Summer Olympic Cities
The selection of Olympic host cities can transform a metropolitan area, placing the city in the international forefront for weeks while at the same time mobilizing billions of dollars in investments and tourist activity.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) follows a two-stage selection process, where cities apply for consideration, from which the IOC votes on candidate cities from the applicant pool. For the 2016 games, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro are front runners, and are being considered along with Tokyo and Madrid. The hesitation for the IOC with Chicago is that it is less well-known on the international stage, while Rio de Janeiro's high crime is the major concern.
The selection process, international politics and investment involved with the Olympics has made the host city selection a major deal for coutries around the globe. Click ahead for 40 years of Olympic host cities, and the other candidates that were up for selection!
By Paul Toscano
Posted 2 Oct 2009
Montreal, Canada (1976)
Bidding Contenders: Montreal, Moscow, Los Angeles
Highlights:
The games were opened by Queen Elizabeth II, and women's basketball, handball and rowing were introduced for the first time. Female gymnast Nadia Comaneci of Romania scored 7 "perfect 10s" and won three gold medals. The city's Olympic stadium, which was actually not completed until after the games, brought with it a $1.5 billion debt to the city, which was finally repaid in late 2006.
Moscow, U.S.S.R. (1980)
Bidding Contenders: Moscow, Los Angeles
Highlights:
The major story coming out of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 was the US-led boycott of the games, which included 61 countries in total and was mostly in response to the Soviet war in Afghanistan. However, 8 nations appeared for the first time at an Olympics, including Angola, Botswana, Cyprus, Laos, Nicaragua, Mozambique, Seychelles and Vietnam.
Los Angeles, United States (1984)
Bidding Contenders: Los Angeles was the only city to submit a bid for the 1984 games.
Highlights:
In response to the US-led boycott of the 1980 games, the Soviet Union boycott of the 1984 games included 14 countries. Unlike the Montreal Olympics, Los Angeles was able to host the games without any debt, and actually turned a profit of $223 million. For this reason, the Los Angeles games are considered to be one of the most financially successful modern Olympics and also the first to be staged without government funding. This was the first games that featured a women's marathon and was also the first Olympics in which a Chinese athlete, Xu Haifeng, won a Gold medal.
Seoul, South Korea (1988)
Bidding Contenders: Seoul, Nagoya (Japan)
Highlights:
The Olympic games were used by South Korea to accelerate the country's transition into democracy and bring its affairs onto an international stage. The first ever athlete to win both Summer and Winter Olympic medals in the same year, Christa Luding-Rothenburger, who was also a speed skater, claimed this honor with a silver medal in cycling. Tennis star Steffi Graf concluded her Grand Slam season by winning gold in Seoul after the sport had taken a 64 year hiatus from Olympic medal play. Canadian runner Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids, who was at the time the most well known athlete to be disqualified for performance enhancing drugs. Table tennis also made its first appearance.
Barcelona, Spain (1992)
Bidding Contenders: Barcelona, Paris, Brisbane (Australia), Belgrade, Birmingham (UK), Amsterdam
Highlights:
The political landscape shifted significantly since the last Olympic games, with the fall of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany and the abolishment of Apartheid in South Africa. For the first time, Baseball was played as a medal sport, along with badminton and women's judo. This was also the first Olympics since 1972 that were boycott-free.
Atlanta, United States (1996)
Bidding Contenders: Atlanta, Athens, Toronto, Melbourne, Manchester, Belgrade
Highlights:
Although only 12 years after the last American city to win an Olympic bid, Atlanta saw the introduction of beach volleyball, mountain biking, lightweight rowing and women's soccer. The games were marred by a bombing in the park, which killed one person and injured 110. The Atlanta area was significantly impacted by the 1996 games, as many people consider the Olympics to have been instrumental in modernizing the city. Like the 1984 games, the 1996 summer Olympics were supported by private funds, with government contributions were used for security purposes. It is estimated that the games brought in between $4-$5 billion for the city.
Sydney, Australia (2000)
Bidding Contenders: Sydney, Beijing, Manchester, Berlin, Istanbul
Highlights:
The Sydney Olympics were the biggest to date, with 10,651 athletes competing in 300 events. It was estimated that the games cost an estimated $6.4 billion AUD, with total government expendature at approximately $1.92 billion AUD. The 2000 games were only the second time that the summer Olympics had been held in the southern hemisphere. The United States finished with 91 medals, followed by Russia (88), China (59) and Australia (58).
Athens, Greece (2004)
Bidding Contenders: Athens, Rome, Cape Town, Stockholm, Buenos Aires
Highlights:
The most popular games to date, there was an estimated 3.9 billion people with access to TV coverage of the Athens games, compared to 3.6 billion for Sydney. The games saw American Michael Phelps win six gold medals, with eight medals total. Argentina's soccer team won the men's tournament without conceding a goal and the US softball team outscored their opponents by an aggregate score of 51-1. The total cost for the Athens games is estimated to be around $15 billion, and brought the games back their country of origin for the first time since 1896.
Beijing, China (2008)
Bidding Contenders: Beijing, Toronto, Paris, Istanbul, Osaka
Highlights:
China became the 22nd nation to host the Olympic games, where 43 new world records and 132 Olympic records were set, with a record 87 countries bringing home medals. Michael Phelps' 8 gold medals also broke the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympics. Usain Bolt was also dubbed the "World's Fastest Man" after setting World records in the 100 and 200 meter sprints. The games served to bolster China's national pride, as well as domestic support for the Chinese government. Although the economic impact of the games is not yet fully clear, the games, which are estimated to have cost anywhere between $15 - $40 billion, a majority of economists believe that there will be little lasting effects on China's economy as a result of the games.
London, United Kingdom (2012)
Bidding Contenders: London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, New York
Due to begin on July 27, 2012, London is set to be the first city to host the modern Olympic games three times. Wembley stadium, which will host the soccer events, has an estimated cost of approximately $1.19 billion (757 million GBP), and although most of the financing will come from private sources, the venues and Olympic park will be paid for with public funds. The total expected expenditures for the games is approximately $14.8 billion (9.3 billion GBP) from public funds and $3.17 billion (2 billion GBP) from the private sector.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2016)
Bidding Contenders: Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Madrid, Toyko
In Copenhagen on October 2, 2009, the IOC selected its choice for the host of the 2016 Olympic games, an event that has gained much international fanfare, most notably from American President Barack Obama and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who are both residents of Chicago. After two rounds of voting, Rio de Janeiro was selected as the second Southern Hemisphere city to host the summer Olympics, and the first in South America.
The 2016 games are currently scheduled to feature 26 sports, although there are two additional spots left to be filled. There are seven sports vying for inclusion, including Baseball, Softball, Karate, Squash, Golf and even Inline Speed Skating.