said why are the Swiss not running? Someone read Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup by Andrew Zimbalist, defined as the best essay of 2015 byEconomist, in which we speak precisely of the nonsenso of the great events. Read it to understand. Surely Malagò, Sala, Zaia did not read it when they were photographed exultant at the news that Cortina e Milano they had won the 2026 Winter Games. Winning easy, however: only Stockholm was left eager to win them. But these mediocre public representatives who have not read that essay at least admit what they surely know: that they will gain from it only some private categories, including those construction companies that are working hard in Cortina and its surroundings to prepare for the great event by breaking up the territory.
Other than: “You leave an inheritance to my children, to your children, something important.” Malagò dixit. The same Malagò who now, on the wave of the enthusiasm of that Italy suddenly woken up with multiple medals, prophesies great sporting events in our country. Too bad that Malagò, Zaia, Sala do not have to pull out a euro for candidacy, development, debt settlement, otherwise they would not be so enthusiastic.
The same I say of politicians, who do with our money what they would never do if the money were theirs. This is not to say that big events don’t have to take place. The low impact solution (zero impact does not exist) for finances and the environment is: always carry them out in the same location, which therefore already has all the structures and infrastructures to withstand the enormous impact, one for the major winter events and one for the summer ones. Of course, the IOC will never go in this direction: too many private interests to run like wildfire. And then all that remains is to hope for what I said at the beginning: no one is applying anymore. They won’t want to force them on …
