US would not spend $50 billion on Olympics: Obama
February 08, 2014  02:40
President Barack Obama said that the United States would not need to match the huge $50 billion shelled out by Russia if it wanted to host another Olympic Games.

The massive operation to transform the Black Sea resort of Sochi for the Winter Games, which opened today, has been plagued by cost overruns and accusations of corruption and cronyism in President Vladimir Putin's Russia. 

But Obama said financial issues should not put Americans off from hosting more Games -- partly because America would not need to splash so much cash. 

"I am not sure that spending 50 billion dollars is necessary in order for us to be successful partly because the infrastructure that we already have in place probably would allow us to do it a little bit cheaper," Obama said in an interview with NBC. 

While advising any city that bids for the Games to employ a good accountant, Obama said America knew how to put on a big event -- referring to last weekend's Super Bowl American football championship Game.
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