The Olympics, a dark history
Dr Hillary Shaw
Visiting Fellow - Centre for Urban Research on Austerity at Dept of Politics and Public Policy De Montfort University
The Olympics should not be popular with crit geoggers.
The modern Olympics, as resurrected by Baron de Coubertin 1896, who at one time consorted with a certain Mr A Hitler, were racist, sexist, classist and nationalist, right from the start.
They became rather more inclusive after WW2, but simultaneously became more anti-environemntal and very socioeconomically divisive, and increasingly wasteful. A great way to wreck cities, especially their housing ,markets, and create a massive tax burden paid for by ordinary citizens.
Might it have been better if we had done what Greece wanted, felt entitled to, and made Athens their permanent home, was it was 2,500 years ago?
I would thoroughly recommend a good read of,
Power Games, Jules Boykoff, 2016, Verso, London
A brief summary of the development of the Olympics is here,