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The Graphic Truth: Olympic champs of budget overruns

The Graphic Truth: Olympic champs of budget overruns
Paige Fusco

With a current budget of $3.9 billion, the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics will be relatively cheap by modern standards for the Games. The cost of Tokyo 2020 was almost twice the initial budget, and doesn't even count infrastructure spending. Indeed, cost overruns are a given for the Olympics, which since 1960 have always gone over budget — roughly by 173 percent on average. Given that national governments end up footing most of the bill, it's no surprise that in recent years fewer cities have competed to host the Games, and that Brisbane's 2032 bid was unopposed. We rank the last 16 Olympics by how much their final cost exceeded their initial budget.

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Graphic Truth: Costa Rica’s severe murder rate
Eileen Zhang
Costa Rica was once known as one of the most tranquil and stable countries in Latin America. A dollarized, tourism-oriented democracy so peaceful and picturesque that it didn’t even have an army. That idyll has been blown apart in recent years as murder rates – particularly among young men – have shot up to new highs. The culprit? Drug cartels. [...]
​A flood victim stands at her flooded home after weeks of heavy rainfall in Boane District, Maputo, Mozambique, January 19, 2026.

A flood victim stands at her flooded home after weeks of heavy rainfall in Boane District, Maputo, Mozambique, January 19, 2026.

REUTERS/Amilton Neves/File Photo
392,000: The estimated number of people displaced across Mozambique by recent rain-induced floods. Severe flooding in the southern African nation, as well as in South Africa and Zimbabwe, has killed over 100 people. Experts say climate change has exacerbated the rainfall and flooding. [...]
​Protesters call for US military intervention in Iran.

Protesters call for US military intervention in Iran.

ZUMA Press Wire
Are US strikes on Iran imminent?US President Donald Trump continued to threaten strikes on Iran, saying Thursday they must do “two things” to avoid a strike: end their nuclear ambitions and stop killing protesters. His message comes as the US is building up its military presence in the Gulf (he made a similar move in the Caribbean ahead of the [...]
Costa Rica presidential candidate Laura Fernandez in Heredia, Costa Rica, January 29, 2026.​

Costa Rica presidential candidate Laura Fernandez of the Sovereign People's Party (PPSO) addresses supporters during her closing campaign rally, ahead of the February 1 general election, in Heredia, Costa Rica, January 29, 2026.

REUTERS/Mayela Lopez
In yet another Latin American election shaped by concerns about security and violence, Costa Ricans will vote for president this Sunday.Leading the polls with roughly 40% support is conservative candidate Laura Fernández, the preferred successor and former chief of staff of current leader Rodrigo Chaves, who is popular but cannot run again due to [...]