Abstract:
This study examines the relationship between the increasing globalization of the Summer Olympics and the affect on host cities. The impact of the Games on city structure, the competition to host the Games, the selling of the Games to urban communities, the real costs and benefits, the city as a focus of global media attention and the role of the Games in the global city imaginary are critically discussed.
Olympic Stadium in Athens: Photo John Rennie Short
Opening Paragraph
“And the winner is…”
At a ceremony that began at 7:30 a.m. (local Singapore time) on July 6, 2005, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the winning bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic games. The five finalists - London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, and Paris - were narrowed down in four rounds of voting to Paris and London. Dr. Jacques Rogge, in a message carried live around the world, named London the winner. In Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London, jubilant Londoners celebrated the victory, while stunned Parisians gathering outside the City Hall openly wept....
