The Olympic Games is a unique event centering global interest on its host city. The financing of the Games has changed dramatically since Munich (1972) and economic interests and effects are increasingly paramount. It is therefore an anomaly that accurate economic analysis and comparison is not readily available. This is the most detailed study on the economic implications of recent and future Olympic Games over four decades. Contents: Preface by Jacques Rogge Foreword by Holger Preuss 1. Introduction: The Situation of Modern Cities and the Olympic Games 2. Methodology: Justifications for Use 3. Financing of the Games: Interests, Winners and Losers 4. Growth and Financial Gigantism: The Scale of the Olympic Games 5. Technique of Measuring: The Economic Impact of Olympic Games 6. Tourism and Exports: The Sleeping Giants 7. Investments and the Reconstruction of a City: Burdens and Opportunities 8. The Great Source of Income: Revenues of the OCOG 9. The Flip Side of the Coin: Expenditures of the Organizing Committee 10. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: Great Opportunities or Flash in the Pan? 11. The Olympic Aftermath: Price Increases and Economic Legacy 12. Reflections: The Olympics Today and the Challenge for Future Hosts References Index