UNIT 7: SPORTS
My name‿ is Nick. I watch‿ every Olympic Games,│ and‿ I have‿ also read‿ enough‿ about the hos(t) cities to be uneasy about the event‿ I enjoy.
The symbolic value is genuine. For two weeks,│ athletes from two hundred countries compete‿ under‿ identical rules,│ and‿ a swimmer from‿ a country with three medals can beat one from‿ a country with three hundred. Qualification,│ however,│ is‿ uneven:│ it‿ is far‿ easier to qualify from some continents than‿ others,│ an(d) the amateurism‿ of the movemen(t) has been replaced by professional commercialisation,│ which brings sponsorship‿ an(d) pressure‿ in‿ equal measure.
The real problem‿ is the expense. Cities have borrowed billions to build‿ infrastructure that laterla-der stands‿ empty,│ an(d) the legacy has been negative‿ in several cases. Doping cases‿ appear‿ in‿ every Games‿ an(d) damage the credibility of the whole‿ event. My position‿ is│ that Ithad I would keep the Games│ an(d) change the format:│ use‿ existing stadiums,│ spread the events‿ across several cities,│ an(d) stop pretending that‿ a two-week festival can transform‿ a city's‿ economy. If the cos(t) cannot be justified to the residents‿ of the host cityci-dy,│ it cannot be justified‿ at alladall.