to suit your societies, we want to create all of this technology roommates. do we still have power of choice, age guides, which actually autonomy and operating in the room? best as the apple kind of technician. oh, is it already too late? so if corporations has more power and light bill in an entire country, the future is going to be good for the i would be nice if to before humans as well as human on al jazeera, the summer olympics, the world's biggest sporting events, opens in paris next week russia is fans for it's for in ukraine, but not israel for it's for on dollars on top of your role. the politics on business play in the game as kind of cost be justifies business insights. story the

hello and welcome to the program. i'm getting you navigate down the limited games, get underway next week. the pinnacle of sport for thousands of athletes, or hoping to make history for themselves and their countries, the olympic movements. core values are excellence, respect on friendship. but some might argue politics on business are just as central. now, major sons are spend to put on the tournament limiting potential host to return nations. sponsorship deals and advertisers also play a significant role. i'm under as politics. host front isn't political limbo with a care taker of government after an election still mates. and while is really athletes take part in spite of their countries, we're on gaza, russian athletes or ben, due to their country's war, new crane, with the exception of a few who compete as neutrals. so what are the games about and expressing a be

a live pick ideals or something else? how political are the olympics and how well his parents prepared will speak to her, i guess shortly. but 1st, this report from image and kimber. the limbic torch is pulse to fronts and on july, the 26th. the games will get underway in paris. but while the focus is food, politics isn't far away. like most ice countries, if labels voltag events, fronts is carried out extensive construction projects, the over costs are estimated around $9000000000.00. with 1500000 spent somewhat controversially cleaning up the full many pollutants and river to high swimming events. the man himself proving it was safe by taking you to. c c c c see anybody loses if it hadn't been for the games, we wouldn't have been able to do this work because the games weren't accelerate. you know the games, like i'm not gonna have that post on our energies towards a goal with a deadline in full source. he's also

a reassuring people that despite the influx of visitors and straighten on resources, life will continue, smoothly. security has been increased and health care services say they are ready for the additional buttons. for example, it's important to highlight that not only are we going to be welcoming the world with ashley's and visitors who may need assistance, but also the french, we have the capacity to handle all possible issues and the flexibility to respond to every situation. train stations and apples will be the main gateways for foreign visitors to phones in the last minute deal to avoid destroy. airport management agreed to pay bigger olympic bonuses and higher additional stuff. the purchase continue against the eviction of homeless people, migrants from the city, global politics. oh, so it's like what we're asking for right now is for not to participate. again, this is ryan is wants to participate with all the slide.

these demonstrators intern a white russian fellow, ruthie, and estimates the funds because of the warranty crane. but his re, athletes, and know, despite the countries move the 9 months of war and goes to the francis hoping its investment will pay off the olympics. it proved to be a globally unifying event, focused on supporting achievement, imaging, kimber. i'll just say era, the inside story. the books are bringing our guest. joining us from london is philip barker, who's the editor of the journal of olympic history. and he's also written about sport and the olympic movement for, for decades. joining us from paris is elaine cobb, who is a veteran journalist based in the french capital, also a board member of reporters without borders. and joining us from bristol, and the u. k. is david gold lot and was a sports rider, broadcaster and journalist, is also the author of the games, a global history of the olympics. thanks for your time with us on inside story.

elaine, i'll start with you because you're in paris, give us a sense of what it's like in paris right now. the, you know, the rain, we're out a point where permissions are starting to say, is it going to be fun now? because it has been hugely disruptive. the construction around the city, the transport chaos lines of the metro and the bus being closed and many provisions . he just and you know, i'm out of here and they left. others have said it can only get better. so we're staying and everyone is kind of wondering, will it be good or will it not today the athlete started arriving at the olympic village? i think it's now finally becoming we'll, these are the olympics. this is the sporting event, rather than the endless construction. the endless dust dirt, i mean, unless trying to get around the city with many problems. david elaine saying

