Behind the Scenes (1)
The party is over. And the dark side of the Olympics Games reappears. Hundreds of people expropriated or displaced without real financial compensation; oversized and inadequate infrastructure which will be of little use for the local populations; significant pollution of the environment and especially of water resources ....and corruption. Some observers point out that Sochi has costed more than all past Winter Olympics combined! A Swiss member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has publicly stated that about USD 18 billion fueled corruption. From the original estimate of USD 12 billion the cost for these Olympics reached about USD 55 billion! Boris Nemtsov a former Russian deputy Prime Minister outlined that despite the Olympic Charter which stresses that the Games must be an example for the world, the majority of the IOC representatives think that corruption is fundamentally a problem for the host country. He compared the costs of Olympic construction in Sochi with several previous Games and stated that in Russia the costs were about 3 times higher than the average cost in other major countries! And now in Russia all eyes are focused on the 2018 Soccer World Cup to be hosted by 11 cities including Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and....Sochi. Experts warn that corruption and abuse of power could follow the same trajectory than in Sochi. The original estimated cost which is USD 20 billion could escalate to as much as USD 100 billion making it the most expensive Soccer World Cup ever held. But the reality is that the core objective for the Russian authorities is to ensure that all the sport facilities are completed on time, regardless of the level of fraud or corruption. This goal was achieved.
Comments :
- No comments
Post a comment