Olympic Games

INTRODUCTION

The first Olympic Games date back to 884 BC. At that time, Iphitos, King of Elis, decided to organize the games in his city of Olympia. Every free Greek citizen who had not committed any crime or sacrilege had the right to participate. Women and slaves were forbidden from attending the games. The main events of the ancient games, which varied, included foot races, chariot races, pentathlon, wrestling, boxing, and horse races. The winners received an olive wreath from the judges and financial support.
The king proclaimed the sacred truce, during which warring states had to lay down their arms. Due to wars, the games were abolished in 394 BC.
The games resumed in 1869 in Athens thanks to Pierre de Coubertin, who fought for four years to revive them. Only women did not participate. He campaigned for the 1900 Olympic Games to be held in Paris. However, it was poorly organized, and many events were canceled due to the lack of organization.
The Olympic truce aimed to protect, as much as possible, the interests of athletes and sport in general, while also contributing to finding diplomatic solutions to conflicts raging in the world.
In 1936, the Olympic Games took place in Berlin. Hitler had already been in power for three years and intended to use the games to showcase his dominance to the world. During the opening ceremony, 100,000 spectators in the stadium raised their arms to perform the Nazi salute. The Hitler regime gave a cold reception to athletes of color. However, it was an African-American, Jesse Owens, who won the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay.
The 2000 Olympic Games gave rise to new training methods, reflected in the records achieved by the participants.
In general, the goal of this sporting celebration is to put sport at the service of the harmonious development of the human being everywhere, to encourage the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with preserving human dignity, and to educate youth through sport practiced without any kind of discrimination, in the Olympic spirit.
What can we take away from these games, especially those organized in Sydney?

Indeed, the Olympic Games of the new millennium broke all records: sporting, media, and economic, but they also witnessed scandals involving doping, corruption, and profiteering. Having become a massive machine subjected to the giants of globalization, the games are unable to combat cheating.
To support this thesis, we will briefly address the success of the games in terms of organization, followed by the economic impact of the Olympic Games, and finally the problems faced by the games.

I- THE SUCCESS OF THE GAMES IN TERMS OF ORGANIZATION

On September 22, 2000, the 10,000 best athletes in the world gathered for the Sydney Olympic Games. On this occasion, athletes and spectators benefited from infrastructures designed and modeled using the AutoDesk software.

A realization worthy of the highest podium

The Olympic village in Newington, Sydney, includes nearly 1,100 residences. It was designed with the help of athletes using AutoDesk as the main design tool to develop the various documents related to the residential project and their strategy.

Nine consulting firms participated in the development of the Olympic village, given the scale of the work, the tight deadlines, and three constraints:

• The development of a housing complex for Olympic athletes, which could easily be adapted for athletes with disabilities in view of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games;
• The integration of a set of ecological initiatives for development aligned with the concept of the "Sydney 2000 Green Games";
• And finally, the creation of an aesthetically pleasing housing complex intended to offer permanent residences after the games.

A versatile village

This system had to adhere to strict ecological guidelines to design an Olympic village that aligned with the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games’ commitment to making Sydney 2000 the "Green Games."
The organizers incorporated several ecological initiatives, including the installation of solar panels in 630 homes to convert energy into electricity. Additionally, each residence was designed to optimize its solar potential through proper orientation.
Another major challenge was ensuring that the residences could be easily converted to accommodate disabled athletes for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

An Olympic railway built in record time

The Australian consulting engineering firm chose AutoDesk software to design the Homebush Bay railway line, which connects Sydney’s extensive metropolitan railway network to the Olympic Games site. This line, an essential part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic infrastructure, became the primary means of transportation for the large audience attending the events. The Olympic Park station is now Sydney's largest, with traffic reaching up to 30 trains during peak hours. The project, conceived and completed between 1997 and 1998 under extremely tight deadlines, posed a significant challenge due to its technical complexity and the need to comply with environmental development principles.

II- THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

1- A true marketing strategy:

"It’s money that makes the world go round," they say. Indeed, but sometimes it spins too fast, and that can lead to losing control. This is what the IOC (International Olympic Committee) experienced when the massive amount of money it now handles caused some people to lose their way. Some individuals had to fall for the IOC to regain its integrity.

In the 1970s, the IOC had only a vague understanding of the opportunities marketing and television could offer. By realizing their potential in terms of power and money, the IOC, which once struggled to survive, became an independent giant with international influence.

For the past two decades, the IOC has benefited from true marketing strategies and the revenue from television broadcasting rights. This influx of capital has led to corruption and created an unhealthy climate, which the IOC has sought to clear through a series of recent reforms.

At least $200 million:

These reforms were triggered by a corruption scandal related to the awarding of the Olympic Games. The goal of the reforms was to make the IOC more transparent.

On March 18, 1999, following a vote of confidence in President Juan Antonio Samaranch, an official study by an accounting firm revealed that the IOC’s fortune amounted to $200 million.

However, given the many marketing commitments and the numerous contracts with television networks that the IOC has signed, it is difficult to determine the true value of the Olympic Movement.

Today, the IOC is financially independent. Television and the many advertising resources it offers have saved the IOC.

Furthermore, major companies have realized that the Olympic movement, symbolized by the friendly and international image of the five rings, represents a very attractive commercial opportunity. Despite recent scandals, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) remains connected to around forty multinationals, most of which are pleased that it has managed to overcome its problems.

"There are few, if any, institutions in the world that enjoy the respect and prestige of the IOC and the Olympic Games. This is why the recent revelations have taken on such a tragic tone. However, it is hoped that the IOC will respond satisfactorily to these events and seize the opportunity to modernize its management style while taking into account its success."

