The goal of every athlete is to make it to the Olympics. More so than even national finals or annual world championships, for athletes in every sport the Olympics represent a high ideal, the highest goal an athlete can set for him or herself. Charles Foster, who served until 1996 as the secretary of the US Olympic Committee, calls this the "power of the rings ". Unlike any other event, cities stand in line to bid for the games, which have an almost mythical quality. The lure of the athletes performing and competing make it the most glamorous international sporting event.
Cities primarily host the Olympic games because they want to make a statement about their city - to put it on the map. For example, Atlanta hosted the games to show that it wasn't just a southeastern 'town' but a real city. Hosting the games also has a huge impact within the community. Even before the games begin, there's an 8 to 10 year media buzz surrounding the city. A successful bid also effects longterm investment and trade in the area. Atlanta had always been known as a convention city, but after the games it hosted consistently 60% more events each year than before.
The Olympics also serve as an excuse to build world class sporting facilities. There exists a downside though, which is that the city needs to figure out an after use for the facilities. Atlanta solved this problem by building the stadium in conjunction with the Braves, who paid to convert it to a new field for themselves after the games had left. Some of the facilities though, like the bobsled luge, are always a huge loss of money and have no real use after the event.
Hosting the games also requires an upgrade of the existing infrastructure, especially regarding transportation, which has to efficiently connect the various locations of the events. For example, in preparation for the Olympics Japan built railway extensions that connected Tokyo and Nagano, which remain today and have cut a nine hour drive into a two hour train ride. "At the end of the day, you always remain an Olympic City ".
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