Rio’s Olympic win is Rio’s economic loss
A general view over Copacabana beach with the Olympic beach volleyball complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 13, 2016. Construction works at the Olympic beach volleyball site were halted due to the lack of environmental authorization documents by the constructing company. Credit: EPA / Marcelo Sayao
The Olympics are a time for celebration, when nearly half of the world’s population comes together to watch the dedication and sacrifice required of elite athletes. It’s a time for appreciating the inspirational stories about what the games can accomplish for individual athletes and the global community. Unfortunately, the Olympics have also become as much about economic development as athletics. This is where the fairy tale ends, because the games actually do little to lift up the economy of the host country.
Christopher Koopman is a research fellow and Thomas Savidge is a program associate with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. They wrote this for InsideSources.com.
