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Looks like there's a chance this may start to gain traction. A couple of weeks ago, there were rumblings that at least 1 US city was showing interest in the Winter Olympics. Now it appears the USOC is willing to entertain the thought.. USOC expects to discuss possible Winter Olympic bid So let's see where this goes, but clearly this is beyond the purely hypothetical stage where the highest ranking members from the USOC have publicly acknowledged the possibility.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/01/16/general/usoc-gets-olympic-bid-wrong-again/

The United States Olympic Committee recently sent 35 letters to cities across the country to see who's interesting in bidding for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Philadelphia was the first city to respond stating they will plan a bid for the USOC. In order to appeal to both the USOC and the IOC, what should the city do such as improving infrastructure and planning the venues? My ideal plan: Olympic Venues Archery – Fairmount Park Badminton – Temporary Venue (Schuylkill) Baseball – Citizens Bank Park (South Philadelphia) Basketball – Wells Fargo Centre – Finals (South Philadelphia), Liacourus Centre – Preliminaries (Temple University) Beach Volleyball – Temporary Venue (Penn’s Landing) Boxing – The Palestra (University of Pennsylvania) BMX – Temporary Venue (Schuylkill) Canoe/Kayak – Temporary Venue (Camden) Cycling – Temporary Velodrome (Schuylkill) Diving – New Aquatics Centre (South Philadelphia) Equestrian – Devon Show Grounds (Devon, PA) Fencing – PA Convention Centre (Hall 1) Field Hockey – Franklin Field (University of Pennsylvania) Golf – Merion Golf Club (Ardmore, PA) Gymnastics – Wells Fargo Centre (South Philadelphia) Handball – Wells Fargo Centre – Finals (South Philadelphia), Temporary Venue - Preliminaries (Schuylkill) Judo – PA Convention Centre (Hall 1) Marathon – Ben Franklin Parkway (Start), Philadelphia Museum of Art (End) Modern Pentathlon – Series of Olympic Venues Mountain Biking – Poconos Mountains Road Cycling – Ben Franklin Parkway (Start/End) Rowing – Cooper River (Camden) Rugby 7s – PPL Park (Chester, PA) Sailing – Temporary Venue (Camden) Shooting – New Shooting Centre (Schuylkill) Soccer – Lincoln Financial Field – Finals (South Philadelphia)* Softball – Campbell’s Field (Camden) Swimming – New Aquatics Centre (South Philadelphia) Synchronized Swimming – New Aquatics Center (South Philadelphia) Table Tennis – PA Convention Centre (Hall 2) Taekwondo – PA Convention Centre (Hall 3) Tennis – New Tennis Centre (South Philadelphia) Track and Field – Olympic Stadium (South Philadelphia) Triathlon (swimming, biking, running) – Fairmount Park Volleyball – Liacourus Centre – Finals (Temple University), The Pavilion – Preliminaries (Villanova University) Water Polo – New Aquatics Centre II (Schuylkill) Weightlifting - Mann Centre *Football matches will also be held in Atlanta (Georgia Dome), Chicago (Soldier Field), Dallas (Cowboys Stadium), New York (Metlife Stadium), Los Angeles (LA Memorial Coliseum), and Washington DC (Fedex Field). Olympic Village – Schuylkill River Olympic Offices – University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University Media Village – Naval Business Centre (South Philadelphia) International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre – Temporary Centre (South Philadelphia) I-476, I-76, I-95, I-676, Broad Street, Market Street, Columbus Blvd, Lancaster Ave are the major arteries with athletes and media traveling on Olympic Priority Lanes. Notes: - Philadelphia and Camden needs to lower their crime rate. Even though Rio might be worse, the USOC will not choose Philadelphia as their bid. - Septa will need to build additional lines in South Philadelphia to accommodate the new Olympic neighborhoods and the vast amount of spectators since parking spaces is going to be reduced. Since traffic is going to be a nightmare during the evenings because of rush hour and event finals, spectators are going to rely on public transportation when travelling to the venues. It’s like the Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers playing sellout doubleheaders on the same day with the Vet still standing. Stations also need to be expanded to help handle the massive Olympic crowds. After the games, the new Septa lines should spur business in South Philadelphia the turning meat packaging warehouses into entertainment venues. - I-76 will need major expansion. Since it’s the major highway coming into the city, the two lane system from King of Prussia to the Sports Complex is going to create a traffic nightmare. - The Olympic Bid plan could be part of a long term project by the city to improve on infrastructure and other aspects of the city such as education and decreasing the crime rate. - I know this might seem stupid, but we need to redevelop the Philadelphia Gas Works area into a new neighborhood. After landing at the Airport, the first thing tourists see is smoke coming from the Sunoco plant. That’s an unwelcoming feel. Redeveloping the area could mean additional venues and possibly the Olympic Village.