Circus Maximus by Andrew Zimbalist review – an Olympic-sized rip-off

A remarkable study that exposes the extraordinary chicanery and dodgy dealing behind staging the Olympics and the World Cup

Apart from war, nothing so deranges the political mind as national sports rivalry. It stirs patriotism, ostentation and group hysteria. In Britain, its participants are accorded the status of quasi-military heroes. At the apex of this derangement stand two so-called mega-events, the Olympic Games and football’s World Cup. Politicians will beg, bribe, cheat, lie and s...