Inside Story

Are the Olympic Games still worth the effort?

Despite the absence of natural snow in Beijing, China’s capital beats Almaty to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee has selected Beijing to host the Winter Games in 2022.

Beijing will enter the record books – as the first city to host the Summer and Winter Olympic games.

It has been a night of endless cheer and jubilation in China.

But with the fanfare are questions surrounding China’s human rights record, allegations of corruption and a lack of snow.

Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty was the runner-up – but the Central Asian nation has also been accused of violating basic human rights.

Other cities, including Oslo, Munich and Krakow pulled out of the race to host the 2022 games, citing low public support and growing security demands.

On Inside Story, we ask if the Olympics are still worth all the effort?

Presenter: Jane Dutton

Guests:

Sophie Richardson – China director at Human Rights Watch

Andrew Zimbalist – Professor of economics at Smith College and an adviser to the ‘No Boston Olympics’ group

Philip Barker – Associate editor of the Journal of Olympic History