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An Olympic No
FT Editorial: Munich’s referendum on whether to host games was smart
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Ever since the modern Olympic movement was founded more than a century ago, it has been widely assumed that the world’s cities are desperate to host the games, given all the attention this brings.
Not so, Munich. Last weekend, the people of the Bavarian capital and three neighbouring districts were invited to vote in a referendum on whether the city should lodge a formal bid with the International Olympic Committee to host the 2022 winter games. They voted against by a clear margin.
Plenty of cities have gained a great deal from holding the Olympics. London, for example, looks back on the 2012 summer games as a great success. But Munich’s decision to give the public a vote before making a bid is sensible.
Last summer, Brazil was hit by a wave of protests against plans to host next year’s football World Cup. The protesters’ main complaint was the contrast between shiny new stadiums and shambolic public services.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin is spending about $50bn on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Given the dramatic slowdown in Russian economic growth, one might wonder how many of the president’s people are thrilled at the thought of so much money being spent on the games.
Staging the Olympics is often the dream of governing elites. It is not always the dream of the people. Munich deserves a gold medal for consulting its residents before taking a bid to the IOC.
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