Olympics in '24

**renf** · July-29-15, 10:13 AM

Boston will not host the ‘24 Olympics but they will be held in the USA. Washington and LA are candidates to replace Boston. Washington seems like a poor choice given potential terrorism. Detroit lost to Mexico City by 1 vote in 1968. How realistic is it to think that Motown could host the ‘24 Olympics? The pool in Rouge Park built for the '68 Olympics was renovated by the state last year. Ford Field and U of M stadium could be modestly reconfigured for some events. If softball and baseball return, Comerica could be used for the finals. Is Lake St. Clair suitable for sailing? Is the Huron River suitable for rowing? Is there a place here for equistrian events?
By ’24 high speed trains will connect Detroit to Ann Arbor and Chicago. Governor Snyder has supported Detroit. Could he take the lead? Mitt Romney is often praised for his role in the winter Olympics in Salt Lake. Could Detroit’s elders convince him to take a leadership role in bringing the Olympics to his home town?

**dtowncitylover** · July-29-15, 10:44 AM

Not realistic at all.

And technically speaking, Detroit lost to Mexico City by 16 votes. Had there been a second ballot, not all votes from Lyon and Buenos Aires would have gone to Detroit.

Can we just fix the city first before we even dream of hosting an Olympics?

[[And for what it's worth, I've always liked the idea of Detroit or Traverse City hosting a Winter Olympics better.)

**401don** · July-29-15, 10:53 AM

Why are you so sure they will be held in the USA? Toronto, after just hosting the Pan Am games is debating a bid but they must decide by the Sept. 15 deadline. However despite all its transit improvements, hotels, etc. Toronto lacks the stadiums and most Pan Am venues are too small and will be outdated by 2024. Besides, my taxes are high enough without blowing billions just on security. I love Detroit but it's about 50 years from ready to host the Olympics.

**ndavies** · July-29-15, 10:59 AM

Boston dropped out because the Boston Mayor was unwilling to sign taxpayers up to pay for the cost overruns the Olympics always encounter. Do you think Detroit is in a better financial situation than Boston? Why should Detroit's and Michigan's taxpayers sign up to pay for those cost overruns?

**gnome** · July-29-15, 11:30 AM

There could be worserer ideas, I can't think of any, but I bet if I asked a Greek I could come up with a few.

**EastsideAl** · July-29-15, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by renf

Boston will not host the ‘24 Olympics but they will be held in the USA.

Actually, Paris is probably the odds-on favorite right now for 2024, with Rome behind and Istanbul and Toronto as dark horses. I think it's no better than a 50/50 shot right now that the USOC even puts in a bid [[although they might put in a no-hope "bare bones" bid just to placate the IOC and keep some doors open for 2028).

The IOC's government financial guarantee requirement is the real killer here, as it was with Boston. It's extremely hard to do under the U.S. governmental, political, tax, and accounting structures. While a more centralized country like France can pretty easily give a national government guarantee.

Detroit has a very very long ways to go before it could ever consider bidding for something like an Olympics again. Back in the 1950s and 60s Detroit was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, with 3 of the world's largest corporations [[including the world's largest, GM) and an incredibly high per capita income by world standards. Now Detroit is the poorest major city in the U.S., the metropolitan area and the state are lagging the country, those once-giant companies are struggling to survive, our infrastructure is aging and crumbling, and we're way behind many cities in Europe and East Asia.

**Danny** · July-29-15, 12:05 PM

Detroit is not the IOC bid for the Olympic Games. So forget it. Only US cities with diversity and regional power. Like Atlanta, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, Boston and San Diego. Detroit will be on IOC bid by 2150.

**Danny** · July-29-15, 12:10 PM

In order to have Detroit back in IOC bid list for the Summer Olympic Games. I have to do these things:

1. More corporate regional power. [[Dan Gilbert and Mike Illitch is not enough!)

2. Better transportation and public transit routes.

3. Create diversity from regional businesses to its neighborhoods.

4. Eliminate ALL blight, street crime and broken police force.

5. Create bigger super stadiums and excellent Olympic Village for its athletes.

Then we could the Olympics in Detroit,MI after 2050.

