Gold medals and gray areas: controversies surrounding the Olympics

The Olympics are a show-and-tell for the cities that win the honor of hosting them. Sure, audiences tune in to witness the world’s greatest athletes competing for a coveted gold medal, but host cities can take advantage of the increased media coverage to promote their culture, lure potential tourists and prove that they are capable of hosting global events — at least, that’s the idea. The myriad problems that plagued the 2024 Paris Olympics, ranging from the inconvenient (AC-less living quarters) to the downright hazardous (fecal matter in the Seine), may have done more harm than good to Paris’ reputation. Dumping millions of dollars into the Olympics and hoping it will result in a quick fix of a city’s infrastructural and economic woes is a far from foolproof plan. The fallout from previous Olympic games should be a warning to the International Olympic Committee to be discerning in their choices, and to the host cities to be careful what they wish for.Plus, on this week’s Fun Friday, Claire and Jenna create podiums of their favorite moments from the Paris Olympics.Transition track credits:Downtown Walk by | e s c p | https://escp-music.bandcamp.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/