Olympic Games: Preliminary Information on Federal Funding and Support
(Letter Report, 12/21/1999, GAO/GGD-00-44).

At least 24 federal organizations provided or planned to provide about
$2.1 billion in 1999 dollars for Olympic projects and activities for the
Los Angeles and Atlanta Summer Olympic Games and the upcoming Salt Lake
City Winter Olympic Games. About $530 million was reported to have been
provided or planned for projects and activities solely related to the
planning and staging of the Olympics, including safety and security as
well as transportation services. The remaining $1.6 billion was spent or
planned for projects, such as highway construction, transit system
development, and other capital projects, that the host cities of Atlanta
and Salt Lake City wanted to have completed in time for the Olympic
Games. Federal and state officials said that they identified these
projects as Olympic-related because their completion was generally
accelerated to improve transportation services and avoid construction
during the Olympic Games. These officials said that most of the federal
funding for these projects would have been eventually provided to the
host city regardless of the Olympic Games. Concerning the 1984 Olympic
Games in Los Angeles, federal funding and support totaled about $75
million and involved 11 federal organizations. Unlike the federal
support for later Olympics, the federal organizations reported little
funding and support for capital projects to prepare Los Angeles for the
1984 Summer Olympic Games. Most of the federal funding and support that
agencies reported providing to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta
and planned for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is reported to be for
infrastructure projects to prepare the host city for the
Olympicsï¿½projects that will also benefit the host city and state after
the Games have ended.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  GGD-00-44
     TITLE:  Olympic Games: Preliminary Information on Federal Funding
	     and Support
      DATE:  12/21/1999
   SUBJECT:  Federal funds
	     Internal controls
	     Sports
	     Intergovernmental fiscal relations
	     Funds management
IDENTIFIER:  1996 Summer Olympic Games
	     1984 Summer Olympic Games
	     2002 Winter Olympic Games

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GAO/GGD-00-44

OLYMPIC GAMES: Preliminary Information on Federal Funding and Support (GAO/GGD-00-44)
OLYMPIC GAMES Preliminary Information on Federal Funding and Support
United States General Accounting Office
GAO Report to Congressional Requesters
December 1999 

GAO/GGD-00-44

United States General Accounting Office General Government Division Washington, D. C. 20548
Page 1 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
B- 284275 December 21, 1999
The Honorable John D. Dingell Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Commerce House of Representatives
The Honorable John McCain Chairman, Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation United States Senate
Concerned about the rising costs of federal funding and support of the Olympic Games over the years and the appropriateness of funding for certain projects, you requested information on federal funding and support 1 of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, CA; the 1996 Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta, GA; and the planned 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, UT. 2 You requested that we answer four questions: (1) What was the amount of federal funding and support provided to the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles and the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, and the planned amount for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City? (2) What types of Olympicrelated projects and activities received federal funding and support? (3) What are the federal policies and legislative authorizations for providing federal funding and support? (4) What procedures exist to ensure that federal funding and support were properly awarded and used?
Specifically, this preliminary report responds, in part, to the first two questions. It provides information on the amount of federal funding and support agencies reported as being related to the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and currently planned for Salt Lake City. It also identifies the types of projects and activities each of the federal agencies reported as being Olympic- related. More detailed information about the projects and activities themselves, as well as information addressing questions three and four above, will be provided in our final report to be issued next year.
1 Federal funding is typically provided to such entities as the city, state, and Olympic organizing committees through such mechanisms as agency memorandums of agreement, grant awards, and government contracts. Federal support is generally provided in the form of in- kind contributions, such as personnel, equipment, and other resources.
2 The 1996 Olympic Games and the planned 2002 Winter Olympic Games also include the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games were not a part of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
B- 284275 Page 2 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Because there is no systematic or central accounting for federal funding and support provided to the Los Angeles and Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, and planned for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, we made a governmentwide inquiry by contacting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and 29 other federal organizations regarding federal support and funding of the Olympic Games. To supplement the information we received, we researched legislative databases dating back to 1979 to identify federal funding and support of the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and planned for Salt Lake City. We also reviewed numerous reports and interviewed appropriate federal, state, and local government officials and representatives of several private organizations to document and discuss the federal government's involvement with the Olympic Games. We conducted our review from April 1999 to December 1999 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. A more detailed description of our scope and methodology is included in the appendix.
Three points need to be considered in connection with the data on federal funding and support of the Olympic Games contained in this report. First, it was not possible to precisely calculate the total amount of federal funding and support for the Olympic Games because there is no requirement that federal agencies determine or account for this information in a systematic manner. Second, we are still in the process of quantifying the total amount of federal funding and support as well as trying to determine from the agencies how much of the federal funding and support would have been provided or planned for the Olympic host city regardless of whether the Olympic Games were held there versus the amount of federal funding and support that would have been provided or planned solely for the planning and staging of the Games. Third, most of the federal funding and support reported for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is planned and could change between now and 2002. Ultimately, it may not be possible to obtain a definitive determination from all agencies concerning whether federal funding for some projects would have been provided if Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City were not the host cities for the Olympic Games.
At least 24 federal organizations reported providing or planning to provide a combined total of about $2.1 billion in 1999 dollars 3 for Olympic- related projects and activities for the Los Angeles and Atlanta Summer Olympic
3 Unless otherwise noted in this report, all dollars are reported in 1999 dollars. In addition, our conversion to 1999 dollars is less than precise because the yearly data were not always available. Also, in some cases, the numbers may not total because of rounding. Results in Brief
B- 284275 Page 3 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Games and the planned Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. Of the estimated $2.1 billion, approximately $530 million was reported to have been provided or planned for projects and activities solely related to the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. These projects included or plan to include such activities as safety- and security- related services and transportation services. The remaining estimated $1.6 billion was spent or is planned for projects, such as highway construction, transit system development, and other capital projects, that the host cities of Atlanta and Salt Lake City wanted to have completed in time for the Olympic Games. According to federal and state officials, they identified these projects as Olympic- related because their completion was generally accelerated to improve transportation services and avoid construction during the Olympic Games. These officials said that most of the federal funding for these projects would have been eventually provided to the host city regardless of the Olympic Games.
Concerning the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, federal funding and support totaled about $75 million and involved 11 federal organizations. The majority of the federal funding and support, about $68 million, was for safety- and security- related services provided during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. Unlike the federal funding and support for the later Olympic Games, the federal organizations reported little funding and support for capital projects related to preparing Los Angeles for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
The majority of the federal funding and support agencies reported providing to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta and planned for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is reported to be for infrastructure projects to prepare the host city for the Olympic Games projects that will also benefit the host city and state after the Games are held. However, although the completion of these projects was generally accelerated because of the Olympic Games, most of the funding for these activities probably would have eventually been provided to the host city regardless of the Games, according to federal and state officials. For example, federal funding and support for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta totaled about $605 million and involved 24 federal organizations. Of this amount, about $184 million was spent on activities provided during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games, including about $92 million for safety- and security- related services, which would not have been used for this purpose if the Games had not been hosted there. About $421 million was spent for highway, transit, public housing, and other capital projects related to preparing Atlanta for the Games. According to federal
B- 284275 Page 4 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
and state officials, most of the $421 million would eventually have been provided to Georgia, regardless of the Olympic Games.
