Commonwealth Games organisers are seeking advice from psychologists on how to prevent the sports-mad city of Melbourne descending into post-Games depression once the event is over.
Melbourne 2006 chairperson Ron Walker said the excitement generated in the city of 3,6-million people during the sporting extravaganza will give way to an empty feeling once the international spotlight moves on.
He said a similar effect was noted in the Olympic cities of Sydney in 2000 and Atlanta in 1996.
”There are psychologists that are advising us on this,” Walker said. ”I noted particularly when Atlanta had finished there was a depressive mood amongst many of the people who lived in or around the city because it was quite a hype to have the Olympics. The same thing happened in Sydney.”
Walker said the syndrome could be particularly acute in Melbourne because it is hosting three international sporting events in rapid succession, January’s Australian Open grand-slam tennis, the Commonwealth Games and next month’s Australian Grand Prix.
”No other city to my knowledge has ever done that before,” he said. ”So there will be a depression of excitement, if that’s the right technical term, that will go on in our community and it’s up to our political and social leaders to take care of that matter.
”It hasn’t escaped us and our board has discussed it.”
He said fears that the Games would soak up the public’s sporting dollar and result in reduced ticket sales for the grand prix had proved unfounded.
”We actually thought that the grand prix might tank [fail] this year for the first time in 12 years, but it hasn’t,” he said. ”There’s a different demographic for motor racing that there is for athtletics and the other things we do, and those people are still buying tickets.” — Sapa-AFP