PyeongChang 2018

[kayahtik]

It's the Winter Olympics!!! Is anyone else watching? The Opening Ceremony is airing in the US right now (the TV broadcast is ~15 hours delayed from the actual time, I believe). I could not possibly give less of a care about sports any other time, but I LOVE the Olympics. There's just something so cool about all the countries coming together for friendly competition that gets me emotional every time :') 

[jellysundae]

I pretty much NEVER take any notice of sports, and I've never found winter stuff appealing at all - maybe looking at all that coldness puts me off, who knows?

I'm just betting the Olympians competing this time are just VERY glad to not be in Russia after the complete train wreck/detention centre level of accommodations those games had!

I'm also REALLY hoping a certain person in North Korea doesn't see the games as a prime target . . .

Despite my lack of personal interest I'm really glad the Olympic and Commonwealth Games are still going, as you say they're a great way of bring countries together. Though the amount of the host nation's population's money that gets spent on structures that go to waste after the games is a bit of a sore point for me, especially in the poorer countries.

[Angeló]

i love the winter olympics , especially after that movie "Cool Runnings" abt the Jamaican Bobsled Team 

im still looking for a way to watch it online though 

[kayahtik]

@jellysundae Haha, the coldness can definitely be off-putting! I know a lot of people much prefer the summer games, although I think I love them both equally. My favorite events are skiing, luge, and ice skating--it's incredible to see people moving so fast and with such grace! Totally blows my mind. (In case you hadn't guessed, I am an uncoordinated lump.) 

Idk if you've heard this, but that guy in North Korea actually sent his sister as delegate to the games! They're actually working quite closely with South Korea to repair relations. I'll be interested to see how it turns out by the end of the games, and if it has any longterm effect. 

And you're absolutely right about the games having a really wild effect on the economy. It sounds good at first, because building the olympic park creates a lot of jobs and employs many thousands of people for a few years before the games. It also brings in a lot of tourist revenue while the games are happening. But as soon as it's over, those people will be out of their jobs and the tourists will be gone, and they're back to being poor. This is an ongoing issue with lots of major sports events, like the World Cup as well. It's really unfortunate, and I hope the IOC will find a way to mitigate those effects going forward /: 

@Angeló That movie is so great! I remember watching it in school as a kid. As far as watching the games online, I went so far as to buy a subscription to an online cable provider. I signed up for Sling TV--it's costing me $25 for one month, and I plan on cancelling it immediately afterward. It's definitely not something I'd subscribe to regularly, but it's worth it to me just for this event! And I can watch on my laptop, my iPad, my work desktop, my xbox (with the TV), etc. If you're willing to shell out a little bit of cash, I'd recommend that ^^ Unfortunately NBC (assuming you're in the US) has their coverage locked down pretty tight, so it's hard to watch it without paying. 

[jellysundae]

I have fond memories of Cool Runnings, too! Not seen it for years, but seeing as the Winter Olympics are on I suspect it'll be cropping up on TV schedules during the next few weeks!

I think the Olympic Village in London is now used for housing, but there were targets set for affordable housing which, surprise surprise, weren't met. Reading between the lines, what was meant to provide a lot of housing and amenities for the average Joe, in reality has become gentrification. Same as happens everywhere.

I was NOT aware of that about the Korean bridge-building. I wonder if it's at all genuine . . . don't trust a single thing that guy does. : /

[rntracy1]

3 hours ago, jellysundae said:

I pretty much NEVER take any notice of sports, and I've never found winter stuff appealing at all - maybe looking at all that coldness puts me off, who knows?

I'm just betting the Olympians competing this time are just VERY glad to not be in Russia after the complete train wreck/detention centre level of accommodations those games had!

I'm also REALLY hoping a certain person in North Korea doesn't see the games as a prime target . . .

Despite my lack of personal interest I'm really glad the Olympic and Commonwealth Games are still going, as you say they're a great way of bring countries together. Though the amount of the host nation's population's money that gets spent on structures that go to waste after the games is a bit of a sore point for me, especially in the poorer countries.

See below

3 hours ago, kayahtik said:

@jellysundae Haha, the coldness can definitely be off-putting! I know a lot of people much prefer the summer games, although I think I love them both equally. My favorite events are skiing, luge, and ice skating--it's incredible to see people moving so fast and with such grace! Totally blows my mind. (In case you hadn't guessed, I am an uncoordinated lump.) 

