The United States Olympic Committee has selected Boston to make America’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Boston was chosen over Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. to make the bid. The International Olympic Committee, which will choose a host city from among the international nominees in the summer of 2017, recently revised its hosting guidelines to adjust to the growing consensus that massive expenses on new sports venues for international mega-events are not economically worthwhile for host cities. Boston’s approach to bidding reflects that reality, as the city’s plan is currently projected to cost “only” about $9.5 billion, a number that organizers say includes some public infrastructure improvements that are set to happen regardless. A recent Boston.com piece explained other ways costs could be held down:
Plans, to this point, include a temporary Olympic stadium in South Boston, which would be built and then dismantled on either side of the Games. The reason why a bidding city would do this is explored here. They also include the use of existing sports venues like Harvard Stadium, TD Garden, and Gillette Stadium; the use of other city space for events—such as beach volleyball on the Common and equestrian events at Franklin Park; and an Olympic Village at UMass Boston.
Boston residents responding to mayor Marty Walsh’s tweet celebrating USOC’s choice do not yet appear to be convinced that the reward is worth the cost.
(Overall public opinion might be more balanced than those tweets indicate. But they are still funny.)
The last Summer Olympics held in the United States took place in Atlanta in 1996.
