Is the Olympic brand worth its cost? As London has discovered, having the entire world’s media watching you through a microscope can be mighty uncomfortable. Missile launchers on apartment buildings, a huge lack of security personnel and one of the rainiest summer on record have all generated headlines that must have Olympic organizers weeping into their warm beer. And yet, you never know – many a nay-sayer in Vancouver had to eat crow when the 2010 winter Olympics went smoothly and boosted the Vancouver brand worldwide. Economists say that hosting an Olympics generally has a positive effect on trade, tourism and transport infrastructure, among other things. Montrealers, who spent decades paying off their Olympic debt, might argue that there are no benefits at all. But the fact remains that countries continue to fight for the privilege of hosting – negative headlines notwithstanding.