On Sunday, February 25th, the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics came to a close with the traditional Olympic Closing Ceremony. During the two-week international competition, the whole world had its eyes on the various sporting events. The most viewed sport from the United States was hockey, whereas South America viewed bobsledding the most, according to Business Insider.
Most people stop paying attention to the Olympic host city once the Olympics are over. Very rarely do we hear about Olympic cities until returning athletes attend the next Summer/Winter Olympics.
So what happens to cities after the Olympics end? For more developed cities, hosting the Olympics means an economic boost.
After the 2010 Vancouver games, Huffington Post Canada reported that there was a $2.3 billion donor bonus for the city and country. Racism and cultural crimes also declined after the Vancouver games.
The 2012 London games tried to avoid building venues that would not be used after the games. This is moving away from models such as the 2004 Athens games, when unused venues caused damage to Greece’s economy.
Not all cities benefit from hosting the Olympics. Some cities experience a downfall in economic state and are unable to take advantage of their situation. For instance, Rio De Janeiro was unable to find permanent tenants to use the facilities.
Business Insider writer Emmett Knowlton stated that just six months after the Olympics ended, “the Olympic Village has turned into a ghost town, and many of the venues have fallen into disrepair.”
The swimming pool, which once was the center of attention, now has next to no water inside. The stadium is darkened with many empty seats. It is hard to believe so much attention was given to that area just a couple months prior to its current state of disrepair. Rio’s economy also suffered due to the 2014 World Cup two years before, which had already happened before the 2016 Olympics, and a political corruption scandal did not help.
All in all, there is uncertainty about what will happen to PyeongChang after these Olympics. We must wait through the Paralympics to see what is in store for the peninsula nation.