About $1.4 billion in federal funding and support is planned or has been provided for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and involves 18 federal organizations. Of this amount, about $272 million is planned or has been provided for activities during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games, including about $200 million for safety- and securityrelated services, which would not have been used for this purpose if the Games were not being hosted there. About $1. 1 billion is planned or has been provided for highway, transit, and other capital improvement projects that appear to be related to preparing the host city for the Olympic Games. According to federal and state officials, most of the $1.1 billion would have been eventually provided to Utah, regardless of the Olympic Games.
Eleven federal organizations reported providing about $75 million in funding and support for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Most of this funding and support, about $68 million, was for safety- and security- related services provided during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games by the Departments of Defense, Justice, Transportation, and the Treasury, and thus would not have been provided if Los Angeles had not hosted the Olympic Games. Unlike the federal funding and support for the later Olympic Games, the federal organizations reported little funding and support for capital projects that would have benefited Los Angeles after the Olympic Games were held.
Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Department of Agriculture $160 $234
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Quarantine of animals used in Olympics 160 234
Department of Commerce 262 382
Economic Development Administration Economic development grants: public works 100 146 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather forecasting services 162 236
Department of Defense Logistical support, personnel, equipment, other services for safety and security related services 32,001 46,703 Department of Health and Human Services Safety and security related services 212 309 Department of Justice 6,787 9,905
Drug Enforcement Administration Safety- and security- related services 284 414 Federal Bureau of Investigation Safety- and security- related services 5,164 7,536 Immigration and Naturalization Service Safety, security, and increased agency services 1,334 1,947 U. S. Marshals Service b Safety- and security- related services 0 0
Federal Funding and Support for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles
Table 1: Federal Funding and Support for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA
B- 284275 Page 5 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars
Interpol Safety- and security- related services 5 7
Department of State Increased agency services 1,963 2,865 Department of Transportation 2,709 3,954
U. S. Coast Guard Safety- and security- related services 1,851 2,701 Federal Aviation Administration Safety, security, and increased agency services 858 1,252
Department of the Treasury 4,989 7,281
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Safety- and security- related services 1,880 2,744 U. S. Secret Service Safety- and security- related services 1,621 2,366 U. S. Customs Service Safety- and security- related services 1,488 2,172
Department of Veterans Affairs Not available 392 572 Federal Communications Commission Communication systems improvements 181 264 U. S. Information Agency Increased public information services 1,498 2,186 Total $51,154 $74,656
a Personnel costs are generally not included in these amounts, with the exception of the Department of Justice figures. b The U. S. Marshals Service reported that it provided $206, 000, or $300,642 in 1999 dollars; however,
the Department of State reimbursed it. As such, we have included this amount in the Department of State's figure.
Source: OMB.
Twenty- four federal organizations reported providing about $605 million in funding and support for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. This included about $184 million for activities that solely related to the planning and staging of the Olympic Games, including about $92 million for safety and security activities, provided by the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Justice, Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Corporation for National and Community Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Executive Board. In addition, about $421 million was provided for highway, transit, and other capital improvement projects related to preparing the host city for the Olympic Games.
According to Transportation and other agency officials, most of the federal funding for highway, transit, and other capital improvement projects would eventually have been provided regardless of whether Atlanta was selected as the host city for the 1996 Olympic Games. However, these officials identified these specific projects as Olympic- related because their completion generally had to be accelerated in order for Atlanta to successfully host the Games. Federal Funding and
Support for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta
B- 284275 Page 6 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
On the other hand, Transportation officials stated that the $17 million spent on the Olympic Transportation System 4 would not have been funded had it not been for the Olympic Games. In addition, funding provided for the construction of the Olympic Whitewater venue also appears to fall into this category.
Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Designated by Congress b Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Actual 1999 dollars Department of Agriculture $20,690 $21,588 $500 $522
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Quarantine horses and increased
agency services 488 509 0 0 U. S. Forest Service Urban Reforestation 1,973 2,059 500 522
Whitewater Olympic Venue Construction
16,534 17,252 5,992 6,252 Safety- and security- related services 1,378 1,438 0 0 Natural Conservation Resource Service Native plants (flowers/ grass) planted
at Olympic venues and city parks 317 331 0 0
Department of Commerce 9,088 9,482 0 0
Economic Development Administration
Public works projects including sewer construction and street improvements
8,037 8,386 0 0 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather forecasting services 1,051 1,097 0 0
Department of Defense c 37,161 38,774 34,800 36,311
Office of Special Events Safety- and security- related services 18,600 19,407 18,600 19,407 Army Forces Command Safety- and security- related services 16,200 16,903 16,200 16,903 Corps of Engineers Savannah River Walk construction 2,083 2,173 0 0
Campground improvements 250 261 0 0 Temporary rangers 28 29 0 0
Department of Education Paralympic Organizing Committee 7,110 7,419 7,000 7,304 Department of Energy 4,491 4,686 0 0
Safety- and security- related services 1,141 1,191 0 0 Efficiency renewable energy projects 3,350 3,495 0 0
Department of Health and Human Services 882 920 0 0
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Safety- and security- related services 150 157 0 0 Environmental Health Safety- and security- related services 732 764 0 0
Social Security Administration
Videotaping Paralympic ceremonies 1,500 1,565 1,500 1,565 Department of Housing and Urban Development
Community planning development improvements 16,992 17,730 0 0 Department of the Interior 12,477 13,019 12,500 13,043
4 For the 1996 Olympic Games, the Olympic Transportation System refers to the city buses that were borrowed from other cities and were used to transport spectators to venues during the Olympic Games. These buses were returned to the respective cities after the Games were completed.
