The glory of our best athletes competing for greatness in shiny new stadiums for viewers around the world.

最傑出的運動員們在嶄新的體育館相互爭奪光榮給全球的觀眾觀賞。

But recent games are rife with overspending, waste, and controversy.

但最近的賽事充斥著過度花費、浪費與爭議。

And most viewers don't even see the lasting damage the games do to the host city.

且大多數的觀眾都看不到奧運對主辦城市所造成的後續傷害。

Could we be watching the death of the Olympics?

這會不會是奧運的殞落？

Well, right now it's hard to tell.

現在還很難說。

But this honored tradition is looking sicker every year.

但這項榮譽傳統正每況愈下。

Hosting is expensive.

辦奧運很花錢。

Every game in the last 50 years has gone over budget.

五十年來的每場奧運都超支了。

The 2014 Sochi Winter Games went over it's 10 billion dollar budget by an additional 41 billion dollars.

2014 年的索契冬季奧運比原本的 100 億美元預算還要超支了 410 億美元。

No one knows this better than Professor Andrew Zimbalist.

沒人比 Andrew Zimbalist 教授更了解奧運。

He's written several books on the Olympics, including "Rio 2016: Olympic Myths, Hard Realities."

他寫了好幾本關於奧運的書，包含《2016 里約奧運的秘辛與殘酷事實》。

"These days they require about 35 different athletic vendors."

「現在他們需要大約 35 家體育贊助商。」

"They require an Olympic village that costs one and a half, two, three billion dollars depending on the circumstance."

「也需要一個奧運村，而這大約需花費十五、二十或三十億美元，看情況而定。」

"They require a media and television production facility, which could very easily go for half a billion to a billion dollars."

「還需要一個媒體與電視製作中心，花費可輕易超過五至十億美元。」

"They require a media village."

「還需要一個媒體村。」

"They require ceremonial space, and green space."

「還要可舉辦典禮的空間與綠地。」

"They require transportation amongst all of them, and special lanes for the IOC executives transportation amongst all of the venues."

「還需要連通這些地方的交通系統與連接所有場館，給國際奧林匹克委員會主管們的專用道路。」

Cities used to make a profit from the games.

過去主辦城市能從奧運獲利。

Partly because they collected a lot of revenue in TV rights.

因為他們從電視權利金中得到了大量收益。

But recently the International Olympic Committee has been taking a larger percentages.

但近期奧委會贊助比例越來越高。

In the 90's for instance, it took 4% of revenue.

以 1990 年代來說，只佔了 4% 的收益。

Compare that with the 70% it pocketed from the 2016 Rio Games.

相較之下，2016 里約奧運卻占了 70%。

The newly built stadium can cost up to 30 million dollars a year to maintain and they are often on valuable real estate.

新建場館每年需花費高達三千萬美金來維護，且它們常位於值錢的地段。

Most cities don't even know what to use them for after the games.

許多主辦城市甚至在奧運結束後不知道該拿這些場館怎麼辦。

Those facilities fall into decay if they're not kept up, and that hurts property value.

如果沒有好好維護，設施會損壞，而這會損害建物價值。

"There could also be a lot of environmental disruption."

「對環境也會造成極大傷害。」

"The Winter Olympics they'll be having in Pyeong Chang, they destroyed a whole mountainside."

「在即將到來的平昌冬奧，他們甚至摧毀了整片山。」

"Trees and animals that are there, and some of them close to extinction."

「樹木與動物遭受威脅，有些甚至瀕臨絕種。」

So who'd want to host the Olympics in the first place?

所以一開始哪些城市會想辦奧運？

Not many.

沒幾個城市。

After each financial failure fewer cities bid to host the following decade's games.

每次奧運賠錢後，越來越少城市願意競標往後幾十年的奧運主辦權。

After all, it takes 10 years of planning just to be in the running to host.

畢竟連取得競標權都得花上 10 年的籌備了。

Chicago spent an estimated 100 million on the campaign to host in 2016, and they lost.

芝加哥花了約一億美元來競標 2016 奧運主辦權，而他們輸了。

Boston famously pulled it's bid for the 2024 Summer Games, after citizen group No Boston Olympics convinced the city otherwise.

在公民團體「反波士頓奧運」的遊說下，波士頓退出了 2024 夏奧的競標。

12 cities bid for the 2004 games, five for 2020, and just two for 2022 Winter Games: China and Kazakhstan.

