ABSTRACT
Legacy arises late in the discourse of the Olympics movement in scattered documents in the 1980s after the Munich, Montreal, and Moscow Games did little to enhance the image of hosting the Games. The reputational legacy is problematic because there is also the chance that the host city may end up with a more-negative view. Atlanta, Sochi, and Rio all emerged as much tainted as celebrated. However, the nature of the Games, involving large-scale provision of many venues, often at high cost, raises major legacy concerns. The infrastructure legacy is often compromised by the need to make investments for a unique, once-in-a-generation two-week event rather than concentrating on long-term needs. For the 2012 Games, polluted waterways and contaminated sites were cleaned up and a 500-acre site was carved out to make the largest urban park in the Europe. At least 4,000 residents were relocated, 300 businesses were closed, and 14,000 jobs lost.
