France makes multibillion-euro gamble on Olympic gold

Ahead of the July 26 opening of the Games, ministers and financial observers are juggling the figures to estimate the costs and benefits of the sporting spectacle. So far, French authorities are predicting a cost of nearly nine billion euros ($9.5 billion) for the Paris Games, although the official figure will take time to confirm. Costs are always difficult to predict or confirm. The Tokyo Olympics, delayed for a year until 2021 because of Covid-19, cost about $12.9 billion, Japan's Audit Board has been reported as saying.