2004 奧運有 12 個城市參與競標，2020 奧運剩下五個，而 2022 冬奧只剩下兩個國家: 中國與哈薩克。

So is that it?

所以，奧運就這樣了嗎？

R.I.P. Olympic games?

只能讓它安息？

"It won't end."

「奧運並不會停辦。」

"Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, for all the criticisms that I have of him, he's a smart guy, and he knows when he's up against the wall."

「奧委會主席 Thomas Bach，以我對他的了解，他是個聰明人，他知道哪裡才是絕境。」

"And they've been up against the wall."

「而他們已經歷過絕境。」

In 2014 IOC President Thomas Bach suggested a list of 40 actions the IOC could take to shape the future of the Olympic Movement.

2014 年時，奧委會主席 Thomas Bach 提出了 40 項奧委會未來可採用的建議。

Among them, evaluate bid cities by assessing key opportunities and risks, reduce the cost of bidding, and include sustainability in all aspects of the Olympic Games.

其中有評估競標城市的關鍵機會與風險、降低競標花費與增加奧運的延續性。

It sounds good on paper, but time will tell if these actions take root.

這些看來很好，但時間會證明這些建議是否有用。

"We're gonna become more sustainable, we're gonna become more affordable, we're gonna become more flexible;"

「我們會變得更有延續性、更負擔得起、更彈性；」

"And by doing that, by tweaking the model a little bit and making pronouncements, they reengage cities to participate."

「如此稍稍改進模式加上發表聲明，奧委會重新讓城市們參與奧運。」

"And what's generally happened is the model has been slightly reformed."

「此時通常會發生的是他們會稍稍改良模式。」

"It's a little bit more sensible now then it was before the end of 2020."

「在 2020 年末之前就會感受到差異了。」

Zimbalist supports a different idea to keep the Olympics alive.

運動經濟學家 Zimbalist 對於延續奧運有不同的想法。

Get rid of the bidding system and pick a permanent host.

他提議移除競標體系並選一個永久主辦城。

Somewhere that has the built in facilities, infrastructure, and venues.

某個已有設備、基礎設施與場館的地方。

"We happen to have such a city for the Summer Olympics, it's Los Angeles."

「我們剛好有符合夏奧條件的城市，也就是洛杉磯。」

"They don't have to do any building virtual."

「他們不需要再蓋任何建築。」

"They've got the infrastructure, transportation infrastructure."

「他們已經有基礎設施與交通系統。」

"Because it's the second largest city and the entertainment capital of the country."

「因為它是美國第二大城與娛樂首都。」

"They've got all of the professional teams from all the leagues."

「他們還有來自聯盟的專業團隊。」

A permanent city could benefit the Winter Games as well.

冬奧也能從永久主辦城這個概念得到利益。

As the climate changes, less cities that have hosted Games in the past can reliably keep snow.

因為氣候變遷的緣故，以往主辦冬奧的城市已不太能保持冰雪量。

The IOC isn't a fan of this idea, but as bidding hosts dwindle, so do their options.

奧委會並不是很喜歡這個點子，但隨著願意競標者數量減少，他們也沒什麼選擇。

The future Summer Games are planned out through 2028, and the Winter Games through 2022.

未來的夏奧已排到 2028 年，而冬奧則是 2022 年。

The 2026 Olympics have several cities exploring bids, including two previous hosts, Salt Lake City and Sapporo Japan.

2026 年冬奧有好幾個城市正在爭取主辦權，包含兩個已主辦過的城市─鹽湖城與日本札幌。

Germany, Australia, and India have all expressed interest in the 2032 Summer Games.

德國、澳洲與印度也表達了他們主辦 2032 夏奧的興趣。

Despite its flaws, the Olympic Games is still a people pleaser.

儘管奧運有缺點，它仍然能吸引很多人觀賞。

The IOC polled candidate host cities for the 2020 Games and 70% of Tokyo, 76% of Madrid, and 83% of Istanbul were in support.

奧委會舉辦了 2020 奧運主辦城市候選的投票，70% 投給東京，76% 投給馬德里與 83% 投給伊斯坦堡。

So maybe the Olympics aren't dying, but it's certainly up to the International Olympic Committee to keep the games in check.

或許奧運還沒殞落，但奧委會絕對有責任監督好奧運。

Both on the field and off.

不管是在競技場上或場外。