Table 2: Federal Funding and Support for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA
B- 284275 Page 7 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Designated by Congress b Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Actual 1999 dollars
National Park Service Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site development and increased park services
12,477 13,019 12,500 13,043
Department of Justice 22,340 23,310 4,000 4,174
Community Relations Service Mitigation of racial conflicts 29 30 0 0 Drug Enforcement Administration
300 agents for safety- and security related services
3,412 3,560 0 0 Federal Bureau of Investigation 1,200 staff for safety- and security related services
11,047 11,527 0 0 Immigration and Naturalization Service 130 additional staff to assist with
processing international passengers 1,471 1,535 0 0 Civil Rights Division Americans with Disabilities Act 147 153 0 0 Office of Justice Programs Grant for Atlanta police overtime
costs 4,000 4,174 4,000 4,174
Safety and security study 1,300 1,356 0 0 Executive Office of U. S. Attorneys
Additional equipment and four attorneys
575 600 0 0 U. S. Marshals Service 150 Marshals for safety and security
services 359 375 0 0
Department of Labor Employment and training services 2,910 3,036 2,500 2,609 Department of State Increased agency services 1,001 1,044 0 0 Department of Transportation 376,675 393,025 16,058 16,755
Federal Highway Administration
Accelerated road and bridge projects 247,597 258,344 58 61 Federal Transit Administration Accelerated Transit improvements 108,800 113,523 0 0
Olympic Transportation System 16,000 16,694 16,000 16,694 Federal Aviation Administration Facilities, Services, and Planning 1,551 1,618 0 0 Federal Railroad Administration
Public safety and security 37 39 0 0 U. S. Coast Guard Public safety and security 2,690 2,807 0 0
Department of the Treasury 6,787 7,082 5,478 5,716
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
100 agents for safety and security services
2,374 2,477 2,200 2,295 Internal Revenue Service 100 agents for safety and security
services 222 232 0 0 U. S. Secret Service Safety and security services 3,400 3,548 3,278 3,420 U. S. Customs Service 150 inspectors for increased services 791 825 0 0
Department of Veterans Affairs 1,645 1,716 0 0
Safety, security, and medical supplies 1,550 1,617 0 0 Donated excess supplies for Paralympics 95 99 0 0
Corporation for National and Community Services
Public safety and security, mostly for the Paralympics Games 3,000 3,130 0 0 Environmental Protection Agency
7,868 8,210 7,000 7,304
Sewer construction 6,498 6,780 7,000 7,304
B- 284275 Page 8 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Designated by Congress b Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Actual 1999 dollars
Bike path construction 300 313 0 0 Increased services 1,070 1,116 0 0
Federal Communications Commission
Communication systems improvements 37 39 0 0
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Safety- and security- related services 10,954 11,429 0 0 Federal Executive Board Federal employee volunteers salary
for safety- and security- related service
1,745 1,821 0 0 General Services Administration
Paralympic Organizing Committee administrative costs 1,999 2,086 2,000 2087 Tennessee Valley Authority Whitewater venue construction and
water release for sporting event 4,905 5,119 0 0 U. S. Information Agency Olympic information programs 7,237 7,551 0 0 U. S. Postal Service 19,859 20,721 0 0
Building improvements 15,745 16,428 0 0 Increased services 4,114 4,293 0 0
Total $579,354 $604,501 $99,723 $104,052
a Personnel costs are generally not included in these amounts, with the exception of the U. S. Forest Service figure. b Designated by Congress refers to funds that were specifically designated for an Olympic- related
purpose in appropriations acts or committee reports accompanying those acts. c According to Department of Defense officials, the Defense Department spent about $35 million of the
$50 million designated by Congress for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The remaining $15 million was maintained by the Defense Department for future athletic events.
Source: OMB and various federal agency officials.
As of December 1999, total federal funding and support planned for or provided to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City was estimated to be about $1.4 billion. Of this amount, about $188 million was spent by the 18 federal organizations identified to date. Of the estimated $1.4 billion, approximately $272 million appears to have been planned or provided for the activities solely related to the planning and staging of the Olympic Games and, thus, would not be provided if Salt Lake City was not hosting the Games. Of this amount, about $200 million is planned or has been provided for safety and security activities by the Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, the Interior, Justice, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the General Services Administration. About $1.1 billion is planned or has been provided for highways, bridges, light rail, and bus systems that appear to be related to preparing the host city for the Games. According to federal Planned and Provided
Federal Funding and Support for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City
B- 284275 Page 9 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
and state officials, most of the $1. 1 billion would eventually have been provided regardless of the Olympic Games.
Moreover, Transportation officials said that most of the $1.1 billion planned for the highway and transit projects for Salt Lake City is for projects that were recognized by Utah as needing improvements prior to Salt Lake City receiving the bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. However, they identified them as Olympic- related projects because their completion generally had to be accelerated to improve transportation services and avoid construction during the Olympic Games. In their opinion, most of these projects would eventually have been funded, regardless of whether the Olympic Games were held in Salt Lake City.
On the other hand, as in Atlanta's case, some projects are planned that are solely related to the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. For example, as listed in table 3, about $47 million is planned for the Olympic Transportation System, 5 which is being designed and developed solely for transporting people to and from Olympic venues. It appears that these funds would not be provided to Utah if Salt Lake City was not hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Dollars in thousands
Planned Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Expenditure a
as reported Designated by
Congress b (Actual) Department of Agriculture $18,809 $17,130 $8,843 $0
U. S. Forest Service Olympic planning and increase services 7,648 7,242 3,063 0 Forest improvements 10,441 8,887 5,780 4,801
Department of Commerce 216 205 0 97
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Increased weather forecasting services
216 205 0 97
Department of Defense Safety- and security- related services 26,074 24,691 48 48 Department of Energy Safety- and security- related
services 1,470 1,392 N/ A 0 Department of Health and Human Services 2,228 2,110 0 0
5 For the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Olympic Transportation System refers to the temporary parking lots that are scheduled to be built and the buses, drivers, and mechanics that are to be borrowed from other cities. Transportation officials pointed out that Salt Lake City is requesting $151 million for this system; however, the Department of Transportation plans to provide $50 million at this time.
Table 3: Federal Funding and Support for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, UT
B- 284275 Page 10 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Dollars in thousands
Planned Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Expenditure a
as reported Designated by
Congress b (Actual)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Safety- and security- related services
2,228 2,110 0 0
Department of Housing and Urban Development c 400 379 0 0
New construction rental housing project 400 379 0 0
Department of the Interior 249 236 0 0
National Park Service Increased park services 230 218 0 0 Bureau of Land Management Increased services 5 5 0 0
Safety- and security- related services
14 13 0 0
Department of Justice 39,636 37,534 13,795 9,899
Federal Bureau of Investigation Safety- and security- related services
24,704 23,394 810 0 Immigration and Naturalization Service Safety- and security- related
services 1,410 1,335 3,000 0 Office of Community Oriented Policing
Grants for security- related communications
6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 Office of Justice Programs Grants to state and local law
enforcement agencies 3,899 3,692 2,925 3,899
Executive Office of U. S. Attorneys Safety- and security- related services 1,085 1,027 86 0 U. S. Marshals Service Safety- and security- related
services 2,538 2,403 0 0
Department of State Increased services 700 663 3 0
Department of Transportation 1,248,537 1,182,328 164,984 251,728
Federal Highway Administration Accelerated projects: roads, bridges
699,080 662,008 121,547 26,200 Traffic management system 97,010 91,866 19,000 5,000 Olympic Planning 10,490 9,934 300 6,000 Federal Transit Administration Light rail: North South Line 241,400 228,598 20,537 170,928
Light rail: University Corridor Line 75,000 71,023 248 5,000 Infrastructure improvements 22,995 21,776 2,349 18,600 Olympic Transportation System 50,000 47,348 0 5,500 Regular city bus purchases 34,248 32,432 1,003 14,500 Federal Aviation Administration Temporary facilities 2,579 2,442 0 0
Facility upgrades 12,435 11,776 0 0 Land acquisition 3,300 3,125 0 0
Department of the Treasury 123,839 117,272 75 0
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Safety- and security- related
services 9,304 8,811 N/ A 0 Internal Revenue Service Safety- and security- related
services 1,605 1,520 0 0
U. S. Secret Service Safety- and security- related services
19,426 18,396 49 U. S. Customs Service Safety- and security- related
services 77,307 73,207 22 0
B- 284275 Page 11 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Dollars in thousands
Planned Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Expenditure a
as reported Designated by
Congress b (Actual)
Wireless Program Safety- and security- related services
16,141 15,285 0 0 Office of Enforcement Safety- and security- related
services 56 53 4 0
Department of Veterans Affairs Safety and security upgrades 4,643 4,397 1 0
Environmental Protection Agency 3,128 2,962 74 2,200
Sewer construction 2,200 2,083 0 2,200 Planning, increase services 500 473 0 0 Security 428 405 0 0
Federal Communications Commission
Communication systems improvements 145 137 0 0 Federal Emergency Management Agency
Safety- and security- related services 10,837 10,262 0 0 General Services Administration Safety- and security- related
services 1,554 1,472 0 0 U. S. Information Agency Education, cultural affairs 85 80 0 0 U. S. Postal Service 6,935 6,567 0 0
Facilities improvements 4,935 4,673 0 0 Increase services 2,000 1,894 0 0
Total $1,486,765 $1,407,921 $187,749 $263,924
Legend: N/ A = not available a Personnel costs are generally not included in these amounts, with the exception of U. S. Forest
Service. b Designated by Congress refers to funds that were specifically designated for an Olympic- related
purpose in appropriations acts or committee reports accompanying those acts. We are in the process of collecting information on additional projects that have been specifically designated by Congress for an Olympic- related purpose as part of the fiscal year 2000 appropriations process. c The Department of Housing and Urban Development reported a total of about $39 million for various
housing and community and economic development activities to OMB in April 1999 as being indirectly related to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We are in the process of collecting additional information on the amount of federal funding and support the Department of Housing and Urban Development has planned or provided to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Source: OMB and various federal agency officials.
