A show about engineering failures and disasters. We examine the technical, human and organisational causes of failure, and explore why our decision-making is not nearly as rational as we’d like to think.
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episode 29: The 1976 Montreal Olympics Financial Debacle
It's 1970, and the mayor of Montreal, Jean Drapeau, declares that the 1976 Montreal Games will be self-financing.
In his view, these games can no more have a deficit "...than a man can have a baby". In fact, he thinks the real problem will be in determining how to spend the surplus. But over the coming years, all this optimism will evaporate, and the games will become a financial disaster.
This project had everything: poor planning, fraudulent practice and corruption. And it shows what happens when architectural and financial free-reign combine with political ambition and immovable deadlines.
This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.