Olympic Games: Maligned Atlanta meets targets
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Billy Payne, head of the Atlanta Committee for this summer's Olympics, has announced that the Games broke even.
Payne confirmed that the Games would meet their pounds 1.1bn budget. "We will break even, and maybe have a few dollars left over, but not much," Payne said. "We will tell the IOC [International Olympic Committee] that our expense and revenue targets were met."
The Atlanta Games were the first financed entirely by private funds. After recent speculation of a possible deficit, the IOC was anxious to get Payne's assurance that the Games would finish in the black.
Payne's report to the IOC comes amid continuing criticism of Atlanta. A report prepared by European Olympic officials is scathing on several issues. It says the Olympic village was cramped and overcrowded, the food was bad, transportation was a mess and the ambience created by over- commercialism was "cheap and tawdry".
Meanwhile, the IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, has praised the Barcelona Games as the best of all time and said the Atlanta Olympics were marred by a long list of shortcomings.
Samaranch said he did not proclaim the Atlanta Games with the usual post- Olympic superlative because of the multitude of problems ranging from transport bottlenecks to technology failures. "I was right by not talking of the `best Games ever'," Samaranch claimed.
He said that he had also withheld the superlative "best Games ever" after the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984, in Albertville in 1992 and "I believe also in Los Angeles in 1984".
"I only say that when it is true. No one can dispute that Lillehammer were the best Winter Games and Barcelona the best Summer Games."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments