Now San Francisco joins all those other cities across Europe, Japan and the United States that don't want to host the Olympics!!

It's a question being asked more and more about the Olympics. $20billion? Is it really worth it? For three weeks? Yeah, it's a lot! What could we get for that money? Jobs, health care, elderly care, roads, education, homeless shelters, affordable housing... NoBostonOlympics videos of Bostonians talking back about lost opportunities, lack of transparency in the bid, thumbs down to Boston2024....

Don't want the Olympics in your city? Then follow the example of NoBoston2014 and get campaigning before you even get to be a candidate (shortlisted) city. If you're unlucky enough to become a candidate city then learn some lessons from groups like NoChicago2016 or Comité Anti Olympique d'Annecy and enjoy avoiding becoming the host city. Of course things get harder the further up that Olympic mountain you go, but don't despair, even at the last minute voters can turn down the Games even after they have been awarded to the city as with Denver1976. The recent trouble the IOC has had with growing opposition in cities such as Munich (2022), Hamburg (2024), Vienna (2028), Budapest (2024), protests in Tokyo (2020), Oslo (2022), Krakow (2022), Stockholm (2022), St Moritz (2022), Rome (2020), Lviv (2022), limited support in Washington (2024), withdrawals on grounds of cost by Chicago (2024) New York (2024) and Philadelphia (2024), Seattle (2024), uncertainty in Paris (2024) shows both governments and citizens are getting wise.

After the Swiss it's the turn of the Viennese to refuse to bid for the Olympics. 72% voted against bidding for the Summer Games in 2028. Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl said: "apparently most people are not convinced that the city would benefit in the long term from investing in the games."

'No voters rejected bid organisers' claims that Olympic hosting would help tourism in the area and boost the local economy.' Those sensible Swiss from the Graubünden canton have seen through the lies of the Olympics and said no to the Winter Olympics in 2022. Bern voters did the same thing when they refused to bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

At the announcement of the defeat of Annecy's bid to host the 2018 Olympic Games, over 300 anti-JO activists uncorked the champagne out on the mountain meadow. A victory that rewarded two and a half years of struggle.

With only seven votes of IOC members from 95 is a real slap in the face which was announced on July 6, 2011 for the bid of Annecy 2018. Since 1988, only Osaka was "better" with 6 votes for the 2008 Olympics. For Métral Guy, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haute-Savoie, "the defeat of Annecy is a blow" . Charles Beigbeder, chairman of the Annecy 2018 bid, said he was "extremely disappointed". For Chantal Jouanno, Minister for Sport, "it's hard to take for French sport, because our sport does not deserve this" . For Guy Drut, a member of the French bid, "it's a very, very cold shower " . France tonight and JDD pronounced it "a fiasco" . Over 300 anti-JO present were out on the meadow uncorking the champagne and celebrating.

Cuisante défaite d'Annecy 2018 : les anti-JO exultent ! from La Voix des Allobroges on Vimeo.

Where were they when it mattered? NoGamesChicago has a couple of neat little stories about those who become wise after the event. First, there was the American Planning Association whose magazine, in February 2010, discovered “Unfortunately, hosting the Games gets no medals as an urban development strategy. Host efforts tend to be over promised and underfunded, and seldom achieve the goals local organizers set out.”