Olympic Games are may be held once in four years, but they are definitely one of the most coveted sporting events in the world. For any city to have the privilege of hosting the Olympic Games is a pretty huge deal. The bidding process itself is highly rigorous; years of planning, budgeting, space management, etc. is needed to pull off being the host city of such a colossal event. There are multiple organisations, sponsors, committees, governments, authorities and stakeholders involved in the process. An ill-planned game can cause irreparable financial and relationship damage. It is no surprise that the election takes place seven years before the actual event.
Over the years, many cities have had the privilege of being proud hosts of the Olympic Games. Needless to say, most of them managed to do a stellar job. Apart from the 1976 Olympic Games, where the city of Montreal was burdened with a debt of 1.5 Billion dollars because of the event, there are few other bitter memories attached to Olympic Games and their host cities.
Let’s look at some of the fabulous host cities, which are also highly popular tourist destinations:
Los Angeles:
The city of Los Angeles hosted the Olympic Games in 1984, and it was the first year that a city actually managed a profit from the whole event. Thanks to highly organized planning, budgeting and implantation the whole event was beautifully executed. Many cities tried replicating the same business model of turning being the Olympic Games host into a profitable economic activity, but unfortunately most of them failed.
Known for its beaches, flamboyance, organic cafes, farmer’s markets, shopping streets, gorgeous real estate and of course lavish lifestyle in general, LA is definitely one of the most popular cities on the West Coast. Home of Hollywood, world renowned plastic surgery destination and the land of physical perfection and natural beauty LA continues to lure tourists from all over the world.
Vancouver:
After Montreal’s fiasco, Canada’s second attempt at hosting the Olympic Games in 2010 also saw a bleak implementation. The city had grand plans of concocting a fabulous Olympic Village by actually constructing luxurious, tall residential buildings, which would be later sold for huge profits. The project cost went way above its allocated budget, and the property sales too weren’t very impressive. However, 14 Canadian athletes bagged Gold medals that year, which became the main saving grace of the entire event.
However, despite the hassles caused by the 2010 games, Van City is a fantastic place to visit, especially during summer months. Known for its natural beauty, Vancouver has tons of parks, biking, hiking and walking tours, restaurants, malls, etc. It is the perfect place for people that crave the wilderness in the midst of city madness. There are fabulous boutique hotels, luxury international chain accommodation and even private properties, which are rented out for weekends to big groups and families.
Sochi:
Hospitality may be the main thing Russians are known for, but Sochi definitely went all out as the host city to Olympic Games this year. This will probably go down as the most exorbitant event in the history of Olympics. The city apparently spent a whopping 51 billion dollars, to successfully plan and execute the Winter Olympics 2014. Amid so much madness, controversies continue to spread like wildfire, months after the event is over.
Apart from being the favourite holiday hotspot of President Vladimir Putin, Sochi is known as the warmest cities in Russia it is still excruciatingly cold for people from tropical places.
London, Beijing, Athens and Barcelona are some of the other host cities, which are also highly popular tourist destinations. All you sports fans, as a bonus you can also check out this news report on the most Iconic Moments in Sports.
