Next Usa Summer Bid (poll)

[4gamesandcounting]

2020 will be in Europe, in one of these cities: Rome, Paris, Madrid or Istanbul. And, for me, Madrid is the great favourite.

I have to say that Madrid would not win against Rome or Paris - they may not even bid again.

[Cauê]

If 2020 does go to Europe, it'll go to Rome. For starters, it doesn't look like Paris is gonna bid (& if Annecy wins 2018 & to a lesser degree if Munich wins, you can forget about Paris), & who knows if Madrid has gotten fatigued by now & make skip it this time, & Istanbul unless they've massively improved their bid (since their previous bids had big issues, one of them being the "core" of the Games was wayyy out there away from the city, among other main issues) then they ain't gettin' it, either. Plus, if Tokyo & Cape Town bid (which is very likely), then Europe will certainly by no means be a shoe-in for 2020 like 2012 was.

And really, the earliest I can see it coming to the U.S. at this point is 2028. And personally, I think the next bidder should be Los Angeles. I know it's hosted twice & all, but by 2028 or 2032, it would be 44-48 years since the last Los Angeles Games in 1984 (plus we do have London that's going to be hosting for the 3rd time in 3 years time). And the USOC seems to be partial to L.A., anyway. For 2016, the USOC vote between Chicago & Los Angeles was supposedly very close. Los Angeles would have to come up with a fantastic venue plan though, if they really want to get the Olympics again.

Los Angeles again? No!!! Please!!!!

The world is very diverse, U.S.A have many fantastic cities to host the Olympics for the first time. My preference:

1-San Francisco

2-Chicago

3-New York

4-Miami

[baron-pierreIV]

Los Angeles again? No!!! Please!!!!

The world is very diverse, U.S.A have many fantastic cities to host the Olympics for the first time. My preference:

1-San Francisco

2-Chicago

3-New York

4-Miami

But the problem is the main stadium. The only hope for San Francisco went out the window 3 years ago when the 49ers (who would've been the main tenant of a new SF stadium) opted to go down south to Santa Clara. Without a major tenant. SF is left with the odd, aging Candestick Park stadium (or last name, Monster.com park) that is NOT worthy of an Olympics or even a World Cup bid.

NY sort of has the same probelem...plus land for an OV; same with Chicago.

LA, unfortunately, has both ready: LA Coliseum and UCLA for their Village.

That's the crux. Forget Miami; it's the humidity capital of North America.

[Athensfan]

My personal prediction is that it will be Chicago or Los Angeles, but I suspect Africa will host before the IOC returns to the U.S. It would be foolhardy to bid for 2020 and 2024 is still risky. I suspect we are looking at 2028 unless the USOC gives up on a Summer Games and gets 2022. Personally, I think this would be a huge mistake.

[Cauê]

But the problem is the main stadium. The only hope for San Francisco went out the window 3 years ago when the 49ers (who would've been the main tenant of a new SF stadium) opted to go down south to Santa Clara. Without a major tenant. SF is left with the odd, aging Candestick Park stadium (or last name, Monster.com park) that is NOT worthy of an Olympics or even a World Cup bid.

NY sort of has the same probelem...plus land for an OV; same with Chicago.

LA, unfortunately, has both ready: LA Coliseum and UCLA for their Village.

That's the crux. Forget Miami; it's the humidity capital of North America.

Hmmm...

Well Baron, If San Francisco is complicated, I prefer Chicago.

I'm impressed with Chicago.

Chicago deserves the Olympics.

[stir.ts]

Keep the Olympics OUT of LA. The last thing we need is more obnoxious tourists running all over the place getting lost sucking more life out of the California.

The Olympics are starting to feel a little like a charity that we may not need the hassle of supporting.

[Olympic USA]

Houston/Dallas-Not enough US support

Boston- Might have the best story of any city, the founding of America. If they could somehow get Mitt Romney to run the bid, i think they would have a shot

Dc/Baltimore-totally underrated Bid, Great infrastructure, and plenty of already built stadiums in the area. Can handle security and hosting the big events. Dan Snyder (Redskins owner) has been itching for a new stadium, maybe it could function as a new olympic stadium. The story for this bid is easy, DC the city of Freedom.I would like to see more discussion on this possibility.

Just wanted to address a few of the cities you mentioned-

Houston/Dallas - Honestly, in my opinion, none of the past bidding us cities (Atlanta, NYC, and Chicago) really garnered that much support when bidding from the US public as a whole - more regional support than anything. And personally, I only see one city in the USA American's truly rallying behind to win - Washington DC.

As for Houston/Dallas itself - well they are two different cities and have the ability to pull it off from the technical standpoint. Problem, as it's been mentioned time and time again, is international recognition. The Dallas/Ft Worth area is larger than the Houston area but Houston is well known as being the International city of Texas, more so than Dallas.

Boston - I like the idea of a Boston bid and i've already given most of my opinions on it. The issues seem to be a place for an Olympic stadium/park, and an Olympic village. I think once we see a Boston plan then we can critique further. I remember when NYC's bid was in it's first development and people saying "There is no way that city can have this or that venue." My argument is that if NYC can present a venue plan, so can Boston.