some parisians are saying, look, i'm out of here. what about those people who actually want to go to the olympics? i mean, give us a sense of who attends these games, who can afford it, is it just for sort of rich or people as well the, the cost of the ticket. so these are the intakes. they're all assume number of cheaper tickets, but a lot of them are very expensive. um, they are in the book from what i can see pretty much entirely sold out and people i show you will have a good time. it's a great spectacle. but that's not really the sort of questionnaire is that uh, an estimating will it work or is it a good thing? i think there are much more complicated long term questions about the meaning of the event. the messages that. ready sens, whether it actually contributes to a development in a progressive, think she main, why in paris or these things on yet to actually be decided. right. and you're

absolutely right. and these are all on my list of questions that i'm going to get to in a 2nd. but phillip, let me bring you in from london. look the motto of the ideals. rather i should say for the olympics are respect, excellence and friendship. do you think that these games will deliver on these promises by the promoters? so it's, it's, it's a, it's a hope that some people will find that magic of the olympics having experience it in my hometown of london back in 2012. and there was a vibe that there was a lot of negativity before had in the wake some months before hand. and suddenly that old change and people it did become a village of the world. but. 3 yeah it's, it's very, very difficult. i mean 1st and foremost it's foster high, a stronger, which is the great olympic molto to try and exceed your very best. and they've added some of the westwood together, which is the well coming together. and it has worked in the past in some ways. i

mean i'm sitting the notably boss alona. these were games where the well did come together and everybody went away with a good feeling. and these games have got a multi so wide open games. antonia stay engaged, the parish 2024 presidents and said and the idea is that they are open to everybody . but having seen some of the watering sounds that they charging for hospitality and a ticket. for example the, the mens 100 meters. you how have to one the just how accessible they will be to the ordinary person. elaine, let's talk about the social impact of a fee event, because there have been concerns leading up to this about the displacement of homeless people being moved out of certain areas. authorities of course the same to look these evictions. they're not tied to the gains, but what's going on there? what's been the impact of that? and a lot of people who were homeless were moved out several months ago for the most part to other housing around the country. and this was,

it was linked to the olympics, whatever they might say. but it is part of a program to house people. and there just isn't the accommodation in powers. powers is what draws refugees, immigrants asylum seekers. they want to go to capital cities. but there's simply isn't the room. and so in an attempt to, you know, move them out because in many instances they were in places where they were putting off olympic structures such as near the city hall. they simply couldn't have people there. and there was the space in power. so they moved them out, there was been controversy of badges and i'll be as many people who were homeless, but settled here were very unhappy. so in the beginning part of being used to elaine, do you think that the, the games are being used sort of as a pretext to displace these people who are marginalized? i think it was more is that it's prompted. csr is used to look at, but they really have to do to give people somewhere to live because there were

times that things here that were just sitting there for a long time. and people living in them complaining that no one was trying to find them a real home. so it made them kind of go, we need to find them homes. they're not going to be in paris, but let's see where we can send them. and it has been a little more equitable in sending people around the country rather than the concentration here in paris. david, another issue of course is workplace accidents. look according to french, that's a 6. there have been at least a $181.00 workplace accidents, including $31.00 serious accidents on construction projects related to the olympics . to what extent do you think the workers' rights i have a sort of overshadowed preparations, not only for these games, but we see this time and time again with other host cities for the olympics. don't we forgive me? i must go back on the question of the homeless in paris. i just want to contest the idea that they just have to be removed. i don't see why, you know the olympics is

a reason to scrub the problems with the safety clean. you know, it's not like it's actually solving the problems. it's not like the places that people are paying signed by have any connections or family, or even legal community of employment. a many of them are slipping back to paris because that's the only way in which they can actually practically survive. i mean, what are they going to do in los angeles? in 2020 i, we have a number. ready on the house people, he's many, many times greater many, many times more visible when we haven't pirates or we just kind of, i just going to fight them away again. i actually sent in a wind will actually lead from lead from way of i'll unless confronted the reality of the situation rather than scrapping the city clean for i, you know, designed for television spectacle. all right. and the question of the, on the question of work is right, i wouldn't claim to be an expert on this issue, but i do know that a lot of migrant and non documented board because have been used in the construction industry. this is not particularly a problem of the olympics,

