BOCOG Data Indicates Beijing Games Posted $16M Operating Profit

Preliminary data disclosed by BOCOG officials indicates that the Beijing Olympics "made an operating profit" of US$16M, which would make the Games "one of the most profitable Olympics in recent years," according to Mei Fong of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The profit could also make the Beijing Games the "most profitable for years to come." The figure "doesn't reflect the true cost of hosting the Olympics, since it does not include Beijing's massive $40[B] infrastructural buildup ahead of the Games." But the figure instead "measures the operating costs of hosting the Games against revenue from sponsorships and television rights." The IOC said that "no figure has been officially given to them" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/7).