问答题
The cost of staging the year 2000 Olympics in Sydney
is estimated to be a staggering ＄ 960 million, but {{U}} {{U}} 1
{{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}the city is preparing to reap the financial benefits that come
from holding such an international event by equaling the commercial success of
Los Angeles, the only city yet to have made a demonstrable profit from the Games
in 1984.{{/U}} At precisely 4:20 a.m. on Friday the 24th of September 1993, it was
announced that Sydney had beaten five other competing cities around the world,
and Australians everywhere, not only Sydneysiders, were justifiably proud of the
result. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}But, if Sydney had lost
the bid, would the taxpayers of New South Wales and of Australia have approved
of governments spending millions of dollars in a failed and costly
exercise?{{/U}} There may have been some consolation in the fact
that the bid came in ＄ 1 million below the revised budget and ＄ 5 million below
the original budget of ＄ 29 million formulated in mid-1991. However, the final
cost was the considerable sum of ＄ 24 million, the bulk of which was paid for by
corporate and community contributions, merchandising, licensing, and the
proceeds of lotteries, with the NSW Government, which had originally been
willing to spend up to ＄ 10 million, contributing some ＄ 2 million.
{{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}The Federal Government's grant of
＄ 5 million meant, in effect, that the Sydney bid was financed by every
Australian taxpayer.{{/U}} Prior to the announcement of the
winning city, there was considerable debate about the wisdom of taking financial
risks of this kind at a time of economic recession. {{U}} {{U}} 4
{{/U}} {{/U}}{{U}}Others argued that 70% of the facilities were already in
place, and all were on government-owned land, removing some potential areas of
conflict which troubled previous Olympic bidders.{{/U}} The former NSW
Premier, Mr. Nick Greiner, went on record as saying that the advantage of having
the Games... "is not that you are going to have ＄ 7.4 billion in extra gross
domestic product over the next 14 years." {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}}
{{/U}}{{U}}I think the real point is the psychological change, the gaining of
confidence, apart from the other more obvious reasons, such as the building of
sporting facilities, tourism, and things of that nature.{{/U}}