When do countries bid for the olympics

The reasons for public concern seem clear cut. Just months after the Games in Rio, pictures started emerging showing the decay and disarray of many of Brazil's Olympic venues, particularly the flagship Maracana stadium. Even London, one of the world's wealthier cities, has failed to really address the issue of what happens after the curtains are drawn on the closing ceremony.

A city with several large stadiums was granted another for It was initially scheduled for athletics use after the Games, then granted to Premier League club West Ham United in an effort to stop it going the same way as its Brazilian counterpart. The solution has proved unpopular with the club's fans and British taxpayers, who are funding several aspects of the stadium's operations including security and catering, as well as the conversion of the venue after the Games, a process that took four years.

In the days leading up to the IOC's announcement, political figures from Paris and Los Angeles were keen to talk up the somewhat intangible qualities that Games have always been said to bring to a city.

But the public aren't buying it any more. The Games will go back to Australia 32 years after the popular Sydney Olympics. Melbourne hosted in Brisbane follows host Los Angeles in getting 11 years to prepare for hosting the Games. Paris will host in The glory of our best athletes competing for greatness in shiny new stadiums before viewers around the world.

But recent games are rife with overspending, waste, and controversy. And most viewers don't even see the lasting damage hosting the games does to the host city. Hosting is expensive. Every game in the last 50 years has gone over budget. No one knows this better than professor Andrew Zimbalist. They require a media and television production facility which could easily go for half a billion to a billion dollars. They require a media village. They require ceremonial space and green space.

They require transportation amongst all of it and special lanes for the IOC executives, transportation amongst all of the venues. Cities used to make a profit from the games, partly, because they collected a lot of revenue in TV rights. But recently the International Olympic Committee has been taking larger percentages. Ben Davis November 15, Who actually pays for the Olympics? Do Olympians make money? Which city has the most unsuccessful bids to host the Olympics?

Who is hosting Olympics?