Lateral Sourcing the Olympics - solution to unforeseen factors like Corona from disrupting the event

[Dr. VSH]

I had brought this idea many many years back and now with this Corona virus situation where the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been

postponed to 2021 (the first such postponement in the history of the Olympics).  Some also speculate that it could be even postponed

beyond 2021.  In this context,  I think the time for this idea to bring back this idea is once again ripe.

Time to get away from the traditional hosting of the Olympics by a single country

As we all know the route taken to date for hosting the Olympics is decided by vote and merit by the participating nations of

the IOA.   And so far, the venues have been fixed in advance for the 2024 (Paris) and 2028 (LA) Olympics.   And we all know what

this means for the host city and host country. Lots of positives are touted for the host country in terms of infrastructure as

well as great opportunities for the economy of the host country.  And not to say that is a great image booster for the host nation that

it has been selected to host the Olympics.  But what is not often mentioned are the astronomical costs  and burden the Exchequer of the host

nation has to bear in this hosting.  Not only that, sudden unplanned situations like this very current virus situations mean that the financial 

blow will even be higher.  Not only that, this virus also precludes any kind of mass gathering that could be catastrophic for the health and

resources of the host nation.

In the above context, it is time to consider the concept of Lateral Sourcing of the Olympics

What do you mean by Lateral Sourcing

Simply put, the Olympics will no longer be held in one country alone.  The Olympic year will be split into one wide calendar window which 

stretches across the entire year.  The various Olympic disciplines will be split to be held across various countries of the world. The events

will be split in such a manner that the countries which host a particular discipline or a sport will have a very strong fan-base for that sport.  

As an example,  let us take a sport like field-hockey which is currently an Olympic discipline.  For conducting the Olympic hockey event,

the field hockey playing nations of the world  where there is a strong passion for this sport can get together to host the event by selecting 

one country among them or a small group of countries from among them as host.   The participating countries for that sport can then

bear the expenses of conducting the event on a pro-rata basis.  The time window for that event can be based on the best time suited for

the host nation or the hosting group of nations.

As for the chief blue ribbon track and field event, a host country can selected and designated as the main Olympic city and that country 

can hold the traditional track and field events which are universal in their appeal.   Other universally popular sports can also be held here.

And as far as one sees, there are only advantages upon advantages in this hosting strategy.  

So what are the advantages here?

* Less financial and logistic burden for the host nation

* Prevents the entire world from descending into one place, esp in situations such as this virus

* Niche sports such as baseball, field-hockey etc can be held by those nations where the sport is very popular.

  Only they will bear the expense of conducting the Olympic event of this discipline.  So this will obviate a host

   country building a sporting infrastructure that could become deadwood after the Olympics.

*  Host country will not hold an event for which it has no passionate fan-base.

*  In such a situation, even sports that have lost Olympic status can get back into it.   Recently, baseball lost

   Olympic status.  Now the baseball countries can get together and figure out a host or a host group to

   hold the Olympic baseball tournament.

* Similarly, the cricket playing nations can get together and hold the Olympic cricket tournament at a venue

   of their choosing

*  The respective world sporting bodies of that sport can figure out a way of sharing the expense of the

    nations participating in its event.

*  It will now be possible for even a small nation like a Sri Lanka or a Cuba or a Fiji to hold an Olympic event

   and add prestige to the country.

*  The Olympics will be a TRULY GLOBAL QUADRENNIAL event with the entire globe immersed in a sporting

    festival

This idea can certainly be tabled by the IOA for further discussion.

Dr VSH

200420

 

--

*Sarvam Sri-Krishnaarpanam*
*Want nothing more than being a beggar on his streets*

To be a street survivor
Boy you gotta stand tall
Keep that dream in your heart
I'll be there in the fight
Nothing gonna stand in our way

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