The word came last night that the U.S. Olympic Committee has picked Boston to be our nations’ nominee to the International Olympic Committee as the potential host for the 2024 Sumer Games.
The IOC will make the final decision on the 2024 Games’ location in 2017 and a number of cities around the world also want the 2024 games. Rome, Paris, Istanbul and more are reportedly in the running — so the USOC endorsement of Boston is a big boost — but this is still a long way from a done deal.
Boston 2024. Sounds great, right? Really putting Boston on the map as a world-class locale capable of hosting a premiere international event! Not everybody agrees — so get ready for a real rip-roaring political debate in the coming year about the wisdom of inviting the world to come to our Commonwealths’ capital city 9 years from now.
Of course, there’s the question of congestion. Can our old, crowded city — where many downtown streets are based on the old farm lanes and cow paths established in the 1600s — even accommodate the thousands of athletes, coaches, media, national leaders and spectators who flock to the quadrennial games from every quadrant of the globe? Simply put, traffic — never easy in Boston — will be an absolute nightmare for the two weeks of the games. Residents will be encouraged to take their vacations during the games and public transportation will be ramped up to the highest possible levels –and all that will help.
Because Boston is already a major visitor destination for many reasons — our history, colleges and universities, great medical centers, etc. — we do have thousands of hotels rooms at the ready. Some of those residents who do take vacation during the games will make a killing renting out their homes to Olympic visitors. Bottom line is we can comfortably house everybody who’ll be visiting.
In the end, though, the biggest debate about hosting the Games will be about the cost. Olympic promoters and developers will say they will be able to privately finance all the construction required. No tax dollars needed. That’s been said before every modern-era Olympics ever held — and to my knowledge — it’s never worked out that way. Taxpayers in the host city/state/province/country etc. have almost always been left with a massive debt after all the athletes and visitors go home.
Think about it.
Boston will need to build an Olympic Stadium.(Gillette Stadium in Foxboro will almost certainly be judged too far from the city.) An aquatic center, an expensive specialized facility for bicycle races and an Olympic Village to house the athletes will all have to be built somewhere in the city — or very nearby — at great cost. We’re talking BILLIONS of dollars. Someone will suggest using all the summer-time empty college dorms around the city to house the athletes. That won’t fly. First, the International Olympic Committee wants everybody living together to promote the Olympic theme of cooperation and understanding. There’s also the question of security. You just can’t properly protect the visiting competitors if they are living scattered across multiple locations, so scratch that money-saving idea.
Bringing the Olympic Games to our Commonwealth would be a wonderful thing for many reasons –no question. But, before you sign on and start thinking about all the “Boston 2024” hats, t-shirts, key chains etc. etc. etc. you can buy — consider how you feel about having additional taxes or “fees” tacked on top of what you already pay for the privilege of living in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Somebody has to pay for everything needed to stage the Games. If Boston gets the IOC nod two years from now — it’s going to be fascinating to watch how Governor Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Flynn and all our lawmakers –state and federal– work to champion their hometown –while also assuring taxpayers they won’t be stuck with the tab. We’ll be keeping track of it all on “Connecting Point”.
