Rethinking the Olympics – The “Dynamic Sustainable” Model

Zoom Webinar

Every four years, athletes from all over the world gather and compete in a wide range of sporting disciplines and events in the Olympic Games. Nations and countries invest significant resources to persuade the Olympic Committee they should win the right to bid and host this mega global event and declare their city’s dominance as the world’s most advanced, relevant and progressive.

There is one argument that fan identification with home-town teams and global sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup provide a basis for establishing cohesion.  Such events encourage a sense of local and national identity, unity and belonging for the athletes and their fans.  In short, sports give fans a feeling of psychological connectedness.

But the Olympics and other major global sporting events may be in trouble.  Already faced with the soaring costs of building and hosting an Olympics, cities are now required to spend billions in additional resources to ensure safety for all athletes, visiting country personnel and fans.  Cities are beginning to shy away from even bidding for the Olympics forcing the need to rethink the model.

Some economists argue that the costs of hosting international sporting events are overblown, while others are encouraging cities to develop more sustainable strategies for hosting these mega events.

Join our expert panel as they discuss the importance of global sporting events, the economic impact to the host city, and a new model of “dynamic sustainability” for the Olympics of the future.
 

November 16, 2022
7:30 pm               Chicago

November 17, 2022
7:00 am               Delhi
9:30 am               Hong Kong | Beijing | Singapore
10:30 am             Japan | South Korea

Speakers

Professor Allen Sanderson
Senior Instructional Professor in Economics and the College
Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics
The University of Chicago

Professor Maria Guajardo
Professor, Faculty of International Liberal Arts
SOKA University

Professor Andrew Zimbalist
Robert A. Woods Professor Emeritus of Economics
Smith College

Moderator

Mark Barnekow (MBA’88)
Executive Director
The University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong

About Director’s Pick

From current news, STEM, to arts and history, The University of Chicago Hong Kong Campus Faculty Director and Executive Director share a broad range of interests. The Director’s Pick series catalogs an array of webinars covering various topics that our directors wish to share with our audience. Read More