Thanks in large part to to the guidance & vision of Peter Ueberroth & the late Mayor Tom Bradley, the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics not only didn't cost the city money, but the net $232 million in revenue is still filtering its way throughout communities in SoCal 30 years after the closing ceremonies, via the LA84 Foundation.

The cornerstone of Ueberroth's approach to '84 was to study the history of financial debacles experienced in other locales---and not to repeat them. The first of which was to use existing facilities & infrastructure, rather than spend billions building an "Olympic Village" which frequently serves as financial white elephant once the Games are over.

Rather than grandiose construction, funds were used to make minor modifications to existing facilities, coordinating the logistics of transporting spectators to to their venues, and working with unions, major employers, and the public in order to accommodate the visitors. Hard as it is to fathom, even the insurmountable challenge of LA's infamous traffic nightmare was conquered for those few weeks.

It can be done, but the goal of the Games has to be twofold: to shine a PR spotlight on the city [[frequently achieved), but also not to be stuck with a big tab afterward [[rarely, and more difficult, to achieve).