While Nagano won the bid to host the '98 Olympics
"partly by promising to shower the event with cash and to
pay the way of every athlete ... much of that promised
windfall has since vanished, and the result may leave
visitors scratching their heads about what the organizers
envisioned when planning these Winter Games," according to
David Hamilton in today's WALL STREET JOURNAL. Hamilton:
"For a variety of reasons financial and political, the
torrent of money Nagano pledged to spend luring athletes and
spectators ... has been scaled way back or redirected. ...
Effectively, the Nagano organizers are building an Olympics
designed to benefit Nagano long term -- a time honored
Olympics tradition, but one that this city appears to be
taking to new extremes." Hamilton adds that hockey and
skating arenas "are so small that spectators will be crammed
together on temporary seating. At most venues, broadcast
facilities are minimal." Hamilton also writes that Olympics
officials "admit that they're a little worried what the
world will think of Japan after the Games." NAOC Deputy
Manager for Sports Facilities Hiroshi Higuchi: "We are
concerned about the impression of visitors from the rest of
the world -- what they will feel about the facilities when
they see temporary seatings and so forth" (WSJ, 7/11).