Late in 1999, Congress made additional funding designations for Olympicrelated projects in fiscal year 2000 appropriations acts or committee reports accompanying the acts. Designations included such items as highways, light rail, transportation planning, the Olympic Transportation System, and the Paralympics. Because we did not have time to determine the extent to which all these designated funds were already included in the total amounts agencies reported as planned for the Salt Lake City Games, we did not include all of them in the designated by Congress column in table 3. We plan to include additional information on the fiscal year 2000 funding for Olympic- related projects in our final report.
B- 284275 Page 12 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
Finally, according to a Salt Lake City Organizing Committee official, it is not yet clear how much federal funding and support will be provided for the Paralympics. We plan to include information on this in our final report.
In December 1999, we received oral and written technical comments on the amounts and in some cases on the categorization of the Olympic projects and activities in a draft of this report from program officials at OMB and most of the other federal organizations included in our review. We modified this report to reflect the comments we received, as appropriate.
We also received oral comments from the Vice President of Federal Government Relations for the Atlanta Committee for Olympic Games and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games regarding (1) the categorization of the Olympic projects and activities in this report and (2) the amount of federal funding and support designated by Congress. We modified this report to reflect comments regarding the first point and are in the process of collecting information on additional projects that have been specifically designated for an Olympic- related purpose as part of the fiscal year 2000 appropriations process. We plan to include this latter information in our final report next year.
OMB, various agency program officials, and the Salt Lake and Atlanta organizing committees emphasized the importance of recognizing that most of the federal funds used for the Atlanta Games and planned for Salt Lake City Games were or are for capital projects that would likely have been eventually provided regardless of the Games. Our report specifically addresses this issue. OMB also provided additional information on federal funding and support provided during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. We are currently verifying this information and will incorporate it in our final report, as appropriate.
We are sending copies of this report to Senator Ernest Hollings, Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Chairman Tom Bliley of the House Committee on Commerce. We are also sending copies of this report to Senators Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett and Representatives James Hansen, Merrill Cook, and Chris Cannon of Utah. Copies of this report will also be made available to the Director of OMB; the Secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, the Interior, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, State, Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs; and the Attorney General. We are also sending copies to the heads of the Corporation for Agency Comments and
Our Evaluation
B- 284275 Page 13 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
National and Community Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency, General Services Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, and U. S. Information Agency, and the Postmaster General. We will make copies available to others upon request.
Major contributors to this report included Tammy R. Conquest, Michael Rives, John Parulis, and David Bennett. If you have any questions, please contact me at (202) 512- 8387 or ungarb. ggd.@ gao. gov.
Bernard L. Ungar Director, Government Business
Operations Issues
Appendix Scope and Methodology
Page 14 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
To (1) determine the amount of federal funding and support that was provided to the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games planned for Salt Lake City and (2) describe the types of projects and activities that received or are designated to receive the federal funding and support, we relied upon a number of sources because there was no requirement for systematic or central accounting of this information.
We started with information from OMB, which in the past had made occasional requests to federal agencies asking for information relating to federal funding and support of various Olympic Games held in the United States. OMB compiled this information in June 1985 after the 1984 Olympic Games, in May 1996 prior to the 1996 Olympic Games, and, most recently, in April 1999 for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We subsequently interviewed cognizant OMB officials regarding this information and followed up with each of the federal organizations identified in OMB data and the U. S. Postal Service, at both headquarters and field offices, as appropriate.
The federal organizations that reported some federal funding and support of the Olympic Games included the
 Department of Agriculture,
 Department of Commerce,
 Department of Defense,
 Department of Education,
 Department of Energy,
 Department of Health and Human Services,
 Department of Housing and Urban Development,
 Department of the Interior,
 Department of Justice,
 Department of Labor,
 Department of State,
 Department of Transportation,
 Department of the Treasury,
 Department of Veterans Affairs,
 Corporation for National and Community Services,
 Environmental Protection Agency,
 Federal Communications Commission,
 Federal Emergency Management Agency,
 Federal Executive Board,
 General Services Administration,
Appendix Scope and Methodology
Page 15 GAO/ GGD- 00- 44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games
 Social Security Administration,
 Tennessee Valley Authority,
 U. S. Information Agency, and
 U. S. Postal Service. At each agency, we obtained, to the extent possible, supporting information for the agency's planned, approved, and actual funding and expenditures as shown in such agency records as budget allocations, grant applications and awards, contracts, and corresponding expenditure reports, to document and describe its federally funded or supported Olympic- related projects or activities. In addition, to ensure the accuracy and completeness of our information, we requested agency program officials to review and comment on our summarization of their data.
We also interviewed officials from the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, the Atlanta Committee for Olympic Games, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, and the United States Olympic Committee regarding any information that they maintained on federal funding and support of the Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City Olympic Games. At your request, we also contacted Congressional Research Service staff who had previously issued several reports 1 on federal funding and support of the Olympic Games. We expanded upon the information reported by the Congressional Research Service by obtaining additional details and updating the information.
As previously described, our verification of the information provided by the agencies was limited to collecting and reviewing available supporting documentation. However, in some cases, such documentation was not available. For example, in the case of the 1984 Olympic Games, OMB data were generally the only information available at the time of our review. In addition, the majority of the information on federal funding and support for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is preliminary data, based on the agencies' best estimates to date and are therefore subject to change. We conducted our review from April 1999 to December 1999 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
1 For example, CRS Report for Congress: Federal Financing of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, September 22, 1998.
