The right to host the Summer Olympic Games in 1976 was given to the Canadian Montreal, which rivaled its strong rivals - Moscow and Los Angeles with its victory. This small island city, surrounded by the waters of the St. Lawrence, received hundreds of thousands of tourists in two weeks of the Olympiad.
The Olympic Games are undoubtedly one of the most ambitious international events. It affects several important areas of human life and activity: politics, economics and sports. The capital of the future Olympiad is selected in advance so that the city has time to prepare for receiving guests. To do this, it is necessary not only to provide them with accommodation and sports facilities, but also to develop a plan for recreational activities and take measures to improve security.
In May 1970, the International Olympic Committee decided on the venue for the 1976 Games. Three cities were on the agenda: Moscow, Montreal and Los Angeles, and in that order. The Soviet capital was the favorite, and the Russian media was even quick to announce the committee's positive decision in favor of Moscow, although no decision had yet been made. Members' voting was carried out in two stages. In the first round, Los Angeles was eliminated, and almost all of his votes went to the Canadian city. Montreal won with 41 votes to 28.
Montreal had six years to make all the necessary preparations. City officials said the Montreal Olympics will be modest and simple "in the tradition of human greatness," meaning that sports will come first. Soon I had to forget about the loud promise. Almost immediately it became clear that the city would not meet the budget. The planned $ 310 million resulted in almost $ 20 billion. To receive this amount, the city had to take a huge loan, which was fully repaid only in 2006.
The construction of the Olympic facilities was carried out in difficult conditions. There were severe frosts, mistakes of designers led to the death of a dozen workers. Contractors who did not receive their money on time went on strike every now and then. The Montreal Games have become the most expensive in the history of the Olympics.
