Turin, and Italy's surrounding Piedmont region, has been in an economic slump lately; its flagship employer, carmaker Fiat, is in a crisis. Computer and clothing exports are down.

Now, however, city leaders are predicting medium-term economic benefits from the Winter Olympic Games, which it is hosting through Feb. 26. Economists and government officials used a mathematical model to predict a 4.3 percent boost in growth for 2005, and 4.2 percent growth in 2006 for the region, especially in the tourism and building sectors.

Boosting infrastructure

According to the model, which was devised by economists from the Turin Chamber of Commerce and the University of Rome, growth will continue through 2009, providing short-and medium-term employment opportunities for thousands of people.

Mauro Zangola, a representative of Turin Chamber of Commerce, told the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung that Turin's small size meant the games had a particularly strong economic impact. Concretely, hosting the Olympics meant improved infrastructure -- for example, a new, driverless subway system was inaugurated to great fanfare.

"Many infrastructure projects were planned in any case," Zangola told the FAZ. "But they finished quickly for the games. Now they are providing the Piedmont region with new life."

Complaints of 'ghost town'

However, athletes and visitors alike have complained that the games are plagued by low spectator turnout, and an accompanying downbeat mood.

German ski jumper Michael Uhrmann complained to the FAZ about a "ghost town feeling" at the games. Only a few thousand spectators were on hand to watch him reach fourth place on Sunday.

Observers have blamed the apparent lack of interest on high ticket prices and difficulty navigating mountain traffic to reach Olympic competition sites like Sestriere.

Even the local media is giving the games short shrift; as the Olympics got underway, league soccer play was featured more prominently in newspapers. And Italian newspaper La Repubblica complained: "The magic of the winter games in Lillehammer or Salt Lake City, when 45,000 spectators came to watch downhill racing alone, is missing. The competitions in Sestriere are more like World Cup races than Olympics."