i should say, write something, major construction funds, all over europe, all major projects, all um, some of the thing trades union rights. so blessing work is rights employing people, trash really. sorry my dog. i'm not sure the olympics is any, was the many, all the mega projects that are going on a phillip theory agree with that. as i said, i think this is the case. i mean it was, has been, um, the it said that he in that land so that for the 1996 games a lot of the people who did you tube and for the combination were simply given some money and said them go away and not so many words, so it's, it's, it's a difficulty is so to what they don't mean by using 2008, the olympic green used to be an area where people lived and they were moved. and obviously we con, um, we don't have some evidence on what actually happened to them, how they,

what house, what quality of housing they would give a no accommodation they were given. so it is, it is something that when you do a project like this, people all going to be displaced and it's, it's, it's not really um, part of this sort of supporting values. and it's not part of the message as, as david was saying, um the, the olympics would become very much of a made for television spectacle. and so as long as it looks great on television, and that fundamentally is in the stadium. and in the only ones that are shown in the what they call the beauty shots, you know, things like the eiffel tower with the olympic ratings. then what happens behind the scenes and what is hayden? them doesn't seem to have quite so much importance. okay. got it's elaine, another issue that for a price that have to deal with is of course the river sun, which had had up until recently failed several water quality tests. but we know

that paris city hall has now cleared it for swimming. do off already is have a contingency plan if the sand remains to dirty and turbulence once the games actually begin to let me clarify that it is not cleared for those events completely. it was cleared for any dial ago the mer to get into the water the other day, but it's simply a case of testing every single day. and they're trying to see, will it work just a week ago, the city whole said, it was clean 10 or 11 hours of the previous 12 days, considering their assigned has testing every day. that's not a very precise answer and they would stop giving us the actual results. but they are going to keep testing the. the 1st event in the sam is the managed class lawn on july 30th. and tony has done gay the and then he's president of said, if it's not clean enough, they will try to postpone if they cons postpone. well the try outs long might just

become a buyout plan. and for the mattress on the men's and women's are on august 8th and 9th, which is just before the closing ceremony on august 11th. so they don't have a lot of leeway if they have to postpone them. and interestingly, there's not a lot of talk about the athletes who have been training for this and who are fine doing cells with all that added stress of asking themselves will this happen? and if you've got the mixed relay trask lawn, and they think they're swimming, is their strongest part of that's free at sporting events, then they're going to feel hard done by because lots of by off long. right. okay. and of course, elaine, i mean adding to all of this, i just need to ask you about the domestic politics because you're in front. i mean, this is all happening at the same time. you have the fragment of politics as a result of of course the reason to election. there's an outgoing sort of caretaker government at the moment about how is that impacting all the preparations and the

lead up to, to the olympics. it is all quite because the caretaker government has the limits and powers. it's the same government that was in power under prime minister, gabriela dial. but the kinds make reforms. but for example, if there's a security issue, the interior minister does have the power to send out more police to implement and certain goals that just kind of bring in sweeping new reforms. and it does look like present, michael, and decided i want the caretaker government. now we will deal with finding a new government after the olympics, or between the olympics and the power olympics, just because there will be protests no matter who gets to form the next government . some people will be unhappy and the french frankly, are less likely to protest when they're on vacation. okay, got it. and speaking of protest, philip, there has been of course pro palestinian protest or is cove. i've been long calling on the i o. c to band israel from the olympics. but the president's when he was

asked about is really teams not taking parts. he said, no, there is no question about this despite the war. and guys, why are the is really absolutely so in israel as a country allowed to take part when we seen steps to band russell in the past as well. this whole and political thing is actually loan on going, going back as far the situation of israel since they found that the state and they've always had um, a tenant relationship with arab nations. and this division of is the school separate from the actions of a government. now in the case of russia and bella luce, the neutral athlete, so on the very, very strict guidelines and then not allowed to participate if they overly support the war. and we've seen some actually to wellness zed symbol on that uniform. so as a,

