The Legacy of the Olympics - Test 4

C1 Advanced · Gapped Text · Cambridge English Advanced 4, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read an article about the legacy the Olympic Games leaves in host cities and countries. Choose from the paragraphs A–G the one which fits each gap (41–46). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

The Legacy of the Olympics

As the Olympic Games have grown to become the world's foremost sporting event, their impact on host cities and countries has also increased

For the first time, an independent commission was established to monitor and publicly evaluate sustainability efforts. It rated the overall effort 'a great success'. Almost all of the demolition waste was recycled and more than half of the Games operational waste was reused, recycled, or composted.

Over the years, one can point to numerous examples of positive legacies that host cities have created through staging the Games and leveraging them as a catalyst. This is particularly the case in recent years.

This information is gathered by asking applicant cities to complete questionnaires about what they want the Games to create as a legacy. Once a city has been chosen to host the Games, this information provides the organisers with clear objectives to aim for during the seven years of Olympic preparation and beyond.

This welcome initiative, turning it into a strategic centre for business, culture and recreation, includes construction and the restoration of 70 kilometres of new water, sewer, gas and drainage systems. The residential impact is huge.

With that in mind, it has worked hard to help current Games organisers, as well as applicant cities, look at what they believe planning for and putting on the Games, as well as simply bidding for them, can do for their citizens, cities, and countries. It does this by asking them to provide comprehensive information.

A further legacy, as far as getting around the city is concerned, is the doubling of a major route connecting the south and west zones of the city. It increases road capacity and allows traffic to flow more smoothly between the two zones.

Cities which have made successful bids can then use these to draw on the lessons that previous host cities have learned. They adapt them to their own specific context, and aim to make improvements.

This includes an outline of their own objectives, long-term strategies and vision. From the beginning of the bid process, cities are encouraged to look at how the Games can be a catalyst for their development.

The IOC also assists cities by providing them with access to the enormous amount of information that is available through the IOC's Olympic Games Knowledge Management platform. This comprises elements such as case studies of previous Games programmes and initiatives, studies of the impact of the Olympic Games and numerous technical reports.

These benefits, however, may not be visible until years later. Many will be dependent on continued support from local authorities once the Games Organising Committee has ceased to exist and others may be difficult to measure or see but are felt by the local population.

Take Rio de Janeiro, for instance, where the 2016 Games were held. Transportation investments there, accelerated by the Olympic Games, have contributed to a dramatic increase in access to public transportation, from 16% of the population in 2009 to almost four times that after the Olympic Games. They include long stretches of bus rapid transport (BRT) lines, three new tunnels and two dedicated BRT corridors that link different regions of the city.

The Olympic legacy in Rio is not limited to investments in transport. Works in the Port Region are promoting a profound transformation in an area of enormous historical importance that had been abandoned for decades. Through the country's largest public-private partnership, the well-received Porto Maravilha Project establishes the regeneration and development of a 5 million-square-metre area.

In 2009, the central Rio area had 22,000 inhabitants. This number is expected to reach 100,000 within a few years and thanks to the Games the city is ready for this expansion. Furthermore, the Games assisted Rio in enhancing its profile as a tourist destination by showcasing its rich history and culture to the world.

Cities interested in hosting the Olympic Games are now placing increasing emphasis on the legacies that such an event can leave for their citizens and, in many cases, they are using the Games as a catalyst for urban renewal. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also realises that the Games need to create more than just good memories from 16 days of competition. That is why the Olympic Charter states that an important role of the IOC is 'to promote a positive legacy from the Olympic Games to the host cities and countries.' ___ This includes an outline of their own objectives, long-term strategies and vision. From the beginning of the bid process, cities are encouraged to look at how the Games can be a catalyst for their development. ___ The IOC also assists cities by providing them with access to the enormous amount of information that is available through the IOC's Olympic Games Knowledge Management platform. This comprises elements such as case studies of previous Games programmes and initiatives, studies of the impact of the Olympic Games and numerous technical reports. ___ These benefits, however, may not be visible until years later. Many will be dependent on continued support from local authorities once the Games Organising Committee has ceased to exist and others may be difficult to measure or see but are felt by the local population. ___ Take Rio de Janeiro, for instance, where the 2016 Games were held. Transportation investments there, accelerated by the Olympic Games, have contributed to a dramatic increase in access to public transportation, from 16% of the population in 2009 to almost four times that after the Olympic Games. They include long stretches of bus rapid transport (BRT) lines, three new tunnels and two dedicated BRT corridors that link different regions of the city. ___ The Olympic legacy in Rio is not limited to investments in transport. Works in the Port Region are promoting a profound transformation in an area of enormous historical importance that had been abandoned for decades. Through the country's largest public-private partnership, the well-received Porto Maravilha Project establishes the regeneration and development of a 5 million-square-metre area. ___ In 2009, the central Rio area had 22,000 inhabitants. This number is expected to reach 100,000 within a few years and thanks to the Games the city is ready for this expansion. Furthermore, the Games assisted Rio in enhancing its profile as a tourist destination by showcasing its rich history and culture to the world.

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