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OLYMPIC GAMES: Preliminary Information on Federal Funding and
Support (GAO/GGD-00-44) OLYMPIC GAMES Preliminary Information on
Federal Funding and Support United States General Accounting
Office GAO Report to Congressional Requesters December 1999
GAO/GGD-00-44  United States General Accounting Office General
Government Division Washington, D. C. 20548 Page 1 GAO/GGD-00-44
Federal Funding of Olympic Games B-284275 December 21, 1999 The
Honorable John D. Dingell Ranking Minority Member, Committee on
Commerce House of Representatives The Honorable John McCain
Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation United
States Senate Concerned about the rising costs of federal funding
and support of the Olympic Games over the years and the
appropriateness of funding for certain projects, you requested
information on federal funding and support 1 of the 1984 Summer
Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, CA; the 1996 Summer Olympic
Games held in Atlanta, GA; and the planned 2002 Winter Olympic
Games in Salt Lake City, UT. 2 You requested that we answer four
questions: (1) What was the amount of federal funding and support
provided to the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles and the
1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, and the planned amount for the
2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City? (2) What types of
Olympicrelated projects and activities received federal funding
and support? (3) What are the federal policies and legislative
authorizations for providing federal funding and support? (4) What
procedures exist to ensure that federal funding and support were
properly awarded and used? Specifically, this preliminary report
responds, in part, to the first two questions. It provides
information on the amount of federal funding and support agencies
reported as being related to the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles
and Atlanta, and currently planned for Salt Lake City. It also
identifies the types of projects and activities each of the
federal agencies reported as being Olympic- related. More detailed
information about the projects and activities themselves, as well
as information addressing questions three and four above, will be
provided in our final report to be issued next year. 1 Federal
funding is typically provided to such entities as the city, state,
and Olympic organizing committees through such mechanisms as
agency memorandums of agreement, grant awards, and government
contracts. Federal support is generally provided in the form of
in- kind contributions, such as personnel, equipment, and other
resources. 2 The 1996 Olympic Games and the planned 2002 Winter
Olympic Games also include the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic
Games were not a part of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. B-284275
Page 2 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games Because
there is no systematic or central accounting for federal funding
and support provided to the Los Angeles and Atlanta Summer Olympic
Games, and planned for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, we
made a governmentwide inquiry by contacting the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and 29 other federal organizations
regarding federal support and funding of the Olympic Games. To
supplement the information we received, we researched legislative
databases dating back to 1979 to identify federal funding and
support of the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and
planned for Salt Lake City. We also reviewed numerous reports and
interviewed appropriate federal, state, and local government
officials and representatives of several private organizations to
document and discuss the federal government's involvement with the
Olympic Games. We conducted our review from April 1999 to December
1999 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing
standards. A more detailed description of our scope and
methodology is included in the appendix. Three points need to be
considered in connection with the data on federal funding and
support of the Olympic Games contained in this report. First, it
was not possible to precisely calculate the total amount of
federal funding and support for the Olympic Games because there is
no requirement that federal agencies determine or account for this
information in a systematic manner. Second, we are still in the
process of quantifying the total amount of federal funding and
support as well as trying to determine from the agencies how much
of the federal funding and support would have been provided or
planned for the Olympic host city regardless of whether the
Olympic Games were held there versus the amount of federal funding
and support that would have been provided or planned solely for
the planning and staging of the Games. Third, most of the federal
funding and support reported for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is
planned and could change between now and 2002. Ultimately, it may
not be possible to obtain a definitive determination from all
agencies concerning whether federal funding for some projects
would have been provided if Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Salt Lake
City were not the host cities for the Olympic Games. At least 24
federal organizations reported providing or planning to provide a
combined total of about $2.1 billion in 1999 dollars 3 for
Olympic- related projects and activities for the Los Angeles and
Atlanta Summer Olympic 3 Unless otherwise noted in this report,
all dollars are reported in 1999 dollars. In addition, our
conversion to 1999 dollars is less than precise because the yearly
data were not always available. Also, in some cases, the numbers
may not total because of rounding. Results in Brief B-284275 Page
3 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games Games and the
planned Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. Of the estimated $2.1
billion, approximately $530 million was reported to have been
provided or planned for projects and activities solely related to
the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. These projects
included or plan to include such activities as safety- and
security- related services and transportation services. The
remaining estimated $1.6 billion was spent or is planned for
projects, such as highway construction, transit system
development, and other capital projects, that the host cities of
Atlanta and Salt Lake City wanted to have completed in time for
the Olympic Games. According to federal and state officials, they
identified these projects as Olympic- related because their
completion was generally accelerated to improve transportation
services and avoid construction during the Olympic Games. These
officials said that most of the federal funding for these projects
would have been eventually provided to the host city regardless of
the Olympic Games. Concerning the 1984 Olympic Games in Los
Angeles, federal funding and support totaled about $75 million and
involved 11 federal organizations. The majority of the federal
funding and support, about $68 million, was for safety- and
security- related services provided during the planning and
staging of the Olympic Games. Unlike the federal funding and
support for the later Olympic Games, the federal organizations
reported little funding and support for capital projects related
to preparing Los Angeles for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. The
majority of the federal funding and support agencies reported
providing to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta and
planned for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is reported to be for
infrastructure projects to prepare the host city for the Olympic
Games projects that will also benefit the host city and state
after the Games are held. However, although the completion of
these projects was generally accelerated because of the Olympic
Games, most of the funding for these activities probably would
have eventually been provided to the host city regardless of the
Games, according to federal and state officials. For example,
federal funding and support for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in
Atlanta totaled about $605 million and involved 24 federal
organizations. Of this amount, about $184 million was spent on
activities provided during the planning and staging of the Olympic
Games, including about $92 million for safety- and security-
related services, which would not have been used for this purpose
if the Games had not been hosted there. About $421 million was
spent for highway, transit, public housing, and other capital
projects related to preparing Atlanta for the Games. According to
federal B-284275 Page 4 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of Olympic
Games and state officials, most of the $421 million would
eventually have been provided to Georgia, regardless of the
Olympic Games. About $1.4 billion in federal funding and support
is planned or has been provided for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games
in Salt Lake City and involves 18 federal organizations. Of this
amount, about $272 million is planned or has been provided for
activities during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games,
including about $200 million for safety- and securityrelated
services, which would not have been used for this purpose if the
Games were not being hosted there. About $1. 1 billion is planned
or has been provided for highway, transit, and other capital
improvement projects that appear to be related to preparing the
host city for the Olympic Games. According to federal and state
officials, most of the $1.1 billion would have been eventually
provided to Utah, regardless of the Olympic Games. Eleven federal
organizations reported providing about $75 million in funding and
support for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Most of
this funding and support, about $68 million, was for safety- and
security- related services provided during the planning and
staging of the Olympic Games by the Departments of Defense,
Justice, Transportation, and the Treasury, and thus would not have
been provided if Los Angeles had not hosted the Olympic Games.
Unlike the federal funding and support for the later Olympic
Games, the federal organizations reported little funding and
support for capital projects that would have benefited Los Angeles
after the Olympic Games were held. Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Federal organization Project or activity As
reported 1999 dollars Department of Agriculture $160 $234 Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service Quarantine of animals used in
Olympics 160 234 Department of Commerce 262 382 Economic
Development Administration Economic development grants: public
works 100 146 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Weather forecasting services 162 236 Department of Defense
Logistical support, personnel, equipment, other services for
safety and security related services 32,001 46,703 Department of
Health and Human Services Safety and security related services 212
309 Department of Justice 6,787 9,905 Drug Enforcement
Administration Safety- and security- related services 284 414
Federal Bureau of Investigation Safety- and security- related
services 5,164 7,536 Immigration and Naturalization Service
Safety, security, and increased agency services 1,334 1,947 U. S.
