jn_12
Senior Member
That's all in hindsight. No one knew that Athens would struggle to get their games off the ground when they won them.
|
|
|
I don't really understand why Toronto does't try to attract other large events like the X-games or Red Bull Air Race. The X games draws a huge audience and doesn't cost a fortune for venues either. Why not push for some track and field world championships. Who really cares about the Pan Am Games?
Which I find to be an incredible indictment of our local politicians since for years they haven't even been able to slow-track many much-needed projects.Maybe because those events wouldn't get the government to pour money into our city and fast track projects.
If the COC endorses Quebec City's winter bid I will have honestly lost all faith in Canada.
How about letting another province (namely Ontario) get its chance at hosting the world's largest, and most expensive, carnival?
3 winter bids is getting too much. I know Canada is the land of ice and snow, but let's not encourage these stereotypes, shall we? They owe it to us to blast through. Personally, I would bid in 2020 and if we don't get it, again in 2024. The idea is that a)we have to make sure to keep other Canadian cities out of the loop (exactly how the COC screwed us over with Vancouver 2010 considering Toronto was definitely a frontrunner for 2012) and the chance that another North American city might take it home. We can't have these risks. Bidding costs a few million dollars, that's a given, but that kind of money is readily available. We're talking about Canada here, not Zimbabwe.
I can tell you with confidence that Toronto will NOT be bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games, while a bid for 2024 is a very good possibility.
A few points to consider on why Toronto will NOT be bidding for 2020:
1a) Bidding for the 2020 Summer Games begins in 2011, just one year after the Vancouver Winter Olympics. For a country our size, there is no way the international sporting community will award us another Games just 10 years apart.
d) The Canadian Olympic Committee would be stupid to let Quebec City to bid for the 2018 or 2022 Winter Games for the same reason given above. There is absolutely no way the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will award Canada another Winter Games so close to Vancouver 2010.
A few points to consider on why Toronto WILL be bidding for 2024:
2a) Rio won the 2016 Olympic Games by first hosting a 2007 Pan Am Games and then immediately submitting a serious Olympic bid shortly afterwards.
b) The bidding process for the 2024 Olympic Games conveniently opens in the fall of 2015 and the host city is elected in 2017 which nicely coincides with Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.
c) Toronto should follow the same model from Rio by concentrating on staging a very successful 2015 Pan Am and then submitting a bid for the 2024Olympic Games.
d) Paris, France will likely be one of the main challengers for 2024: I don’t buy the argument that because it will be the Centennial of the 1924 Paris Games it is more likely to win. Athens of all places lost out to Atlanta for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Most importantly Toronto has also proven it can beat Paris when we placed ahead of it during the 2008 bid process.
The world is a much different place compared to 1976 and 1988. The business of bidding and hosting the Olympic Games is a lot more competitive and crowded field. No matter how great Canada is at hosting, the IOC will not be awarding us a 3rd Winter Games anytime soon.
As for facilities, I never said we would be using the same venues for an Olympic Bid, if anything a new 80,000+ seat would have to be built within Toronto proper. Hosting a successful 2015 Pan Am is about strengthening Toronto’s sporting credentials to support the Olympic Bid which is what Rio 2016 did.
For the record we came third during the 1996 Olympic Bid after Atlanta and Athens. We placed 2nd during the 2008 Olympic Bid just after Beijing, and I predict we would place 1st in a Bid for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Louroz