it's an indication that they support or the action of the government and then not allowed to take policy if they have parts of the military forces. now i'm with them israel . the situation is that is perhaps different, you know, you're looking at the right. i mean, will be, this is a double stand or it is or not. well, except to the best of us national olympic committee, the president was, and the actual president of the country as well. and the, the olympic committees also oppose not to come on the, any political influence, and they're supposed to fight for their independence. now this is obviously easier said than done in some countries. but if, if you go back and look at the history all from israel and the arab states, and in the olympic movement that has been an ongoing conflict for over 70 years, is where i was excluded from the 1st mediterranean games. okay, let me, let me bring in david, because david, look, i mean everything that's,

that's being outlined by philip and also the i o c itself. claims that if the poses the politics of sport, but is that really true? because also adding on to what we heard a moment ago. i mean, it was sell the parts south africa was banned from the olympics. yep. i mean this i think is best though. so. um, in terms of wider sports in politics um football in particular, oh wow. um is royal has been given basically a free pulse of the last 8. 0 no i need is by fee for the ivr its behavior. um israel um allows uh, teams that are all based in secular communities in the occupied westbank to participate in his right. the legs in international law as far as fee for is concerned as well. the occupied westbank is not, is route. and therefore the plan, those teams being able to play and his role is complete the country to fee for the statutes. if any of the country was engaged in such a practice fee for would suspend the box is royal or given

a special cause as they all in so many areas of international votes. so what's your favorite? the ability of these organizations is on the line. well, it certainly is in any, in any outbreak, nation in the middle east way a vicious looks on very poorly and across the global south. and much of the global know this is just consider the know in international politics that is ro gets a special dispensation. but i would say in many parts of the world, this is lives on incredibly poorly and it seems the double standards that it actually is. okay, let's, let's move on to the it's the issue of budgets because uh we have about 5 minutes or so left on the program up. let me ask philip the so perez we understand had budgeted around $8000000000.00 or for the 20 a year. ok. i beg your pardon for the 2024 olympics when it want it back in 2017. it's sense of course of that budget by a few $1000000000.00. we know that real,

for example, when 15 times above its own budget, i mean the olympics as a business model. what's going on here? is it failing this? i think i think so. i mean, the, the, the, the idea, the, the let me pick movement they, they, they built in them when the president 7 who's coming in charge of international olympic committee present. thomas bob came in. he came in with this idea code agenda 2020 saying off not what you do for the olympics, but what the olympics can do for your country. and that was the problem is that we don't build any new facilities on necessarily spend as little as possible, use whatever you can. but of course, and that never quite works because everybody wants to show that best weld cops and olympics they want to show that the country is vibrant, has gleaming new facilities and everything else. i mean, even london facilities and that budget when top is sky ball kid off the, the $911.00 attacks. and so that, that immediately put the,

put the security budget up. i mean, these take us all i've altering and almost inc comprehensible to us. may have multiples, right, because they all just so huge. yeah. speaking to elaine, i mean, do you think that the cost versus revenue pays off for host cities and will it pay off for payers was time around i believe i might be wrong, but i believe that sidney is the only country that managed to make a profit from the olympics, and yes, the budget was cut during coded, and paris was told scale back. and in fact, paris did scale by quite a bit on it. some patients there is only one brand new facility, the aquatic center for some of the aquatic events. otherwise they've been redoing restoring and renovate, using older sporting facilities. now the start, the false was built a mere 24 years ago. so it's fairly new in sporting terms and is

a great location for the kind of events that will be taking place there. now, as it's going to be cost and estimated $12000000000.00 that tell us now with the little overrun in the budget, but that is cheap file and pick standards and find that will make it the 3rd cheapest. in recent times, whether the revenue will make will be worth this is another question. already tourism is down. you expect it to go off, the edit seems counter intuitive, but even in june, there was 15 percent fewer flights of accommodation was down some 30 percent of accommodation as that 30 percent of its down 30 percent. and on last year accommodation. and if you look on any of the booking platforms, there are tens of thousands of hotel rooms and apartments still available for the olympics and the prices are being slashed. okay. will you be good with long greet?

