Economic benefits of hosting the Olympic Games

Hosting the Olympic Games enables a region and country to develop: the knowledge and skills of their workforce and volunteers; career opportunities; the tourism and events industry; the business sector; their global profile; and diplomatic relations.

The scale of the economic impact is dependent on local market conditions and the context of each event. In all cases, from Paris 2024 to LA28 and Brisbane 2032, the eventual economic benefits for the city, region and country are predicted to far outweigh the Games-related investments.

The IOC makes a significant contribution in cash, in services and in value-in-kind to the success of each edition of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games. This stimulates the regional and national economy, and generates government revenues which help to compensate any public investments. The IOC contribution also supports the organisation of the Paralympic Games. It is common practice for the Paralympic Games to receive a public contribution.

The IOC assists Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) in many other ways, including by providing daily support and expertise. The IOC is in charge of broadcasting the Games, and ensures the delivery of host broadcasting operations.

The IOC distributes the vast majority of its revenue to support the staging of the Olympic Games and to promote the worldwide development of sport and the Olympic Movement.

Find out more about the funding of the Olympic Games.

It is important to differentiate between the cost of organising the Games, which is almost entirely privately funded, and long-term capital investments, which represent a city, region or country planning for its future.

A respected study showed that, for 10 Olympic Games editions from 2000 to 2018, the organising committees’ operational budgets were almost entirely privately funded, and broke even or generated profit.

To ensure the greatest possible legacy, it is very important for the IOC that hosting the Olympic Games aligns with the host’s existing long-term social and economic development plans, as well as the goals of the Olympic Movement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Governments and other stakeholders can achieve maximum impact by combining different funding sources and ambitions with the timeline for the Games.