Ran publicly–funded sports events

October 11, 2013 · 0 Comments

Dear editor:

I’m not a fan of Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, but I do agree with his outrage over the escalating costs of the Pan Am Games.

I’ve always opposed huge events like the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Am Games. These games are funded from the public purse and the organizers simply throw away any concern for cost.

Every time, those costs run well over the original estimates. Also, the facilities built for the Games often aren’t finished or are shoddily constructed. Another factor is the promises given by the organizers. They always promise that there will be low-cost housing for the ordinary person after the athletes go home. This never happens!

Now, we have the list of the obscene wages being paid to the organizers. Their defense, or other supporters, is the fact we should pay the ridiculous wages to attract only the best. So, if we have the best, why are there always a multitude of problems? Will they be fixed by even more money from the public purse?

All Olympic Games are a bust, but the organizers play with figures to produce a break-even figure or, sometimes, a profit.

The Winter Olympics Games in Sochi will be a joke with Mr. Putin standing with his rich friends at the opening ceremonies while the ordinary Russian has to endure apartments in buildings with bad plumbing, no elevators and the outside surface falling off.

I’ve been to the Olympic site in Greece and enjoyed the experience. But, the modern Olympics have become only an excuse for the rich and famous to help their friends, like Mr. Putin’s, to accumulate wealth. At the original games on the Peloponnisos, the athletes played with no clothing. Maybe, if we could get the over-paid organizers of the world’s publicly-funded sports games to be naked at the opening ceremonies, they’d have no deep pockets to stash their stupendous wages.

The irony in this situation is the fact that many of the athlete can’t find enough funding to compete in the games. Maybe the organizers, contractors or ‘see no problem’ politicians could lend a dollar or two.

Vaughan G. Harris,

Tottenham