Beyond the games: Five observations from the 2018 Olympics
The Olympics are sporting competitions, however, they have always been much more than just sports. The 2018 Winter Olympics ended and there are other valuable lessons to be learned by the next hosts.
First, no Olympic games have been profitable since 1960, and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics was no exception. South Korea is expected to spend $13 billion on hosting the 2018 Games, nearly double the $7 billion originally projected and to only get return of $2.5 billion. Hyundai Research Institute estimated that the 2018 Games will add $59.4 billion to the South Korean economy over the next decade, but that is hard to believe with no evidence from most of the past Olympics. Can you guess the cost of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics? $51 billion. How about next Olympics?
{mosads}Second, Russian athletes were not allowed to compete under their nation’s flag due to the doping scandal in 2014 and 2016 Olympics. It was one of the worst scandals in Olympic history, and Russia hasn’t exactly behaved better in Pyeongchang either. Aside from the Russian military spies’ hacking, a handful of Russian athletes have been caught doping in the 2018 Games but it is surprising that the IOC reinstated Russia’s Olympics membership right after the Olympics. Why is such a quick decision making important?
Third, Vice President Pence missed an opportunity to use so-called “soft power” which utilizes the ability to influence others by attraction and persuasion rather than by a “stick” and threats. He was not even standing when the unified Korean team entered the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony. The American figurehead during the Olympics opening ceremony, Vice President Pence, sent a very clear warning to North Korea and Kim Jong Un. Regardless of whether a majority supported the message, it was delivered in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was the Olympics. What is the spirt of the Olympics?
On the other hand, first daughter Ivanka Trump looked great and much better in the closing ceremony in terms of soft power. The Korean media applauded her sense of diplomacy and her attitude in all events-of course, she was standing with claps and smile for the unified Korean team’s entrance. Right before President Trump sent his daughter to the closing ceremony, Trump billed a new set of sanctions on North Korea, the United States’ “heaviest sanctions ever.” Again it was at the wrong time and more importantly, North Korea hasn’t changed their behavior by such sanctions. Ivanka Trump could have been much more successful without these new sanctions in terms of soft power.
Fourth, North Korea seemed to be a winner in the 2018 Olympics- in building a positive and attractive image, “soft power.” The united Korean women’s hockey team’s performance was horrible. It is hard to find any North Korean athletes who competed at a high level during the games. But who cares? The united ice hockey team, Kim Yo-Jung and the North Korean cheerleaders have always made the best headlines with the international media. This is in no way arguing that North Korea and Kim Jong Un are not wrong. The focus here is to stress that North Korea is one of the winners, in terms of the use of soft power strategy through these Olympics.
Last, right after the closing ceremony, South Korea had another official meeting with North Korea about their participation in the 2018 Paralympics; North Korea never attended. President Moon and his government won’t give up their friendly policy, the so-called “Sunshine Policy” toward North Korea. It was expected and reinforced through the 2018 Olympics. Moon’s government have made efforts to lead the U.S. and North Korea to open a dialogue whenever they have a chance. During these games, North Korea showed a willingness to communicate with the U.S. and now it is President Trump’s call.
Was the 2018 Olympics successful?
South Korea and President Moon seemed to enjoy the 2018 Olympics, not for the economic reasons but for the political reasons: an open relationship with North Korea and mitigating the threat of war by utilizing soft power.
The next two Olympics will be in two Asian powerhouses: Japan and China. The two after that will be Western powerhouses in Paris and Los Angeles. It is hard to believe the host countries will make money based on all the evidence of past Olympics, but it will be interesting to see each nation’s strategy for making their Olympics successful. The 2018 Olympic Games would be a good role model for any future games.
Keunsu Han, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the sport management program at Towson University. He was recently a visiting scholar in the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies and Wolfson College at the University of Oxford.
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