Top 10 Times the Olympics Bankrupted a City

It's all fun and games until the bill comes. For this list, we’re looking at the cities that took the biggest financial hits to host the Olympic Games. Our countdown includes Sydney 2000, Montreal 1976, Rio 2016, and more! Let us know in the comments which you think is the most embarrassing.

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#Olympics
#BankruptCities

[WatchMojo]

Let us know in the comments which you think is the most embarrassing.

[connorrivers]

Brazil wasn't really helped by still trying to recover the costs of hosting the 2014 Fifa World Cup either.

[WesleyB-Rook]

So the title says “bankrupted a country” but the opening narration says “bankrupted a city”. Might wanna fix that real quick guys 😬

[getfulness]

Umm actually in Sydney, we use many of these venues. The main stadium is used to host major events like concerts and sporting events and the swim hall at least was turned into a aquatic centre

[EireNero]

Countries should just have plans for what they will do with venues afterward, and have them set up so they can be used afterward, London definitely did the best job at that, but was far from perfect

[CBrown]

It's a simple solution: Countries/Cities that don't already have the infrastructure in place, usable, and regularly used, for say a minimum of 5 years prior to selection, cannot host the Olympics. This would mean that locations would have to be Olympic ready for nearly a full decade before the Olympics goes there. I think we've seen enough countries waste money on this that any argument against some similar sort of policy is just illogical greed.

[SirAsdf]

It's almost like the Olympics are a massive money sink that never bring in enough money to justify the huge expenditure.

[SKIMER]

0:08 Olympics bankrupted a city?
The title says they bankrupted a COUNTRY
0:24 - another mistake, make up your mind and change the title of the video

[JulieDelahooke]

I can say, from living in Vancouver, our Olympic village is thriving hub with stores, restaurants and condos. It’s awesome 😊

[ericpainter]

Your list is inaccurate. Sydney’s Olympic facilities are STILL in use today. NSW and Australia as a whole were far from a bankruptcy as a result of the games.

[abbyrose]

im australian and seeing sydney in this list surprised me cause ive only ever heard how sydney 2000 was a positive for the country despite the cost. as far as i am aware, sydney 2000 is referred to as one of the most successful olympics ever so i dont think it belongs on this list.

[jo-annbastings]

I absolutely agree about our Olympic stadium (Montréal), that white elephant looking like a toilet bowl. How many times and how much money were the costs for that mobile roof we had to change over and over again because it kept tearing and collapsing from the weight of the snow or even from heavy rains.

[stephenkeen]

I'm guessing it's too soon to put Tokyo in there? Surely with the delays, isolations and no audience at all, it can't have made any money back. Poor Japan.

[jodiebarber]

Disagree about Sydney. Venues are still used quite often and the city wasn’t bankrupted.

[sudarshandev]

Top 10 reasons why a developing country should never host the Olympics.

[aksfootytube]

Actually we're using the Olympic venues in Sydney. Nothing is abandoned here. The olympic park area is still a popular venue for many big events including concerts and sporting events. Dunno where u got the idea that it was abandoned

[gordonmurray]

The 1988 winter Olympics in Calgary Alberta showed a profit. There was a huge level of volunteerism, the events were very well organized. The '88 Olympics gave us Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican bobsled team. It was a lot of fun.

[TKnHappyNess]

Tokyo 2020 should be here for three reasons. The cost, the delay, and no financial help from tourists

[hart-of-gold]

The Sydney venues are not unused. Many were existing at the time, and most continue to be used to this day. And the NSW government were footing the bill from the start, most major events or projects are run from the state level in Australia. There isn't an overarching city government in Sydney, or most Australian cities, just local councils. As for backrupting the state or the country, not even close.

[jjgdenisrobert]

Let’s put it this way about the Montreal Olympics: one Italian “family” got really rich skimming off the top of that budget…