**mikeg19** · July-29-15, 12:19 PM

I would adamantly protest any attempt by Detroit to host the Olympics. Dumping tens of billions of dollars into something that LITERALLY gives you nothing in return except 2 weeks of pride and panoramic aircraft pictures is the biggest crock of shit ever. Boston is obviously a smart city for looking at the financial picture and backing out.

Oh wait, I forgot, you also get hulking empty stadiums that generate no revenue and abandoned sporting venues that start looking like the east side of Detroit. How about putting the billions spent on the Olympics and updating our shit infrastructure, failing school system, or tearing down every vacant building in the city? Don't those sound like better ways to spend cash?

**Gsgeorge** · July-29-15, 05:58 PM

I don't think Detroit on it's own should host the Olympics, but I've always dreamed of a USA/Canada bid jointly hosted by Detroit and Windsor. We are an international metropolis and should take advantage of that fact! By sharing the resources between the two cities, the massive burden on the taxpayers would be significantly lessened. By that time the new bridge will be reopened and we could even put in a temporary ferry service to usher people from the stadiums downtown Detroit to venues on Belle Isle and then to a new olympic village on Boblo Island, to downtown Windsor and back to Detroit. Would be a great way to reconnect our region and strengthen our unique ties with Canada.

**Pam** · July-29-15, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

How about putting the billions spent on the Olympics and updating our shit infrastructure, failing school system, or tearing down every vacant building in the city? Don't those sound like better ways to spend cash?

Yes, they do.

**401don** · July-29-15, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by Gsgeorge

I don't think Detroit on it's own should host the Olympics, but I've always dreamed of a USA/Canada bid jointly hosted by Detroit and Windsor. We are an international metropolis and should take advantage of that fact! By sharing the resources between the two cities, the massive burden on the taxpayers would be significantly lessened. By that time the new bridge will be reopened and we could even put in a temporary ferry service to usher people from the stadiums downtown Detroit to venues on Belle Isle and then to a new olympic village on Boblo Island, to downtown Windsor and back to Detroit. Would be a great way to reconnect our region and strengthen our unique ties with Canada.

Sounds great! We just need several thousand hotel rooms, an aquatic center, a velodrome, a couple of new stadiums, new customs plazas, rebuilt roads, several high-speed rail lines, a few billion for security, housing for 12,000 in the athlete's village, etc. What's the plan? Have Windsor put up 20 billion and collect Detroit's share through tunnel tolls or increase the entrance fee to Belle Isle?

**emu steve** · July-30-15, 04:46 AM

I agree a 2024 bid should come from L.A., S.F. or D.C.

I really thought that D.C. should have gotten the nod to make a 2024 bid as it has everything [[but the Olympic stadium and that could be a new Redskins stadium at the old RFK site - RFK will be torn down as soon as the new soccer stadium is built). The stadium wouldn't be a white elephant.

D.C. which was broke 25 years ago is turning budget surpluses which would make governors happy.

D.C. has great infrastructure and knows how to handle crowds of up to 1M. Baltimore is nearby. UofMaryland is also nearby as is George Mason.

I do wonder if, as posted, in an age of terrorism, if D.C. is too much of a terrorism target for something as difficult to protect as Olympics.

**JoeGeds** · July-30-15, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Detroit has a very very long ways to go before it could ever consider bidding for something like an Olympics again. Back in the 1950s and 60s Detroit was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, with 3 of the world's largest corporations [[including the world's largest, GM) and an incredibly high per capita income by world standards. Now Detroit is the poorest major city in the U.S., the metropolitan area and the state are lagging the country, those once-giant companies are struggling to survive, our infrastructure is aging and crumbling, and we're way behind many cities in Europe and East Asia.