Big capital and its intricacies are now deeply embedded in the Olympics – far removed from the Ancient Games, where a simple individual could sponsor the athlete of their choice.

Today, marketing plays a role as significant as television in the organization and execution of the Games. The benefits for the "Olympic Family" are clear. However, like television, this influence may, in time, alter the very nature of the Games.

Regardless, IOC Vice President Dick Pound announced that the last Olympic Games of the 20th century should generate a total marketing revenue of $2.6 billion, with $1.1 billion going to the organizing committee – $300 million more than the amount received by Atlanta's committee.

Whispers of corruption, organizational problems, and ticketing issues did not shake the confidence of the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) regarding the financial success of the Sydney Olympics.

While it's difficult to estimate at present, the economic impact of the Games will be enormous for Australia and Sydney, with a 1% increase in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

In a study, the independent financial auditing firm KPMG Peat Marwick concluded that between 1994 and 2000, the Olympic Games would boost Australia’s GDP by $7.3 billion (US $4.67 billion), creating 150,000 jobs in Sydney and bringing an additional 1.3 million tourists to Australia.

Another study, jointly conducted by the New South Wales Treasury and the University of Tasmania, concluded that between 1993, when Sydney was awarded the Games, and 2005, the state’s GDP would increase by $6.3 billion (US $4.03 billion).

Long-term impact: Similarly, the investments made to host the Games will not be fully recouped the day after the closing ceremony but will be realized over the long term. For instance, the Olympic stadium (with a capacity of 110,000 seats) that cost around $690 million AUD (US $442 million) will be able to host other major events.

The Olympic Village, which cost $590 million AUD (US $378 million), will become a residential area, while improvements to urban infrastructure (highways, roads, etc.) will be credited to the Games and benefit the entire population. The total SOCOG budget for the Games was around $2.6 billion AUD (US $1.6 billion). Despite ticketing issues and dissatisfaction from some sponsors (Nike replaced Reebok), the projected surplus was about $42.7 million AUD (US $27.2 million).

2. The Distribution of Sydney’s Profits

Only at the end of 2000 will the city of Sydney, the IOC, and the various television networks, which partnered in broadcasting the millennium Games, know whether the operation was a financial success. Indeed, it’s in December 2000 that the revenues from television rights will be distributed within the Olympic family. Despite the significant involvement of large international companies, the IOC's main source of revenue comes from television rights, which account for 50% of total income. Sponsorship (36%) and ticket sales to companies (11%) are far behind.

All television rights are negotiated by the IOC, ensuring its financial future and guaranteeing that the networks will provide free access to the Games.

60% to SOCOG

The sale of these rights should bring in $1.331 billion US for the Olympic movement, a 49% increase compared to the amount generated by the sale of the Atlanta Olympic Games' rights and a 109% increase compared to Barcelona, according to an IOC statement.

The distribution of TV rights will be as follows: 60% to the Sydney Organizing Committee (SOCOG), which equals $798 million US. The remaining 40% will go to the Olympic family, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and the International Federations (IFs).

Broadcasting rights are also used to finance the travel and participation of referees and official judges in the Games.

III. PROBLEMS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

1. The Aboriginal Question in Sydney:

While the condition of the Aboriginal people in Australia hasn't led to racial riots as seen in the United States, the Sydney Olympics provided the island-continent's first inhabitants an opportunity to bring global attention to their problems.

A stand was set up in Sydney during the Olympics to explain the difficulties facing the Aboriginal community. Additionally, the National Aboriginal Committee requested that their two flags fly alongside those of Sydney, New South Wales, and Australia, and with the Olympic banner. Moreover, they condemned the use of Aboriginal culture and art to promote the 2000 Olympic Games.

A year before the Games, nearly 600 Aboriginal leaders even threatened to call for a boycott of the Olympics by African nations if the Australian government did not modify a bill concerning land rights that favored mining companies to the detriment of the Aboriginal population. British parliamentarians supported them. Since then, Aboriginal people have continued to disrupt the Games by demonstrating in the streets of Sydney during events.

Regarding Cathy Freeman, the 400-meter world champion who was called upon to boycott the Games, she chose instead to compete and represent her people on the track. Carl Lewis had even advised the Aboriginal athlete to participate, recalling how much he regretted the absence of the United States from the Moscow Games.

2. Doping: 

Since the beginning of the Games, not a single day passed without an athlete being suspended and sent home for testing positive for doping. No one seems to make a fuss about it, given that doping in sports has become quite commonplace. For instance, on the first day, the entire Bulgarian weightlifting team was excluded on suspicion of widespread doping; all the Bulgarian weightlifters tested positive for diuretics.

This news went almost unnoticed, overshadowed by the Pérec scandal, which makes sense because it is certainly much rarer to see a high-profile athlete flee in secret than to witness an entire team loaded with pharmaceutical substances to enhance their performance.

An unprecedented case has rocked the Italian sports movement. On Saturday, October 14, the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera revealed that five Italian gold medalists from the recent Olympic Games had shown abnormally high levels of growth hormones during medical tests conducted before their departure for Sydney. The newspaper revealed the names of these athletes: swimmer Massimiliano Rosolino, kayaker Josefa Idem Guerrini, rower Agostino Abbagnale, fencer Giovanna Trillini, and cyclist Antonella Belluti. They are among the 61 Italian athletes whose GH (growth hormone) levels were measured as thirty to sixty times higher than normal.

Conclusion:

The Sydney Olympic Games are destined to usher in a new era. The successor to Samaranch will need to have broad shoulders, as they will have to fight against corruption within the IOC, tackle the issue of gigantism, contend with the demands of globalization giants, and, of course, combat doping, which casts doubt on every performance, undermining the very purpose of the Olympic endeavor.

So, will the future Olympic Games live up to the values and demands of Olympism?