Olympics

My name‿ is Nick. I watch‿ every Olympic Games│ an(d) have read‿ enough‿ about the hos(t) cities to be uneasy about‿ an‿ event‿ I continue to enjoy,│ which‿ is not‿ a contradiction so much‿ as‿ an‿ admission.

The symbolic value is genuine. For two weeks,│ athletes from two hundred countries compete‿ under‿ identical rules,│ and‿ a competitor from‿ a nation with three medals can defeat one from‿ a nation with three hundred. Qualification,│ however,│ is far from‿ even,│ an(d) the amateurism that justified the movemen(t) has been replaced by commercialisation,│ which supplies both funding‿ an(d) pressure‿ in‿ equal measure. Credibility is sustained by anti-doping work that necessarily lags behin(d) the cheats.

The graver‿ issue is‿ expenditure. Cities have borrowed billions for‿ infrastructure that subsequently stands‿ empty,│ an(d) the legacy has been negative‿ in several documented cases. My position‿ is│ that I^{thad I} would retain the Games│ an(d) change the format:│ use‿ existing venues,│ distribute‿ events‿ across several cities,│ and‿ abandon the pretence that‿ a fortnight's festival can transform‿ an‿ economy. Where the cos(t) cannot be justified to the residents‿ of the host city^ci-dy,│ it cannot be justified‿ at all^adall. Vanity projects have‿ a habit‿ of being paid for by people│ who never‿ atten(d) them.