When people talk about losing money on the Olympics, it is important to keep in mind that a lot of infrastructure gets built and included in the costs.
The 'profit' on the games shouldn't work from a starting point of zero, it should work from a starting point of what the cost of that infrastructure would have been on its own. (Only infrastructure that would have been built anyway should count of course).
Some cities actually make money. Some don't. I think Calgary would. However, even if they lost a bit, being left with billions of dollars of new infrastructure, along with lots of athletic legacy, is well worth it.
Especially when one also remembers that much of the funding comes from federal and provincial coffers. And its nice to see some of those funds come to Calgary instead of Quebec for a change. Because those funds would get blown somewhere, regardless.
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