As the Paris 2024 Olympics are set to start in a few days, we want to take a step back and look at how much it really costs to host such big events. Paris campaigned on a platform of affordable and accessible games, supposedly breaking away from the cost overrun curse that has affected every modern Olympics before it. But having a closer look into the numbers, the picture isn’t that perfect. How much does it really cost to host the Olympics? How can we make them more affordable and sustainable? 

To help us answer all these questions, we talked with Alexander Budzier from Oxford University’s Said Business School, an expert in the economics of mega projects who recently published The Oxford Olympics Study 2024: Are Cost and Cost Overrun at the Games Coming Down?

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