Olympic Fever

When you look at the cost of hosting the Games, one sometimes wonders why a city chooses to do it.  Sure, it can put a city on a world stage or bring a fair amount of economic benefits to it, but most of the time, the Games seem to cost way more than originally anticipated and can even be financially crippling.

However, London 2012 has someone keeping an eye on the financials.  Their new mayor, Boris Johnson, wants to keep the budget for the 2012 Games on target, and will not hesitate to make some tough financial decisions in order to keep the taxpayers’ costs down.  What’s being trimmed down?  The London House at the 2008 Games.

Because they’re hosting the next Summer Games, London is hosting a pavilion to get people excited about the city.  Johnson thought a good number of the costs were extraneous, and cut 1.2 million pounds from the budget, including axing 18 chefs who were to be trained by Gordon Ramsey , flown over, and then cook.

Although it will cut down on some of the spectacle, it’s nice to actually see somebody think about budget and who actually pays for the Games.  Johnson is showing a bit of fiscal responsibility, and I for one think he should be commended for taht.