History of the Summer Olympics - statistics & facts

International significance and doping

As the games grew in prominence, Olympic success became associated with international reputation, and governments became more involved. Examples of this are the U.S. and Soviet-led boycotts during the Cold War era, or African boycotts due to South African Apartheid. This also led to governmental pressure on athletic performance, most notably, in the state-sponsored doping programs of East Germany and the Soviet Union. With hindsight, many victories between the 1960s and 1990s have now been attributed to doping, and there are even calls for records set during these years to be reset. The World Anti-Doping Agency was formed in 1999 to combat the use of drugs in sport and has uncovered several high-profile cases relating to the Olympics, such as the BALCO scandal regarding U.S. athletes in the 2000 Olympics, and the ongoing scandal relating to Russia’s government-orchestrated doping practices in the past two decades.

Technology and finance

Technological advancements and improved access have meant that the number of television broadcasts and viewers have increased dramatically over time, with more than half of the world tuning in to watch the four Summer Games between 2004 and 2016. The cost of hosting the Summer Olympics is also significant, with the 2012 Games alone costing an estimated 15 billion U.S. dollars. While these investments can rejuvenate host cities in terms of infrastructure and tourism (i.e. Barcelona and London), the construction and maintenance costs can also create a huge financial burden that is detrimental to the local economy (i.e. Montreal and Athens). The postponement of hosting the Tokyo Games during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the IOC's decision to move ahead with the event in 2021 despite opposition from the Japanese government and public, could act as more of a deterrent to potential hosts. For these reasons, many cities are now reluctant to bid for the games, and the next three tournaments (Paris, Los Angeles, and Brisbane respectively) will take place in cities with strong infrastructure and pre-existing facilities.

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