Marshals Service b Safety- and security- related services 0 0
Federal Funding and Support for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in
Los Angeles Table 1: Federal Funding and Support for the 1984
Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA B-284275 Page 5 GAO/GGD-00-44
Federal Funding of Olympic Games Dollars in thousands Expenditures
a Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999
dollars Interpol Safety- and security- related services 5 7
Department of State Increased agency services 1,963 2,865
Department of Transportation 2,709 3,954 U. S. Coast Guard Safety-
and security- related services 1,851 2,701 Federal Aviation
Administration Safety, security, and increased agency services 858
1,252 Department of the Treasury 4,989 7,281 Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms Safety- and security- related services 1,880
2,744 U. S. Secret Service Safety- and security- related services
1,621 2,366 U. S. Customs Service Safety- and security- related
services 1,488 2,172 Department of Veterans Affairs Not available
392 572 Federal Communications Commission Communication systems
improvements 181 264 U. S. Information Agency Increased public
information services 1,498 2,186 Total $51,154 $74,656 a Personnel
costs are generally not included in these amounts, with the
exception of the Department of Justice figures. b The U. S.
Marshals Service reported that it provided $206, 000, or $300,642
in 1999 dollars; however, the Department of State reimbursed it.
As such, we have included this amount in the Department of State's
figure. Source: OMB. Twenty- four federal organizations reported
providing about $605 million in funding and support for the 1996
Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. This included about $184 million
for activities that solely related to the planning and staging of
the Olympic Games, including about $92 million for safety and
security activities, provided by the Departments of Agriculture,
Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Justice,
Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the
Corporation for National and Community Services, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Executive Board. In
addition, about $421 million was provided for highway, transit,
and other capital improvement projects related to preparing the
host city for the Olympic Games. According to Transportation and
other agency officials, most of the federal funding for highway,
transit, and other capital improvement projects would eventually
have been provided regardless of whether Atlanta was selected as
the host city for the 1996 Olympic Games. However, these officials
identified these specific projects as Olympic- related because
their completion generally had to be accelerated in order for
Atlanta to successfully host the Games. Federal Funding and
Support for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta B-284275 Page
6 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games On the other
hand, Transportation officials stated that the $17 million spent
on the Olympic Transportation System 4 would not have been funded
had it not been for the Olympic Games. In addition, funding
provided for the construction of the Olympic Whitewater venue also
appears to fall into this category. Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Designated by Congress b Federal organization
Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Actual 1999 dollars
Department of Agriculture $20,690 $21,588 $500 $522 Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service Quarantine horses and increased
agency services 488 509 0 0 U. S. Forest Service Urban
Reforestation 1,973 2,059 500 522 Whitewater Olympic Venue
Construction 16,534 17,252 5,992 6,252 Safety- and security-
related services 1,378 1,438 0 0 Natural Conservation Resource
Service Native plants (flowers/ grass) planted at Olympic venues
and city parks 317 331 0 0 Department of Commerce 9,088 9,482 0 0
Economic Development Administration Public works projects
including sewer construction and street improvements 8,037 8,386 0
0 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather
forecasting services 1,051 1,097 0 0 Department of Defense c
37,161 38,774 34,800 36,311 Office of Special Events Safety- and
security- related services 18,600 19,407 18,600 19,407 Army Forces
Command Safety- and security- related services 16,200 16,903
16,200 16,903 Corps of Engineers Savannah River Walk construction
2,083 2,173 0 0 Campground improvements 250 261 0 0 Temporary
rangers 28 29 0 0 Department of Education Paralympic Organizing
Committee 7,110 7,419 7,000 7,304 Department of Energy 4,491 4,686
0 0 Safety- and security- related services 1,141 1,191 0 0
Efficiency renewable energy projects 3,350 3,495 0 0 Department of
Health and Human Services 882 920 0 0 Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention Safety- and security- related services 150 157 0 0
Environmental Health Safety- and security- related services 732
764 0 0 Social Security Administration Videotaping Paralympic
ceremonies 1,500 1,565 1,500 1,565 Department of Housing and Urban
Development Community planning development improvements 16,992
17,730 0 0 Department of the Interior 12,477 13,019 12,500 13,043
4 For the 1996 Olympic Games, the Olympic Transportation System
refers to the city buses that were borrowed from other cities and
were used to transport spectators to venues during the Olympic
Games. These buses were returned to the respective cities after
the Games were completed. Table 2: Federal Funding and Support for
the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA B-284275 Page 7 GAO/GGD-00-
44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games Dollars in thousands
Expenditures a Designated by Congress b Federal organization
Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Actual 1999 dollars
National Park Service Martin Luther King, Jr. historical site
development and increased park services 12,477 13,019 12,500
13,043 Department of Justice 22,340 23,310 4,000 4,174 Community
Relations Service Mitigation of racial conflicts 29 30 0 0 Drug
Enforcement Administration 300 agents for safety- and security
related services 3,412 3,560 0 0 Federal Bureau of Investigation
1,200 staff for safety- and security related services 11,047
11,527 0 0 Immigration and Naturalization Service 130 additional
staff to assist with processing international passengers 1,471
1,535 0 0 Civil Rights Division Americans with Disabilities Act
147 153 0 0 Office of Justice Programs Grant for Atlanta police
overtime costs 4,000 4,174 4,000 4,174 Safety and security study
1,300 1,356 0 0 Executive Office of U. S. Attorneys Additional
equipment and four attorneys 575 600 0 0 U. S. Marshals Service
150 Marshals for safety and security services 359 375 0 0
Department of Labor Employment and training services 2,910 3,036
2,500 2,609 Department of State Increased agency services 1,001
1,044 0 0 Department of Transportation 376,675 393,025 16,058
16,755 Federal Highway Administration Accelerated road and bridge
projects 247,597 258,344 58 61 Federal Transit Administration
Accelerated Transit improvements 108,800 113,523 0 0 Olympic
Transportation System 16,000 16,694 16,000 16,694 Federal Aviation
Administration Facilities, Services, and Planning 1,551 1,618 0 0
Federal Railroad Administration Public safety and security 37 39 0
0 U. S. Coast Guard Public safety and security 2,690 2,807 0 0
Department of the Treasury 6,787 7,082 5,478 5,716 Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms 100 agents for safety and security
services 2,374 2,477 2,200 2,295 Internal Revenue Service 100
agents for safety and security services 222 232 0 0 U. S. Secret
Service Safety and security services 3,400 3,548 3,278 3,420 U. S.
