Are the Costs of the Olympics outweighing the benefits?
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics:
Pros:
- 2 weeks of exhilarating and peaceful competition
Cons:
- human rights abuses linked to Russia's preparations from 2009 to 2014
- Members of Pussy Riot are whipped and detained for protesting
- Semyon Simonov Memorial, David Hakim and journalists from Radio Free Europe and Novaya Gazeta arrested for peacefully speaking their mind
- Obama and Harper refused to attend the opening ceremony as a political statement against Russian policies, most likely creating more separation between North America and Russia
- More than 25 people died due to preparations for the games
- approximately 2,000 families were forcibly resettled on account of Olympic construction
- Russian activist who has worked to track the environmental damage caused by the games was sentenced to three years in a labour camp.
- Allegations of vote swapping between Russia and USA
- Controversial scoring of multiple figure skating events (in which Russian athletes prevailed)
- Not even going to start with the anti-gay and stray dog situation...
All for the low-low price of $50 billion. Which, according to the UN, is 1/3 of the money it would cost to end world hunger.
Yes
Side Score: 16
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No
Side Score: 5
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With so many issues pertaining to the olympics, people dying, people losing their homes, political stress, and such disregard for human rights... It is getting clear that the olympics either need to get refocused, or we need to start putting the money towards more long-term, permanent use. Side: Yes
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sure it could...that would be plenty to establish affordable energy sources & water purification/wells in the needed locations...but whats the point of trying to help out a bunch of poor people that you cant profit from in the immediate future? the rich scum that run this world dont have the patience for the starving to get on their feet and create an economy. Side: Yes
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