The Canadian Olympic Committee announced today that they will not be moving forward with a Toronto bid for the 2024 Olympics. The deadline to submit bids to the International Olympic Committee is tonight, September 15th, at 6pm ET.
The Olympic Bid has been at the center of several political debates. Some politicians argued that when done right, the Games “can provide real benefits for host cities, their regions and indeed the rest of Canada.” They also pointed out, however, what could happen if the games aren’t done right, citing the 1976 Montreal Games.
Among the public, 53% of Toronto citizens were in favor of hosting the Games, but the disapproval rating increased by 9% from mid-July to this week. As of Monday, 47% of Torontonians were against hosting the games.
Ultimately Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, decided against submitting a bid for the 2024 Olympics.
“We respect the Mayor’s decision today and appreciate the thorough consideration given to a potential candidature. Thank you to everyone who supported this undertaking. We remain optimistic Toronto could and should host the Olympic Games in the future. We thank President Bach and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for their unique cooperation throughout this process. We look forward to a continued productive relationship with all three levels of government to support high performance athletes. The Canadian Olympic Committee is determined to have the Olympics back in the country at the earliest opportunity, especially in the context of the new Olympic Agenda 2020.” – Canadian Olympic Committee
Budapest, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Paris, and Rome are the remaining five cities in the mix to host the 2024 Olympic Games. Experts believe European cities have the best chance to be awarded the games in 2024 as the last two Games have been awarded to the Americas and then Asia. With Toronto out of the running, Los Angeles geographically stands out from the other potential host cities as the only non-European city.