Where once an event like the Olympics or the World Cup may have been seen as a triumph of corporate and athletic enterprise, today's world counts the cost of games much more carefully. Previous events have left countries with decaying venues and huge bills that take years to pay off. Local communities are increasingly unhappy that a large portion of their government's funds are directed towards events that might line the pockets of corporations, but do little to support local industry.
The $51 billion Sochi Winter Olympic Games — believed to be the most expensive Olympics in history — may have showcased modern Russia to the world, but it also shone a spotlight into the darker corners of the country's society: its treatment of LGBT people, the crackdowns on free speech of groups like Pussy Riot, and the corruption among the country's elite.
The spotlight will soon turn on Brazil, with the World Cup kicking off in June. Here too, the event has brought world attention to the country's issues. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to protest the enormous financial costs, the forced evictions of communities, and the exploitation of construction workers.
Marginalised people bear the brunt of costs for these global events. A new report from Caritas Australia estimates that around 200,000 people have been forced out of their homes in favelas in Brazil to make way for the construction of venues for the World Cup — that's one in every 1000 people. More than 1.25 million people were displaced due to the urban development in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Even the London Olympics resulted in the forcible eviction of 1000 people from their homes and businesses.
Caritas says the Olympics have caused the evictions of more than two million people over the past two decades.
A Caritas Australia petition to FIFA and the IOC asks them to ensure the human rights of people living in host countries are protected in the preparation of these global events, and ensure that the events are run sustainably. They call for the marginalised to be invited into the decision making, and for contractually binding minimum standards to be put in place to mitigate the impact on local communities.
It's time for us to re-think what these international events are actually trying to achieve. We live in an era of unprecedented global connection, but also an era where we are facing unprecedented challenges internationally. As