Customs Service 150 inspectors for increased services 791 825 0 0
Department of Veterans Affairs 1,645 1,716 0 0 Safety, security,
and medical supplies 1,550 1,617 0 0 Donated excess supplies for
Paralympics 95 99 0 0 Corporation for National and Community
Services Public safety and security, mostly for the Paralympics
Games 3,000 3,130 0 0 Environmental Protection Agency 7,868 8,210
7,000 7,304 Sewer construction 6,498 6,780 7,000 7,304 B-284275
Page 8 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games Dollars in
thousands Expenditures a Designated by Congress b Federal
organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Actual
1999 dollars Bike path construction 300 313 0 0 Increased services
1,070 1,116 0 0 Federal Communications Commission Communication
systems improvements 37 39 0 0 Federal Emergency Management Agency
Safety- and security- related services 10,954 11,429 0 0 Federal
Executive Board Federal employee volunteers salary for safety- and
security- related service 1,745 1,821 0 0 General Services
Administration Paralympic Organizing Committee administrative
costs 1,999 2,086 2,000 2087 Tennessee Valley Authority Whitewater
venue construction and water release for sporting event 4,905
5,119 0 0 U. S. Information Agency Olympic information programs
7,237 7,551 0 0 U. S. Postal Service 19,859 20,721 0 0 Building
improvements 15,745 16,428 0 0 Increased services 4,114 4,293 0 0
Total $579,354 $604,501 $99,723 $104,052 a Personnel costs are
generally not included in these amounts, with the exception of the
U. S. Forest Service figure. b Designated by Congress refers to
funds that were specifically designated for an Olympic- related
purpose in appropriations acts or committee reports accompanying
those acts. c According to Department of Defense officials, the
Defense Department spent about $35 million of the $50 million
designated by Congress for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The
remaining $15 million was maintained by the Defense Department for
future athletic events. Source: OMB and various federal agency
officials. As of December 1999, total federal funding and support
planned for or provided to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt
Lake City was estimated to be about $1.4 billion. Of this amount,
about $188 million was spent by the 18 federal organizations
identified to date. Of the estimated $1.4 billion, approximately
$272 million appears to have been planned or provided for the
activities solely related to the planning and staging of the
Olympic Games and, thus, would not be provided if Salt Lake City
was not hosting the Games. Of this amount, about $200 million is
planned or has been provided for safety and security activities by
the Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, the
Interior, Justice, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs as well as
the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, and the General Services Administration. About
$1.1 billion is planned or has been provided for highways,
bridges, light rail, and bus systems that appear to be related to
preparing the host city for the Games. According to federal
Planned and Provided Federal Funding and Support for the 2002
Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City B-284275 Page 9 GAO/GGD-00-
44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games and state officials, most of
the $1. 1 billion would eventually have been provided regardless
of the Olympic Games. Moreover, Transportation officials said that
most of the $1.1 billion planned for the highway and transit
projects for Salt Lake City is for projects that were recognized
by Utah as needing improvements prior to Salt Lake City receiving
the bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. However, they
identified them as Olympic- related projects because their
completion generally had to be accelerated to improve
transportation services and avoid construction during the Olympic
Games. In their opinion, most of these projects would eventually
have been funded, regardless of whether the Olympic Games were
held in Salt Lake City. On the other hand, as in Atlanta's case,
some projects are planned that are solely related to the planning
and staging of the Olympic Games. For example, as listed in table
3, about $47 million is planned for the Olympic Transportation
System, 5 which is being designed and developed solely for
transporting people to and from Olympic venues. It appears that
these funds would not be provided to Utah if Salt Lake City was
not hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Dollars in thousands
Planned Federal organization Project or activity As reported 1999
dollars Expenditure a as reported Designated by Congress b
(Actual) Department of Agriculture $18,809 $17,130 $8,843 $0 U. S.
Forest Service Olympic planning and increase services 7,648 7,242
3,063 0 Forest improvements 10,441 8,887 5,780 4,801 Department of
Commerce 216 205 0 97 National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Increased weather forecasting services 216 205 0 97
Department of Defense Safety- and security- related services
26,074 24,691 48 48 Department of Energy Safety- and security-
related services 1,470 1,392 N/ A 0 Department of Health and Human
Services 2,228 2,110 0 0 5 For the 2002 Winter Olympic Games,
Olympic Transportation System refers to the temporary parking lots
that are scheduled to be built and the buses, drivers, and
mechanics that are to be borrowed from other cities.
Transportation officials pointed out that Salt Lake City is
requesting $151 million for this system; however, the Department
of Transportation plans to provide $50 million at this time. Table
3: Federal Funding and Support for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games
in Salt Lake City, UT B-284275 Page 10 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal
Funding of Olympic Games Dollars in thousands Planned Federal
organization Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars
Expenditure a as reported Designated by Congress b (Actual)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Safety- and security-
related services 2,228 2,110 0 0 Department of Housing and Urban
Development c 400 379 0 0 New construction rental housing project
400 379 0 0 Department of the Interior 249 236 0 0 National Park
Service Increased park services 230 218 0 0 Bureau of Land
Management Increased services 5 5 0 0 Safety- and security-
related services 14 13 0 0 Department of Justice 39,636 37,534
13,795 9,899 Federal Bureau of Investigation Safety- and security-
related services 24,704 23,394 810 0 Immigration and
Naturalization Service Safety- and security- related services
1,410 1,335 3,000 0 Office of Community Oriented Policing Grants
for security- related communications 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000
Office of Justice Programs Grants to state and local law
enforcement agencies 3,899 3,692 2,925 3,899 Executive Office of
U. S. Attorneys Safety- and security- related services 1,085 1,027
86 0 U. S. Marshals Service Safety- and security- related services
2,538 2,403 0 0 Department of State Increased services 700 663 3 0
Department of Transportation 1,248,537 1,182,328 164,984 251,728
Federal Highway Administration Accelerated projects: roads,
bridges 699,080 662,008 121,547 26,200 Traffic management system
97,010 91,866 19,000 5,000 Olympic Planning 10,490 9,934 300 6,000
Federal Transit Administration Light rail: North South Line
241,400 228,598 20,537 170,928 Light rail: University Corridor
Line 75,000 71,023 248 5,000 Infrastructure improvements 22,995
21,776 2,349 18,600 Olympic Transportation System 50,000 47,348 0
5,500 Regular city bus purchases 34,248 32,432 1,003 14,500
Federal Aviation Administration Temporary facilities 2,579 2,442 0
0 Facility upgrades 12,435 11,776 0 0 Land acquisition 3,300 3,125
0 0 Department of the Treasury 123,839 117,272 75 0 Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Safety- and security- related
services 9,304 8,811 N/ A 0 Internal Revenue Service Safety- and
security- related services 1,605 1,520 0 0 U. S. Secret Service
Safety- and security- related services 19,426 18,396 49 U. S.
Customs Service Safety- and security- related services 77,307
73,207 22 0 B-284275 Page 11 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of
Olympic Games Dollars in thousands Planned Federal organization
Project or activity As reported 1999 dollars Expenditure a as
reported Designated by Congress b (Actual) Wireless Program
Safety- and security- related services 16,141 15,285 0 0 Office of
Enforcement Safety- and security- related services 56 53 4 0
Department of Veterans Affairs Safety and security upgrades 4,643
4,397 1 0 Environmental Protection Agency 3,128 2,962 74 2,200
Sewer construction 2,200 2,083 0 2,200 Planning, increase services
500 473 0 0 Security 428 405 0 0 Federal Communications Commission
Communication systems improvements 145 137 0 0 Federal Emergency
Management Agency Safety- and security- related services 10,837
10,262 0 0 General Services Administration Safety- and security-
related services 1,554 1,472 0 0 U. S. Information Agency
Education, cultural affairs 85 80 0 0 U. S. Postal Service 6,935
6,567 0 0 Facilities improvements 4,935 4,673 0 0 Increase
services 2,000 1,894 0 0 Total $1,486,765 $1,407,921 $187,749
$263,924 Legend: N/ A = not available a Personnel costs are
generally not included in these amounts, with the exception of U.
