Detroit a contender for the 2024 Olympics?

[Shollin]

Why would they need to build one when they already have one?

Because they don't have one

[TexasT]

Because they don't have one

Is 80K a requirement? Because as recently as '04, the Olympic Stadium has held around 70K [[Athens). Ford Field holds 65K and can be expanded.

[gthomas]

Is 80K a requirement? Because as recently as '04, the Olympic Stadium has held around 70K [[Athens). Ford Field holds 65K and can be expanded.

If they use Ford Field, they need to remove that dome or make it retractable. Adding more innovating, creative design to the boring form of Ford Field...among other things

[iheartthed]

Because they don't have one

Note my saying that "they already have one".

Anyway, there are plenty of arguments against whether Detroit could host the Olympics. Lack of stadium venue is not one of them.

[gthomas]

Note my saying that "they already have one".

Anyway, there are plenty of arguments against whether Detroit could host the Olympics. Lack of stadium venue is not one of them.

So what are the issue in hosting the Olympics in Detroit...none right?

[TexasT]

Anyway, there are plenty of arguments against whether Detroit could host the Olympics. Lack of stadium venue is not one of them.

Exactly. Most cities just throw up a temporary one anyways. Chicago was going to put one in Grant Park.

The city needs strong governance before anything like the Olympics can come to town. Detroit and the surrounding areas would just be the venue and you get a lot of help from outside sources, including the USOC, but you need to have a competent local government, which we do not have. The USOC needs to choose a city in two years or so, and I don't think even if we get it right starting from today, and we'd have a positive enough track record for the USOC to feel comfortable putting it in our hands.

FWIW, not living in Detroit or ever having visited at the time, I remember people considering Detroit's handling of the Super Bowl to be pretty good; I get this and that are apples and oranges. I assume people scoffed at the idea initially as well?

[iheartthed]

The city needs strong governance before anything like the Olympics can come to town. Detroit and the surrounding areas would just be the venue and you get a lot of help from outside sources, including the USOC, but you need to have a competent local government, which we do not have. The USOC needs to choose a city in two years or so, and I don't think even if we get it right starting from today, and we'd have a positive enough track record for the USOC to feel comfortable putting it in our hands.

FWIW, not living in Detroit or ever having visited at the time, I remember people considering Detroit's handling of the Super Bowl to be pretty good; I get this and that are apples and oranges. I assume people scoffed at the idea initially as well?

Yeah, a city that is on the verge of bankruptcy will probably have a hard time convincing the USOC of its management skills. However, Detroit has about 5 years to right the ship... the 2020 city has to be chosen first.

[Bham1982]

Exactly. Most cities just throw up a temporary one anyways. Chicago was going to put one in Grant Park.

I'm not aware of any temporary Olympic stadia.

Atlanta was the closest, because they demolished a portion of it, and remade it into Turner Field [[for the Braves), but this is very different from a completely temporary venue.

London's stadium is supposedly being retrofitted for soccer. Besides that, pretty much all the other recent stadia are just rotting away as white elephants [[London's might too, because they have had problems finding a team willing to take the stadium).

[TexasT]

I'm not aware of any temporary Olympic stadia.

Atlanta was the closest, because they demolished a portion of it, and remade it into Turner Field [[for the Braves), but this is very different from a completely temporary venue.

London's stadium is supposedly being retrofitted for soccer. Besides that, pretty much all the other recent stadia are just rotting away as white elephants [[London's might too, because they have had problems finding a team willing to take the stadium).

I think the larger point, probably being lost here, is that not having an 80K open air stadium at the time of bidding hasn't kept other cities from successfully hosting the Olympics. There's always a way to work around it. At least one city converted a large college stadium, other ones build new venues that were turned into something else later on or demolished. Chicago planned to build a temporary stadium and tear it down afterwards.

[Shollin]

I think the larger point, probably being lost here, is that not having an 80K open air stadium at the time of bidding hasn't kept other cities from successfully hosting the Olympics. There's always a way to work around it. At least one city converted a large college stadium, other ones build new venues that were turned into something else later on or demolished. Chicago planned to build a temporary stadium and tear it down afterwards.

What is being lost is the cities that did not have a stadium had the means to build one. Chicago wasn't the first choice to host for the US. San Francisco was the first choice but they're failure to secure a stadium deal made the USOC turn to Chicago. The stadium Chicago designed was not going to be completely demolished. It was going to be shrunk down to a 7500 seat stadium. Los Angeles did not convert a college stadium. The coliseum was originally built to host the olympics. It was converted into a college stadium.

[Danny]

Detroit will NEVER get the olympic games in 2084!