The Indicator from Planet Money

Why the Olympics cost so much


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The modern Olympic Games are notorious for saddling host cities with burdensome cost overruns into the billions. Organizers for the Paris 2024 Olympics were aware of this and planned to put on one of the most cost-effective Olympics in recent memory. They still went over budget.

Today on the show, why the Olympics almost always costs host cities much more than they anticipate and what we can learn from the Olympic Games' original economic sin.

Related episodes:
Peacock, potassium and other Paris Olympics Indicators (Apple / Spotify)
Why California's high speed rail was always going to blow out (Apple / Spotify)

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