S. Forest Service. b Designated by Congress refers to funds that
were specifically designated for an Olympic- related purpose in
appropriations acts or committee reports accompanying those acts.
We are in the process of collecting information on additional
projects that have been specifically designated by Congress for an
Olympic- related purpose as part of the fiscal year 2000
appropriations process. c The Department of Housing and Urban
Development reported a total of about $39 million for various
housing and community and economic development activities to OMB
in April 1999 as being indirectly related to the 2002 Winter
Olympic Games. We are in the process of collecting additional
information on the amount of federal funding and support the
Department of Housing and Urban Development has planned or
provided to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Source: OMB and various
federal agency officials. Late in 1999, Congress made additional
funding designations for Olympicrelated projects in fiscal year
2000 appropriations acts or committee reports accompanying the
acts. Designations included such items as highways, light rail,
transportation planning, the Olympic Transportation System, and
the Paralympics. Because we did not have time to determine the
extent to which all these designated funds were already included
in the total amounts agencies reported as planned for the Salt
Lake City Games, we did not include all of them in the designated
by Congress column in table 3. We plan to include additional
information on the fiscal year 2000 funding for Olympic- related
projects in our final report. B-284275 Page 12 GAO/GGD-00-44
Federal Funding of Olympic Games Finally, according to a Salt Lake
City Organizing Committee official, it is not yet clear how much
federal funding and support will be provided for the Paralympics.
We plan to include information on this in our final report. In
December 1999, we received oral and written technical comments on
the amounts and in some cases on the categorization of the Olympic
projects and activities in a draft of this report from program
officials at OMB and most of the other federal organizations
included in our review. We modified this report to reflect the
comments we received, as appropriate. We also received oral
comments from the Vice President of Federal Government Relations
for the Atlanta Committee for Olympic Games and the Salt Lake
Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games regarding
(1) the categorization of the Olympic projects and activities in
this report and (2) the amount of federal funding and support
designated by Congress. We modified this report to reflect
comments regarding the first point and are in the process of
collecting information on additional projects that have been
specifically designated for an Olympic- related purpose as part of
the fiscal year 2000 appropriations process. We plan to include
this latter information in our final report next year. OMB,
various agency program officials, and the Salt Lake and Atlanta
organizing committees emphasized the importance of recognizing
that most of the federal funds used for the Atlanta Games and
planned for Salt Lake City Games were or are for capital projects
that would likely have been eventually provided regardless of the
Games. Our report specifically addresses this issue. OMB also
provided additional information on federal funding and support
provided during the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. We
are currently verifying this information and will incorporate it
in our final report, as appropriate. We are sending copies of this
report to Senator Ernest Hollings, Ranking Minority Member of the
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and
Chairman Tom Bliley of the House Committee on Commerce. We are
also sending copies of this report to Senators Orrin Hatch and
Robert Bennett and Representatives James Hansen, Merrill Cook, and
Chris Cannon of Utah. Copies of this report will also be made
available to the Director of OMB; the Secretaries of the
Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy,
Health and Human Services, the Interior, Housing and Urban
Development, Labor, State, Transportation, the Treasury, and
Veterans Affairs; and the Attorney General. We are also sending
copies to the heads of the Corporation for Agency Comments and Our
Evaluation B-284275 Page 13 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of
Olympic Games National and Community Services, Environmental
Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, General Services Administration,
Tennessee Valley Authority, and U. S. Information Agency, and the
Postmaster General. We will make copies available to others upon
request. Major contributors to this report included Tammy R.
Conquest, Michael Rives, John Parulis, and David Bennett. If you
have any questions, please contact me at (202) 512- 8387 or
ungarb. ggd.@ gao. gov. Bernard L. Ungar Director, Government
Business Operations Issues Appendix Scope and Methodology Page 14
GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal Funding of Olympic Games To (1) determine
the amount of federal funding and support that was provided to the
1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, the 1996 Olympic Games
held in Atlanta, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games planned for
Salt Lake City and (2) describe the types of projects and
activities that received or are designated to receive the federal
funding and support, we relied upon a number of sources because
there was no requirement for systematic or central accounting of
this information. We started with information from OMB, which in
the past had made occasional requests to federal agencies asking
for information relating to federal funding and support of various
Olympic Games held in the United States. OMB compiled this
information in June 1985 after the 1984 Olympic Games, in May 1996
prior to the 1996 Olympic Games, and, most recently, in April 1999
for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. We subsequently interviewed
cognizant OMB officials regarding this information and followed up
with each of the federal organizations identified in OMB data and
the U. S. Postal Service, at both headquarters and field offices,
as appropriate. The federal organizations that reported some
federal funding and support of the Olympic Games included the
Department of Agriculture,  Department of Commerce,  Department of
Defense,  Department of Education,  Department of Energy,
Department of Health and Human Services,  Department of Housing
and Urban Development,  Department of the Interior,  Department of
Justice,  Department of Labor,  Department of State,  Department
of Transportation,  Department of the Treasury,  Department of
Veterans Affairs,  Corporation for National and Community
Services,  Environmental Protection Agency,  Federal
Communications Commission,  Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Federal Executive Board,  General Services Administration,
Appendix Scope and Methodology Page 15 GAO/GGD-00-44 Federal
Funding of Olympic Games  Social Security Administration,
Tennessee Valley Authority,  U. S. Information Agency, and  U. S.
Postal Service. At each agency, we obtained, to the extent
possible, supporting information for the agency's planned,
approved, and actual funding and expenditures as shown in such
agency records as budget allocations, grant applications and
awards, contracts, and corresponding expenditure reports, to
document and describe its federally funded or supported Olympic-
related projects or activities. In addition, to ensure the
accuracy and completeness of our information, we requested agency
program officials to review and comment on our summarization of
their data. We also interviewed officials from the Amateur
Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, the Atlanta Committee for
Olympic Games, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, and the United
States Olympic Committee regarding any information that they
maintained on federal funding and support of the Los Angeles,
Atlanta, and Salt Lake City Olympic Games. At your request, we
also contacted Congressional Research Service staff who had
previously issued several reports 1 on federal funding and support
of the Olympic Games. We expanded upon the information reported by
the Congressional Research Service by obtaining additional details
and updating the information. As previously described, our
verification of the information provided by the agencies was
limited to collecting and reviewing available supporting
documentation. However, in some cases, such documentation was not
available. For example, in the case of the 1984 Olympic Games, OMB
data were generally the only information available at the time of
our review. In addition, the majority of the information on
federal funding and support for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games is
preliminary data, based on the agencies' best estimates to date
and are therefore subject to change. We conducted our review from
April 1999 to December 1999 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards. 1 For example, CRS Report for
Congress: Federal Financing of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic
Games, September 22, 1998. Ordering Information The first copy of
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