Idk if you've heard this, but that guy in North Korea actually sent his sister as delegate to the games! They're actually working quite closely with South Korea to repair relations. I'll be interested to see how it turns out by the end of the games, and if it has any longterm effect. 

And you're absolutely right about the games having a really wild effect on the economy. It sounds good at first, because building the olympic park creates a lot of jobs and employs many thousands of people for a few years before the games. It also brings in a lot of tourist revenue while the games are happening. But as soon as it's over, those people will be out of their jobs and the tourists will be gone, and they're back to being poor. This is an ongoing issue with lots of major sports events, like the World Cup as well. It's really unfortunate, and I hope the IOC will find a way to mitigate those effects going forward /: 

@Angeló That movie is so great! I remember watching it in school as a kid. As far as watching the games online, I went so far as to buy a subscription to an online cable provider. I signed up for Sling TV--it's costing me $25 for one month, and I plan on cancelling it immediately afterward. It's definitely not something I'd subscribe to regularly, but it's worth it to me just for this event! And I can watch on my laptop, my iPad, my work desktop, my xbox (with the TV), etc. If you're willing to shell out a little bit of cash, I'd recommend that ^^ Unfortunately NBC (assuming you're in the US) has their coverage locked down pretty tight, so it's hard to watch it without paying. 

This one post is to both of you.  While I do understand the concerns of those structures going to waste after the Olympics are over, I have seen documentaries on it and it is quite sad.  But the amount of money they make during the Olympics really does compensate for the cost of building the structures. Yes, they do go back to being poor afterwards, but that cannot be helped. Unless, my thought is, and I don't know how well it would go over, they used at least some of those structures as a museum of sorts.  Hanging pictures of the games, maybe an actual bobsled, or skies (you get my idea) that were actually used in the games, medals that were given (obviously not the ones given to people, but extras) the cauldron, and things like that.  If I visited an Olympic host country, I would DEFINITELY be interested in seeing where it was held, what their accommodations were like, pictures, equipment, etc.  They don't have to charge a ton of money.  I guess they would have to "up keep" the structures, but they should earn that money and people would have jobs.  IDK, maybe they have tried it already and it hasn't worked.  

How many of you would be interested in attending a museum like that, if of course you were in one of the host countries?

[Nielo]

13 minutes ago, rntracy1 said:

This one post is to both of you.  While I do understand the concerns of those structures going to waste after the Olympics are over, I have seen documentaries on it and it is quite sad.  But the amount of money they make during the Olympics really does compensate for the cost of building the structures. Yes, they do go back to being poor afterwards, but that cannot be helped. Unless, my thought is, and I don't know how well it would go over, they used at least some of those structures as a museum of sorts.  Hanging pictures of the games, maybe an actual bobsled, or skies (you get my idea) that were actually used in the games, medals that were given (obviously not the ones given to people, but extras) the cauldron, and things like that.  If I visited an Olympic host country, I would DEFINITELY be interested in seeing where it was held, what their accommodations were like, pictures, equipment, etc.  They don't have to charge a ton of money.  I guess they would have to "up keep" the structures, but they should earn that money and people would have jobs.  IDK, maybe they have tried it already and it hasn't worked.  

How many of you would be interested in attending a museum like that, if of course you were in one of the host countries?

A museum like that actually sounds quite nice. :)

However - and sorry for being a total downer here - I doubt even a museum could cover the losses most Olympic host cities/countries suffer. Basically, cities that are already quite rich might turn a profit, while cities that were already struggling financially might be left with a debt that's nearly impossible to pay off.

Anyway, to get back to the original topic of this thread; I much prefer the winter Olympics to the summer games. If I'd been at my parents' place this weekend, I probably would've watched a few speed skating races, but as it turns out, I just don't care enough about sports (Olympic or otherwise) to actively watch them when I'm on my own. XD

[nousha]

Well, after Montreal got almost bankrupt after the Games and was paying to get out of the debts for 40 years, during last few Olympics there was a special stress on making the games profitable and not only creating structures that are going to rot for years. I doubt they manage to that in Rio but I think London did pretty well. IOC president Thomas Bach seems to care a lot about cutting organizational costs and preserving the environment, people's job and cities' wellbeing, as well as the sustainability of the Games. The previous Games held in Korea - in Seoul - got a record profit so I believe this time won't be any different. And South Korea isn't poor, tourists go there regularly, so after the Games the country won't be back to being poor and tourist-less.

Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but there isn't two teams - South and North Korean, there is one - Korean team, athletes of both countries united under one flag. This is so touching! Koreans generally would like to see the two countries united but the economic gap between them is huge. If this happens (unlikely as it is) it will be much worse than Germany united where the West had to take on it the economic weight of the much poorer East. So South Korea is more concerned to make sure it's not attacked - and when your neighbour is that one guy, nothing is ever certain.

And again, it's never sure that the profits from event will compensate the costs. Athens is a striking example. The loss was so huge that it contributed to the debt crisis that led to great problems for Greece and EU. Then again South Korea isn't a poor (the city won't get back to being poor after the games :) and I believe they'll manage to make the games profitable.

I love the summer Olympics more and I'd love to go to Tokyo in two years, now I'm following the ice skating, the only winter sport I just love, love, love!

[kayahtik]

6 hours ago, rntracy1 said:

How many of you would be interested in attending a museum like that, if of course you were in one of the host countries?

I would love to go to a museum like that! I agree that it would be a neat thing to do with the olympic village after the games are over, although I also agree with Nielo that it may not necessarily sustainable. As a general rule, museums are extremely expensive to upkeep, and require vast amounts of public funding and/or private donations. 

1 hour ago, nousha said:

The previous Games held in Korea - in Seoul - got a record profit so I believe this time won't be any different. And South Korea isn't poor, tourists go there regularly, so after the Games the country won't be back to being poor and tourist-less.

My impression was that the financial burden is on the host city moreso than the country. South Korea as a country may not be poor, and may have plenty of tourist traffic, but what about the city of PyeongChang itself? (This is an honest question--please let me know if you have more insight!) Seoul itself is definitely a tourist destination, so I can see how it may not have been as negatively affected after hosting the games, but the same may not be true for other cities, even in the same country. 

-----

I was out all day today, so I haven't watched anything yet, but I'm about to settle in and catch up on what I missed! 

[WhiteWolf]

@kayahtik I totally agree with you about the Olympics being a flash in the pan source of revenue and jobs. It seems like a lot of effort to build this massive stadium that will sit idle after two and a half weeks. The architects of the stadiums need to look further down the road, and ask themselves "What can we use the stadium for after the Olympics? Concerts? Other sporting events?"

If these questions were taken into account, we might see fewer instances like Sochi, whose stadium sits idle.

[nousha]

@  

On 2/11/2018 at 3:30 AM, kayahtik said:

My impression was that the financial burden is on the host city moreso than the country. South Korea as a country may not be poor, and may have plenty of tourist traffic, but what about the city of PyeongChang itself? (This is an honest question--please let me know if you have more insight!) Seoul itself is definitely a tourist destination, so I can see how it may not have been as negatively affected after hosting the games, but the same may not be true for other cities, even in the same country.

The Olympics cost billions, it's impossible for a single city to organize and pay it by itself. The whole country applies to host the games and the cost - and the profits - are both for the city and the country. And Pyeonchang is not just a random Korean city - being in the mountains it's a popular destination for hikers, there are quite a bit cultural spots to visit and two major ski resorts.

12 hours ago, WhiteWolf said:

If these questions were taken into account, we might see fewer instances like Sochi, whose stadium sits idle.

The Games in Sochi, that were the most expensive in history, surpassing even the ones in Beijing, generated huge profits, I'm actually amazed they aren't a loss but that is what the numbers say. And actually, as I said before, the IOC is committed to lower the impact of the games both on the economy of the country and the environment.

The stadium in Pyongchang though, where the opening ceremony took place, is built solely for the Games and will be dismantled soon after. So it won't sit and rot :)

[Nielo]

By the way, for those of you watching the Olympics on NBC and believing Katie Couric when she said that the Dutch are so good at speed skating because we use it as a regular means of transportation, using the canals in Amsterdam to... er... get to work?

...

We... don't. (Shocking, I know.)

(I neither own skates, nor am I able to keep my balance on them. )

[kayahtik]

@Nielo HAHAHAHA I thought that sounded ridiculous when she said it! Silly Katie. Thanks for setting the record straight  

So, updates: The team ice dancing event last night was incredible! Canada definitely deserved that gold, especially in the pairs portion. Also super proud of the US team--they all did great and I had so much fun watching them!