Cost to Host Olympic Games Skyrockets

N E W   Y O R K, Sept. 25 -- In 1984, Peter V. Ueberroth made it seem possible that the Olympic dream of hosting the perfect Olympic Games — and one that didn’t bankrupt a city — could come true.

The California investor found a way to meld public money with corporate sponsors to put on the games in a way that actually made money — more than $100 million — for Los Angeles, the host city.

The success of the L.A. games, some say, kicked off an enthusiasm in this country for hosting the games and spending big money to do it, a trend that has increased federal government spending on the Olympics more than tenfold.

Since 1904, the United States has hosted the Olympic games eight times, more than any other country. Unlike in other countries, the host cities, not the federal government, are generally responsible for hosting the games. But, according to a report released by the General Accounting Office, the federal government has played an increasingly expensive role.

Pork-Barrel Spending?

The federal government will pay nearly half of the $2.7 billion it is expected to cost to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to the report.

The $1.3 billion in federal spending is more than double the amount of federal funds —$609 million— that supported the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta. The Atlanta games cost the city a total of $2 billion, the report said.

In contrast, the federal government spent just $75 million (in 1999 dollars) to support the 1984 Olympics in L.A.

Since the 1984 Olympics, only a quarter of the federal money used to fund the Olympics has gone to projects relating to planning and staging the Olympics, according to the report. The remaining funds have been spent on infrastructure projects such as highway improvements, mass transit and capital improvements.

“I think it is a disgrace,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who, along with U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., asked the government agency to investigate the escalating expenditures for hosting the Olympic games in American cities.“But this is a logical extension of what you get when you start pork-barrel spending.”