Detroit a contender for the 2024 Olympics?

[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

[Shollin]

For one, Ford Field is a dome. Second, it is a football stadium. A track is larger than a football field so you would have to remove seats on the lower bowl to configure it into an olympic stadium. Ford Field would be perfect for non track events like gymnastics and things like that.

[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?

[kenp]

UM Stadiums field is not big enough for a track.

[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?

[Shollin]

Only one city has put up a temporary staidum and that was London last year. It still costs just as much to throw up a temporary statdium as a fixed stadiums

[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.

[TexasT]

Only one city has put up a temporary staidum and that was London last year. It still costs just as much to throw up a temporary statdium as a fixed stadiums

Several cities have thrown up new venues and repurposed them afterwards. And yes, London's was completely temporary, so it's been done [[Chicago planned to build on in Grant Park). Stadium venue really isn't a problem, provided you have the space to build one or something that can be converted. A lot can be done with $2-3B.

[Meddle]

Well, the city has a whole host of sprinters who could complete. Gotta run pretty fast in town to keep breathing.


Aside from that, would anybody come? Or would it be the lowest attendance ever recorded?

[Honky Tonk]

Well, the city has a whole host of sprinters who could complete. Gotta run pretty fast in town to keep breathing.


Aside from that, would anybody come? Or would it be the lowest attendance ever recorded?

They've already established that you couldn't hold the Track And Field events in Detroit.

[TexasT]

Aside from that, would anybody come? Or would it be the lowest attendance ever recorded?

Completely my opinion, but I think the Olympics is its own draw and I don't think it being in Detroit would scare people away from attending, assuming Detroit makes the changes that most host cities make [[security, public transit, hiding the poor, cleaning up town albeit artificially).

Detroit is certainly not as sexy as most other places that have hosted recently [[although perhaps on par with Atlanta, which I'm not sure has much international appeal - at least Detroit is the home of the American car and techno music!). The IOC would market it though. Everyone loves a comeback story - Detroit would be the ultimate one.

Anyways, it's fun playing Detroit Sim City in my head...now back to the real world.

[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.

[Lowell]

Combine it with Windsor to make it the first international city Olympics bid tapping both federal governments. Bring in and dock cruise liners in the straits for use as the Olympic Village and even guest hotel space [Could be a cheap solutions in view the decline the cruise liner industry in the wake of the Carnival Triumph breakdown and Costa Concordia sinking.]

[EastsideAl]

Detroit has come closer to being an Olympic host than any other American city that has not hosted the games - including Chicago. Detroit finished second in the voting for the 1964 and 1968 games, and third for 1960.

However, something tells me that this may not quite be the time for an Olympic bid.

[Wingnatic]

The bureaucrats that make up the IOC will not award Detroit an olympic games . I'd love it if they did ! Keep in mind for some reason the free world like to single us out to bash , most likely to take away attention from their own problems . The IOC have taken away baseball , and have thought about taking away women's hockey because Canada and the U.S. have dominated the sport , and have now taken away wrestling [[an original olympic sport) in favor of an '' edge of your seat '' sport of golfing , and have also kept another edge of your seat sport of equestrian [[which is the only olympic sport that uses an animal) and has a fan base of less than a checkers match . Personally I think hosting an olympic games is too costly

[401don]

I thought Detroiters have had enough with corruption and now you want to invite the IOC to town?

[canuck]

I thought Detroiters have had enough with corruption and now you want to invite the IOC to town?

I was on the edge of my seat for a while, to say what you said 401don. I wouldnt wish an Olympics on Detroit on top of everything else it needs to address. What a costly free-for-all these olympics are. The only way Detroit can "get" games is by having a concerted regional push to fix the city and amalgate. Even then, I wouldnt wish it on Detroit.

[Danny]

Detroit will NEVER get the olympic games in 2084!

[Ray1936]

As my user name implies, I was born in 1936. What happens in 2024 is of absolutely no concern to me.

[401don]

As my user name implies, I was born in 1936. What happens in 2024 is of absolutely no concern to me.

Nonsense. 88 is the new 75!

[professorscott]

Combine it with Windsor to make it the first international city Olympics bid tapping both federal governments. Bring in and dock cruise liners in the straits for use as the Olympic Village and even guest hotel space [Could be a cheap solutions in view the decline the cruise liner industry in the wake of the Carnival Triumph breakdown and Costa Concordia sinking.]

This is easy, and Lowell has given it an awesome start. It would be easy to put in event trains between Detroit [[where some events would be held), Windsor [[ditto) and Ann Arbor [[natch). Detroit has always done a good job with major events. Look at the NCAA tourney and the Super Bowl [[am I allowed to say that?).

All of the bummer type problems so many have mentioned are easily fixed, and certainly the state and province, as well as private sector benefactors [[Gilbert, Penske, local foundations, the usual crowd) would help.

Think positive kids, this is not a pipe dream.

[KJ5]

It's really gonna smart when we get beat out by Mexico City again.

[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.

[Shollin]

Also, why the hell would Canada jump into this with Windsor? Toronto is perfectly capable of hosting and a much better option than some Detroit-Windsor abomination. Toronto has been making a bid but has been coming up short.