The Olympic Games cost a lot. London's final price-tag is thought to be £8.4 billion ($13 billion), 107% over budget.
While it's still in the balance whether the Olympics will be a money spinner for the city, there are some people who are definitely getting a payday. Let's take a look.
The (most famous) athletes
While athletes at Olympics aren't paid for participation, some can earn money for medals (for instance, the United States Olympic Committee will pay $25,000 for a gold medal).
However, that's chump change compared to sponsorship money. For example, take US swimmer Ryan Lochte, who could make a huge payday if he performs well against rival swimmers (and teammate Michael Phelps). Lochte has five endorsement deals with Gatorade, Ralph Lauren, Gillette, Mutual of Omaha, and Speedo — if he performs well enough for the bonuses in his contracts to hit, he could earn between $3 to $4 million these games.
Of course, if you're not famous or successful... tough luck we guess.
The security firms
The Olympics represent an enormous security risk for a city, and London's Metropolitan Police Force is likely to be stretched to its limits — and so, the private sector has to step in.
G4S, the world's largest global private security firm has been given a huge $355 million contract to head security for the Olympic games.
The construction companies
Regenerating an entire area of London has required a lot of cash. For example, take Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, a private British engineering and construction company, which is carrying out construction of the Olympic Stadium.
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