Boris
Johnson: The London Mayor is the Biggest Winner of the Olympics
BEN STANSALL / AFP /
GETTY IMAGES
From left: London Mayor Boris Johnson holds the Olympic flag
next to IOC president Jacques Rogge and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes
during the handover at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games in
the Olympic Stadium in east London, Aug. 12, 2012.
When a rocket launcher trundled into the Olympic Stadium during
the closing ceremony for the Games,
my neighbor in the stands thought he had guessed the identity of the human
cannonball who would shortly be propelled from its barrel. “It’s Boris,” he
said. Wrong. The white-clad figure did indeed prove to be a blonde comedian,
but it was Eric Idle, a founding member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Just
days before, Boris—or to list the sackful of names London‘s mayor has
shouldered since birth, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson—had been left dangling after
a failed attempt to ride a zip wire at an Olympic event. On this occasion, the
greatest upstager in modern politics chose a more conventional route to the
podium for his final Olympic duty, the handover of the flag to Rio, the 2016
host city. His appearance drew cheers of a volume equaled only by those that
greeted the Spice Girls, all five of them, Baby, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and Posh
. . . .
Peter’s Comment
Well done, Boris
something-or-other Johnson, you did well. You did particularly well considering
the ghastly setback that Londoners suffered right after the announcement that
the 2012 Games would be held in your city. We won’t dwell on the left dangling
episode at the opening.
But Boris, don’t
you think that it’s time for a permanent Olympic City in international
territory and preferably in a place suitable for both summer and winter
Olympics?
London and Los
Angeles put on well run events. Atlanta and Athens were less successful. All
lost huge money on the event. Some businesses in Olympic cities do well from
the Games, but we hear very little about other businesses that suffer losses
because of the Games.
A permanent
Olympic City (capital C) could close the gap between Games by hosting the event
every two or three years and it could be available as an international center for
training, conventions, entertainment and tourism at other times.
The Games could
operate at a profit enabling poorer or remote nations to be given assistance
with training and travel.
What do readers think of this proposal?
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