Major news outlets are reporting that Boston’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games may be in jeopardy. As a reminder, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) selected Boston among the final four entrants in January. Since then, opposition in Boston has grown to the point where, in May, we reported that the city’s bid was no longer a sure thing.
From the time the Boston2024 committee put for its proposal, several opposition groups have been gathering support. No Boston Olympics and No Boston 2024 have been the most vocal, and in March it was announced that the city would hold a referendum to let the voters decide whether or not there was enough public support for the bid.
Support for Boston’s Olympic bid has waned since the USOC selected it in January. At that time, a WBUR poll showed 51% of residents supported the idea of hosting the Olympic Games; by March support was down to 36% and it hasn’t risen above 40% since.
At the heart of the opposition is the enormous cost involved in putting on such a massive event. Beijing broke spending records hosting the Summer Games in 2008, and Sochi reportedly spent upwards of $50 billion on the 2014 Winter Games.
Today, Boston mayor Marty Walsh announced he would not sign a contract with the USOC if it meant that the city’s residents would risk bearing any future financial burden of the hosting the potential games. According to the news outlets, Walsh told reporters at a press conference:
“This is a commitment I cannot make without assurances that Boston and its residents will be protected. I refuse to mortgage the future of the city away. I refuse to put Boston on the hook for overruns. And I refuse to commit to signing a guarantee that uses taxpayer dollars to pay for the Olympics.”
The International Olympic Committee will not make its selection for the 2024 host city until 2017, but all bids from potential host countries are due to the IOC by September 15, 2015. The USOC is in a difficult position; if it pushes Boston to make a do-or-die decision and Boston pulls out, then the committee must decide whether or not to award the bid to another city, or not to put forth an entrant to the IOC, effectively forgoing the chance to host the 2024 Games.
The USOC is expected to make an announcement on the subject later today.
The USOC are dumb for picking Boston in the first place. They pick stuff for political/symbolic reasons, and their bids fail. Chicago (Obama) & Boston (marathon bombing)
LA or San Fran could host the Olympic Games in 6 months.
Haha! Chicago was not the reason of US losing for 2016. You would have lost with any other US city! And you should inform yourself a little bit better before writing senseless things. USOC selected Chicago over Los Angeles on April 14th, 2007! I don’t think many people knew the name of your current President. And not many people predicted he would be even candidate at that time. However, I agree that Boston bombing has probably been a major factor to pick that city for 2024. But 2 very different cases here.
Anyway, you had NO CHANCE in 2009 for the 2016 olympic games with the bad image USA had in the last decade. Iraq war launched in 2002… Read more »
Correction. Iraq invasion in 2003.
First of all: I think you should finally learn to be less agressive and you should also first check your facts before you attack other people. You have made very strange predictions in the past (for example not even mentioning GB as a medal contender for mens 4 x 200 relay) and this time you are also wrong. Obama announced on February 10 2007 that he would try to become US president, therefore i think that most people already knew him.
In addition to that the US would have a very good chance to host 2024 olympic games, they hosted summer olympic games for the last time in 1996 (Europe hosted it 2 times since 1996 and Asia also… Read more »
As Bobo mentioned, Paris should be the obvious choice with or without this Boston update.
Paris has the logistics and the World Cup stadium is modern and well suited to be an Olympic stadium. This isn’t Greece, the French can build a swim pool in less than 8 years.
USOC will select LA now?
Or they give up for this time to prepare seriously 2028?
It is confirmed by this ESPN report: http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/13326675/boston-us-candidate-host-2024-olympics-usoc-severs-ties
The IOC let it get out of control and now the cost of meeting their expectations have gotten to the tipping point where we are seeing the backlash from the general public. I saw that London spent $150M on a velodrome which nothing more than an indoor bicycle track. How many people are going to use that track on a regular basis…its just insane. It needs to go back to utilizing existing facilities to the extent possible. What ever became of the infamous bird’s nest in Beijing?
The stadium you call “the infamous bird’s nest” will host next track and field world championships in one month. 🙂
You are misguided regarding London.
All the venues in the London Olympic Park are open to the public and get very busy as there is now a bustling community on it’s doorstep. Converting the athletes village into a housing complex was a brilliant stroke played by the British bid. Nearby schools use the olympic pool every day and the velodrome gets very busy, eventhough it is expensive. The Olympic Stadium is now being converted into a football stadium as well as hosting music events, athletics and rugby world cup matches in the autumn.
With a little imagination, like London used, the Olympics can be a huge success for a host city. It made a profit, helped the housing shortage… Read more »
Thanks for your British support! 😆
Especially after London stole the 2012 olympic games from Paris. 😉 While we had by far the best project. Congrats for your great lobbying at that time. Blair and Coe have been really efficient. We were so naive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😆
And I agree about what you’ve written above.
If you make things in a smart way, that’s an investment for the long term.
And good luck Paris!
Boston had the most opposition of the 4 US cities from the beginning so this is not that big of a surprise to me. I disagree with BOBO GIGI, I think these Olympic games much like the next World Cup are the US’s to lose. DC in my opinion was always the best choice of the 4, but I think political reasons kept it from being selected. Who knows.
I disagree.
It’s Europe’s to lose.
2016 South America
2020 Asia
2024 Europe
2028 North America or Africa
2032 North America or Africa (the loser of 2028)
Europe hosted the last Olympics…
And what?
The next 2 olympics are not in Europe.
Yes, but Europe also had Athens in 2004. If Paris were selected, Europe would have hosted 3 games in the time that North America would have hosted zero. By 2024 it would be 28 years since the Atlanta games. It will go to either and American city or Toronto.
I’m with the 60% of Boston residents on this one, I think it’s a bad idea. I bet it feels great to have your hometown host the worlds largest sporting event, but the reality is no one in it really benefits from the deal. Bobo, by all means, take the Paris bid. Your country’s financial future is not our problem.
I take it. I take it.
We already have around 80/90% of the facilities.
We only need to build a swimming pool.
Not much money to spend compared to most of the other contenders.
And some transportation infrastructures around Paris need serious improvement so olympic games would be a major boost for that. Not a Boston specialist but I believe that city would have seriously needed new and modern transportation infrastructures. “Aging” if I’ve well understood.
It’s not about building infrastructure – and Boston’s public transportation is actually quite good – it’s about how much you will have to spend to eventually launder enough money through Lausanne to keep the IOC happy. If the people of Paris are happy paying the necessary bribes, then I am happy for you and will certainly enjoy watching the Games when you host them!
Haha! And I believed that France was the world champion to destroy its olympic bids! 😆 😆 😆 😆
Anyway, I say since the beginning that Paris will easily win this time. For once it looks like we are smarter.