The Olympic Games remain a magnificent celebration of sport, much to the dismay of pessimists. The recent popular success of Paris 2024 is a clear example of this (despite the incredible self-deprecation that preceded it). Obviously, criticism is legitimate and necessary. And it is thanks to this that we are gradually but surely moving from the gigantism of Beijing or Sochi to a scattered format that makes the best use of existing infrastructure. The cost of infrastructure has always been the stumbling block; the operational budget of the Olympics has never caused debt. The IOC has understood this well, and if we look at the upcoming editions (Los Angeles, Brisbane, the French Alps, Salt Lake City and hopefully Switzerland), these are all places where the infrastructure already exists. But the collective imagination only remembers the latest fiascos, and that is understandable. Trust has certainly been broken, but it is up to the IOC and the next organising committees to restore it. And as always, people criticise, but afterwards they get excited.

The Olympic Games (OG) could be a sports festival if the focus were primarily on the athletes. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The text refers to Europe/USA, not to China, etc. Profiteers of all kinds seize the opportunity to make huge profits thanks to the OG. Examples? Gladly. House and shop owners in the catchment area rent out their flats and businesses at exorbitant prices for the duration of the Games. The character of these places then has nothing to do with what they were like before and after the OG... pure gigantism. Antholz: the biathlon arena is one of the best on the competition calendar. World Cup competitions are held annually, and just a few years ago everything was improved for the World Championships. And now the OG are taking place there. Millions had to be invested. Security: millions must be spent. In the end, it's always taxpayers' money. Thanks to the OG, every organiser expands their infrastructure in a way that the citizens would otherwise never approve of. CH 2038, NO