Wednesday, August 08, 2012

A List of Olympic Games Corresponding with Political Party in Power of Host Nation since WWII

"The stated benefits for a community from the staging of an Olympic Games are often equally vague. These benefits are usually uncosted and their value inflated. After an Olympic Games there is limited assessment as to whether any proposed benefits have been realised" (Impact of the Olympic Games on Host Cities by R Cashman). 

2012 - Great Britain (Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition led by David Cameron)
2008 - (Presidential election year) Peoples Republic of China (Communist one party state run by a central politburo)
2004 - (Election Year) Greece (Conservative New Democracy party led by Costas Karamanlis)
2000 - (Federal election Year) Australia (Conservative Liberal-National coalition led by John Howard)
1996 - (Presidential election year) United States of America (Centre-left President and Conservative controlled legislature)
1992 - Spain (Centre socialist government with cooperation from nationalist members led by Felipe González)
1988 - (Election year) South Korea (Conservative Democratic Justice Party with ties to the military led by Roh Tae Woo)
1984 - (Election year) United States of America (Conservative President and split legislature)
1980 - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Communist one party state run by a central politburo)
1976 - (Election in Quebec) Canada (Conservative Liberal government led by Pierre Trudeau)
1972 - (Election year) West Germany (Social-Liberal Coalition led by Willy Brandt)
1968 - Mexico (Centre-socialist, authoritarian Institutional Revolutionary Party led by Díaz Ordaz)
1964 -  (Election Year) Japan (Liberal-Democratic government led by Hayato Ikeda)
1960 -  (Election Year) Italy - (Conservative Christian Democratic Party Government led by Fernando Tambroni)
1956 -  Australia (Conservative Liberal government led by Robert Menzies)
1952 - Finland (Conservative Agrarian League government led by Urho Kekkonen)
1948 - Great Britain (Labour Party government led by Clement Atlee)

Of seventeen Olympic Games since World War II, ten have been held in election years for the host nation or 58.82%. Only three of the seventeen or 17.65% had non-conservative or non-totalitarian government at the time of hosting the Games. Every Summer Olympic Games coincides with a Presidential Election in the United States the same year. The Games are always in the summer (July-August) and the Presidential Election is in November.

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