hang on a 2nd, let's bring and david on. specifically on the issue of tourism because this is the i o c, david says, or likes to claim rather that the posting of the games brings prestige and exposure and any deficit that the whole city experiences will be made up by long term gains when it comes to issues of things like tourism, as well as investments in more. i mean, is there an economic boost from hosting these games? do you think? i, you know, there isn't an economic boost. you know, all of the research suggests that in the medium, in the long time, in terms of productivity, employment, tourism, etc, feel impacts, do not make a significant difference of any kind of why the treatment, why the study of hosting is games. well, that's another question. probably because they keep drinking light hotly because they're all political and patients. i'm because of bubble lea, a lympics, is not really about making a profit or even encouraging, more people to play school. it's about style pushing a spectacle for which you can transmit political messages to billions of people

around the world. that's really what's at stake. philip, can be lympics continued to be held in this way. is this sustainable? it's well, you would think not because one of the things is that it's meant to be universal and the number of cities that can afford to actually go for the olympics is shrinking all the time. i mean, you know, a blog that has had it 3 times powers. now 3 times, los angeles 3 times. and, you know, you have to go to a cities that already have an existing info struck even somewhere the stage, the olympics. so what 96 years ago amsterdam is probably considered too small now, so it doesn't, some doesn't speak to the saved us ality the games, if you can actually take it around the well that's one of the attractions via the inputs as it goes from place to place, but not if it causes such financial hardship. i mean it 2 years and years from

montville, which stays the 1976 and then picks to pay everything off. los angeles made a profit, but that's because they didn't build anything. they just pulled up funding everywhere in 994. so and you, you do 121-0000 actually $32.00 championships is supposed to be a great coming together the well, but even phones can't handle stuffing. for example, that seemed to haiti, which is a thousands of miles away, so you'd have to bring in and let me bring in a line for a final word from you and me. do you, do you see any other alternatives for the olympics to evolve for, to become you know, to continue to be sustainable if they want the olympics to be held in one place on a flagship event, as it is, then this is going to continue. the only way that you could potentially do it is choose a smaller group and rotate and have it in places where they have got the infrastructure

or rotated with places that had the world cups. but those for that infrastructure. but it is a difficult question and you know, bar somewhere like power as it's already the most visited sitting in the world. so the argument that it will bring more visitors is relevant to us here. all right, well we will be watching as and when the games opened up in 2 weeks on thank you so much for the barker lane club and david go blah, thank you for joining us. and thanks for watching, you can see the program again, any time by visiting our website, l g 0. com. for further discussion, you can go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash a j inside story to in the conversation on x or handle is a inside story from myself and the whole team here in delphi. thanks for watching and bye for now. the we look at the worlds to please me. stories of what kind of response can we expect

from china if tech talk is in the global markets in economies and smooth businesses . how time cube was wide, economic problems be addressed. strongly be fixed to understand how it affects d. 9 south asia is growing, but employment levels are actually fully. why is that? counting the cost? oh no, just the euro or the midst of how much is happening before the end of the question, why it's happening like this. now let denise to disclose your mind. it's area and really foundation unique perspectives. i loved it. i really loved them because definitely i left and nothing if something is always on heard

voices. but we are committed to guessing best i can. all of you so much connect with our community and talking to conversations you will find elsewhere. lot of these positions, if it was part of the medical facilities in golf, as it would be preventable, that is to hold on. what's the stream on our, just your team in the gaza strip as is the last continues. there's a deliberate mission of posting and humanity in western media. and it needs to be question, sustains coverage that actively humanize as is readings and actively humanizes palestinians. this is not the time for doing this to kind of wait tracking those stories, examining the journalism and the effect that news coverage can have on democracies everywhere. here, at the listing most power defines how well we live. here we make the rule,

not the people empower, investigate exposure and question the use and abuse of power around. but the analogy there, the donald trump arrived at the republican national convention to deliver his 1st speech says the attempt on his life just days ago, the on the rock, this is l. g 0 life on the also coming up concerns grow overdraw barton's candidacy as more democrats put pressure on him to quit the race. a binder says he's staying on a new health crisis.