Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Legacy
The legacy of the Olympic Games is a tough thing to figure out as the real legacy is usually only seven years later.
Often it is not a positive thing as many look at past Olympic sites and see abandoned buildings and a debate that will take years to pay off.
Many times the Olympics can have a bigger negative effect on the city and the country that plays host to the games.
That at least the connotation that they have had for a long time but recently that reality has changed to something a lot more positive.
In Vancouver, the 2010 Olympics did not result in a massive debt but instead seemed to galvanize an entire nation.
It can be looked to as a bit of a coming out party for Canada on the national stage providing more Canadian pride than ever before.
In London, the games brought much-needed development to a part of the city that was far from the best part of London.
To this day many of the facilities are still being used by the public and for some major international events.
In Sochi, the organizing committee broke the bank but didn’t use a lot of public funds leaving the government without a massive bill.
The city was almost built from scratch but is about to be a main host for the 2018 World Cup and is a constant stop for Formula 1 racing.
Not all have been great though as the Rio Olympics is a more complicated Games with their legacy tied to the issues with their government.
They are still struggling to figure out what the legacy will entail in Rio but the decision to hold the games in that country is a bigger issue.
For Pyeongchang, it is a little too early to figure out what the legacy is going to be and how far it will spread.
There is no question what they were trying to do with these games as this was a statement to the world.
When most people think of Korea they think of a scary place that is the centre of one of the most volatile issues today.
South Koreans were looking to prove to everyone that it was not the case and that they could put on a games that everyone would remember.
By all accounts, they achieved that as the reports coming from the games were that of great experiences.
The people were friendly and welcoming while no serious issues ever came close to happening despite the worry.
More than that safe and fun games the organizing committee was looking to use the Olympics as a way to unite.
They wanted to harness the power of sport to help unify people in a time that seemed to be separating everyone.
Obviously, sport was never going to have the power to change everything and the Olympics are not the solution to the proles in the world.
The organizers were hoping to take a step though and it started with the organizers allowing North Korea to participate.
The North Koreans didn’t have the best athletes and they weren’t going to send massive contenders to the games but they were allowed to enter the South.
This was a massive thing for the two countries that have had an uneasy peace for decades and it wasn’t met with the most acceptance by those in the South.
Still, the borders were opened and athletes walked into the Olympics under a unified flag while the women’s hockey team welcomed players from the North to play together.
It was a sign to the world that there is a chance for these two countries to come together even if it is just for a game.
For some, it is a hollow gesture that will mean little while others look for it as a chance for hope and that is what these Olympics were.
In an age where everything seems to be negative all the time, the Olympics are everything that is the opposite.
There is hope in the Olympics as athletes get their chance to achieve a dream and some do it with very small odds.
The Olympics showed the best of the world as the majority of the stories were positive which is what everyone needed right now.
The Sport Addiction 