Reforming Olympic Games

In the middle of all the recent celebrations, some attention is also deserved by those voices that have been opposing Olympic Games at most of the venues in the past. Such voices of protest and opposition were very much there in Tokyo and, what is more, they were already there in the context of the 1924 Olympics in Paris and even the 1928 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Leaving aside the COVID-19-specific issues at this time, if we look at most other issues of these protests, we find that they are generally concerned with the high expenses, diversion of resources from more urgent needs, the long-term futility of investing in excessive sports stadia and facilities, and, above all, the displacement of homeless people and poorer communities caused due to the sudden need for many new constructions and facilities. Some displacement of the society’s weaker sections, which is visible, is, of course, opposed, but in addition, it has been argued that many places, which in the future could have been potentially used for housing the poor and the homeless, are used up in constructions that may not have any high-priority, long-term utility.