Sigi's tips: Expensive parties for sports

You know that. Everything is organized, which could be good for the guests you have invited. The finest dishes are served, the silver comes to the table freshly polished, the glasses are treated with a special cloth so that not even the smallest dust is visible. The table arrangements are finally in place. Dinner is served. And you're also looking forward to the upcoming party a little bit, after all you've even plundered the reserves so that everything really works.

But as is often the case: after the party comes the headache. Well, you got a lot of praise. Everything was great, really great. Flawless. But yes, of course you would like to come back immediately. But you didn't get anything out of the party yourself. In Cortina d'Ampezzo the hosts were left with a few crumbs. Two medals. One in the already scandalous parallel slalom by Marta Bassino and at least a beautiful one in the giant slalom by Luca De Aliprandini.

During his final speech, which is of course part of a big celebration before everyone disperses to the four winds, FISI President Flavio Roda could not hide his disappointment. After all, it was somehow a successful dress rehearsal for the Olympic competitions that can be organized in Veneto in 2026. Otherwise: Not much apart from expenses. Major events financed by taxpayers Speaking of expenses. Who is actually paying for all the magic and whose idea was it to invite half the world? The first question is easy to answer: In the end, the citizen, the taxpayer, always pays, because no one has ever come out of a huge party in the black. And the idea? It wasn't the people. This is rarely asked at such scales and when it is asked, in the past it has usually been clearly rejected. As a rule, officials from various institutions and associations plan such events together with politicians (to secure the budget and so on). Then you apply to the institution that first rubs its hands together, then rejoices, and then accepts the job. And then you have the salad. The main argument that can always be heard in the party discussions is value creation for the region and for the country. At least. In addition, the investments in infrastructure measures paid for by the citizens, which flow because value creation and so on. This actually works.

The end of the party wasn't funny in Slovenia either. The biathlon world was invited there for an almost fortnight-long break. The table was lavishly set and the organization was excellent. The salami came to the table sliced very thinly, the soup was warm and nice and creamy, the venison fillet was fried pink. As it should be. Please take a seat. There was no chair left for the hosts themselves. Slovenia came away completely empty-handed. No medal. But it was nice. And the costs: the state, the citizen. This seems to be an almost inexhaustible source of money. And that's probably how it is.

And whose idea was that in Slovenia? The country's biathlon association had applied, having previously checked with politicians regarding financial security should there be losses in this area. But this request alone is a joke, because there is no profit at such celebrations. The organizer always pays on top or has people pay on top. 23 billion euros loss for the Olympic Games In Tokyo, for example, they are expecting a loss of 2020 billion euros for the 23 Olympic Games (which is still the official name) this summer. Four times as much as originally estimated. The Japanese weren't asked whether they wanted to have the Olympic Games or not. You will just have to pay in the end. The rejection rate is now over 80 percent. We don't yet know whether this super-giant party will take place.

What is clear, however, is that it cannot be one of the core tasks of a state to financially secure such major events, in other words to finance them. And yet somehow it always goes on like this: The Nordic World Ski Championships start this week in Oberstdorf. You are expecting a horrendous loss because you have finally renovated the sports facilities and so on. And because instead of the 350.000 spectators normally expected, no one is allowed to come. But because costs still arise, Klaus King, the mayor of the market town, has already brought a “compensation world championship” into play. 2027 was his suggestion. Then the account, which is now badly in the red because of these title fights, should be balanced again.

Just by the way: Montreal, which hosted the Olympic Games in 1976, fleeced Canadian citizens for 30 years with a special tax in order to pay off a billion dollars in debt. Parties are expensive and quite a few end in disarray.

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Sigi's tips: Expensive parties for sports

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