The Detroit - Ann Arbor - Flint Metropolitan Area [[as defined by the US Census) is the 17th wealthiest in the United States, with a median household income of $49,160.

**Bham1982** · July-30-15, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by emu steve

I agree a 2024 bid should come from L.A., S.F. or D.C.

What have these cities done to deserve such a sad fate?

Bostonians are probably thrilled that the Olympics circus has left town. The global gangsters who vie with FIFA for Most Corrupt International Sports Organization can take their charade to Kazakhstan or China, the only remaining countries willing to put in a Winter Olympics bid [[all the non third-world dictatorships dropped out).

**EastsideAl** · July-30-15, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by JoeGeds

The Detroit - Ann Arbor - Flint Metropolitan Area [[as defined by the US Census) is the 17th wealthiest in the United States, with a median household income of $49,160.

Exactly. A big comedown from the days when this area was at or near the top of that table, and bidding for the Summer Olympics.

**iheartthed** · July-30-15, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

How about putting the billions spent on the Olympics and updating our shit infrastructure, failing school system, or tearing down every vacant building in the city? Don't those sound like better ways to spend cash?

That's actually an argument for Detroit to host the Olympics. A significant amount of Olympics spending is to upgrade infrastructure -- particularly transportation and housing -- to support the attendees. London used the games to target housing and transportation improvements to a economically depressed part of the city.

I think without a goal like the Olympics the political will to spend on large scale infrastructure upgrades in the city of Detroit is not likely to exist any time soon. I can understand why a rich city like Boston would turn this down. But I think a city like Detroit could actually benefit much more from being host than a city like Boston.

**JoeGeds** · July-30-15, 11:36 AM

This is exactly why we should never hope to host any of these major sporting events:
http://www.brookings.edu/research/bo...circus-maximus

**renf** · August-18-15, 06:23 AM

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...ible/31462493/

An essay in the Freep about the '24 Olympics in Detroit/Windsor

**Bham1982** · August-18-15, 08:48 AM

That essay was a hoot. Love the line about hosting an Olympics in order to alleviate a housing shortage at Wayne State. Instead of, you know, just building university housing, let's spend $10 billion for an Olympics instead and build a 10,000 unit athletes village.

Also, how do you host a U.S.-Canada Olympics? Visitors from abroad would require two separate tourist visas. That would be a logistical nightmare. You might want Marty to get going on that second span, pronto.

**401don** · August-18-15, 09:41 AM

There's lots to laugh at in the article such as the Olympics being the acid test for establishing a preeminent global city. Yeah, Athens is thriving after hosting the Olympics. Aside from a total lack of mass transit, the author has no concept of how large venues need to be for the Olympics. The Windsor Aquatic facility, while nice, is lacking seating for an event like the Olympics. You need at least a 10,000 seat tennis stadium and he wants to hold the tennis in the park in Windsor! The bid is due in a couple of weeks so 2024 is out. He wants to leave Joe Louis empty for 12 yrs. while we wait for 2028 then I guess.

**iheartthed** · August-18-15, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Yeah, Athens is thriving after hosting the Olympics.

Have you ever been to Athens? It actually is pretty thriving despite being located in a country going through a depression.

**Bham1982** · August-18-15, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

There's lots to laugh at in the article such as the Olympics being the acid test for establishing a preeminent global city.

I don't know, Pyeongchang and Sochi are certainly preeminent global cities. Look what the Olympics has done for their worldwide recognition.

But NYC never hosted the Olympics, so I'm sure it's little known. They need a bobsled competition or maybe some hammer throwing or synchronized swimming to finally get some global recognition.

**lpg** · August-18-15, 01:18 PM

I like the line "It's the people of the Midwest who would just love having an Olympics on their doorstep. So in some sense they have to share in the cost of it." So when the people of the Midwest go home are they going to continue pay for it or just the ones who live here ? Waste of scarce money.