Olympics

DISCUSSION 6.1

The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have

won, but to have fought well (Olympic Movement.org, 2015).

According to the official website of the Olympic movement, the mission of the Olympics is the nobility of the struggle rather than medals draped around the athletes’ necks. The Olympics, as with most international sports, represent a true amateur event of highly trained, courageous athletes coming together only for the love of the sport. While athletes might have left little else but nobility in their wake when they left Athens, Greece, in 776 B.C., in 2004 it was a different story, with the 2004 games leaving the city in deep debt. The 2004 games cost an estimated $11 billion. Greek taxpayers were responsible for more than $7 billion of that, which excluded the cost of any additional projects such as Greece’s new airport and metro system.

Although many other factors contributed to Greece’s economic collapse over the last decade, the 2004 Athens games expedited the structural problems plaguing the country. “It’s not just a question of how much money was spent on the Olympics, it’s also how it was spent and where it came from. After a period of austerity to tighten up its finances and qualify for euro entry in 2001, the Greek government loosened the purse strings once it entered the single currency. The games were just one of several areas where public spending was unchecked and funded by unsustainable borrowing” (Malkoutzis, 2012).

Many people think hosting such international mega events such as the Olympics and the World Cup will lead to tremendous economic and financial gain. Brazil, for example, pledged to spend $25 billion on its infrastructure for the 2016 summer Olympics, which was to include $300 million on a new state-of-the-art soccer stadium designed to look like a woven basket. According to The New York Times Magazine “The spending is meant to underscore Brazil’s emergence as an economic power. The country’s leaders insist that it’s also intended to increase the nation’s prosperity” (Appelbaum, 2014). Although the 2 weeks of Olympic events typically sell out every event, the aftermath is what is in question. The professional sporting events set to play in this stadium after the Olympics will most likely draw fewer than 2,000 fans per game. Will Brazil end up like Athens and many other host cities, now hosting empty stadiums filled with weeds, still costing the public much-needed dollars in upkeep? What about countries such as Qatar, haunted by allegations of human rights grievances as it struggles to prepare its city for the World Cup in conditions of extreme heat and poorly paid labor?

Appelbaum, B. (2014, August 5). Does hosting the Olympics actually pay off? The New York Times Magazine.

Malkoutzis, N. (2012, August 2). How the 2004 Olympics triggered Greece’s decline. Bloomberg Business.

In this Discussion, you will explore how the billion-dollar industry of international sports fuels ethical dilemmas. However, money is only one of the factors causing ethical challenges. International sports have long been blamed for other ethical breaches, such as racism, discrimination, cheating, and violence.

With all of these ethical issues swirling around international sports, this raises the following question:

Have worldwide games such as the Olympics been able to adhere to their original purpose? Why or why not?

Instructions For this Discussion, research ethical issues related to international sporting events such as the Olympics. In addition to your Learning Materials, research two to three articles on your own that relate to ethics in international sporting events.

Consider the following questions:

• Do worldwide games such as the Olympics adhere to their original purpose? • Why or why not?

Post an explanation as to whether worldwide games such as The Olympics adhere to their original purpose. Use specific examples of ethical or unethical actions to justify your response.

PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS PRESENTED!!