Washington DC - I am purposely leaving out Baltimore because I think that is the only way that Washington can win. To me, in the 2012 bid Baltimore was way too involved in the bid and I always felt like that Maryland was the focus of the bid with the Washington DC name and Virginia being thrown in here and there. While the plan wasn't as horrible as San Francisco's it still had similar problems in terms of venues being spread out over the DC Metro area. The reason probably being that in the 1990s there were separate bid committees out of both Washington DC AND Baltimore to bid for an Olympic games before officials in the area encouraged them to merge and create one bid for the region.

In my opinion what should have happened is that the bid should have had Washington DC front and center with the key venues (OC/CC, T&F, Swimming, Tennis, Gymnastics, Olympic village) and a few others being in the District and the rest being just over the line in suburban Maryland and Virginia. Not only does this give a fairly compact bid that the IOC likes but it also helps to utilize the very efficient Washington METRO. I could not believe how much the 2012 bid had events like gymnastics and cycling in Baltimore or beach volleyball in Annapolis when those could have easily been held in DC or even across the potomac in Arlington and Alexandria. The idea of the OC being simultaneous on the National Mall and Baltimore Harbor wasn't that good either ( and come to find out, the National park service would not have allowed it).

After saying all that if bid organizers could come back with a solid, good plan with the District of Columbia as the CENTER of the games then a Washington bid coud very well be a good contender for a future Olympics. Washington, while not as top tier as NYC or San Fran., is still a well known city within the international community and going back to what I said about American support. Washington DC is the city that all Americans can say they have in common - is is the national capital, it's a city that effects all Americans, it is America's federal city and out of all US cities I could see the majority of the US public getting behind. At the same time, Washington is also an international city, being a liberal, progressive, and open city to people from all over the world. I spent a lot of time there over the past year and was very impressed with the number of foreign nationals who were living in D.C.

Just my two cents worth!

[FYI]

I never realized the Washington 2012 bid was THAT spread out. That would've never have won over the IOC (if the USOC was dumb enough to pick them with that Maryland state-wide bid). This is what happens when certain big cities neighbor each other. Baltimore obviously wanted to be part of the spotlight, too.

This reminds me of the silly "Florida 2012" bid, where Tampa & Orlando were going to "share" the events. These type of communities across the country need to realize & understand the needs & wants of the IOC. Obviously ridiculous venue plans like these don't recognize or understand what they're actually trying to strive for.

Yeah, if a Washington bid ever sparked again, they would need to focus on the compactness. That's what makes the Olympics special, anyway. Having the whole world in ONE place at the same time. Why can't these cities realize that, they just want to be part of the big picture, when in reality, they can't.

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

I dont think its unusual for some events to be located regionally. For example in DC sailing would make the most sense in Annapolis due to its geographic support. I do agree that the bid in 2012 was way too spread out. But like any first time bid, they will learn. DC has a story, and great infrastructure (3 airports within a reasonable distance, the beltway, and metro) I guess the question remains does anyone with influence in DC want the bid?

[Olympic USA]

I never realized the Washington 2012 bid was THAT spread out. That would've never have won over the IOC (if the USOC was dumb enough to pick them with that Maryland state-wide bid). This is what happens when certain big cities neighbor each other. Baltimore obviously wanted to be part of the spotlight, too.

This reminds me of the silly "Florida 2012" bid, where Tampa & Orlando were going to "share" the events. These type of communities across the country need to realize & understand the needs & wants of the IOC. Obviously ridiculous venue plans like these don't recognize or understand what they're actually trying to strive for.

Yeah, if a Washington bid ever sparked again, they would need to focus on the compactness. That's what makes the Olympics special, anyway. Having the whole world in ONE place at the same time. Why can't these cities realize that, they just want to be part of the big picture, when in reality, they can't.

Yes, but as you mentioned the Florida 2012 bid was even worse! I am to this day still appalled that the organizers actually thought that spreading the venues between Tampa and Orlando would be appealing. As I said back then, if the state of Florida is serious about hosting an Olympics then it would have to be Miami bidding - Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville will NOT cut it. They can contribute by hosting soccer prelims.

I agree with you about neighboring cities. Tampa's bid was shot because they actually marketed the bid as "Florida 2012". San Francisco 2012 in the beginning was the "Bay Area 2012", and Washington went from "Chesapeake 2012" to "Washington/Baltimore 2012" to "Washington 2012". Dallas/Ft Worth's bid from the beginning had "Dallas 2012" front and center. While they definitely emphasized that their intent was to bring the games to North Texas and certainly discussed the support of Arlington and Ft Worth they never once in my opinion said it was a joint bid effort. While the final venue plan submitted to the USOC from Dallas 2012 isn't public (at least through the internet) I would guess that the vast majority of the venues were indeed in Dallas with secondary venues being in Arlington and Ft Worth. Of course I could be wrong.

I do agree that the city bidding needs to be the focus. Sure, cities like Washington DC and San Francisco can't host every single event, in fact in terms of square miles those cities are fairly small. However, as with the San Francisco Bay plan - many people emphasize it needs to be concentrated in the north bay. With Washington DC it needs to be concentrated within the Beltway.

I dont think its unusual for some events to be located regionally. For example in DC sailing would make the most sense in Annapolis due to its geographic support. I do agree that the bid in 2012 was way too spread out. But like any first time bid, they will learn. DC has a story, and great infrastructure (3 airports within a reasonable distance, the beltway, and metro) I guess the question remains does anyone with influence in DC want the bid?

Definitely, as I said above there is no way to expect every single event to be within the District of Columbia or within the Capital Beltway. However, take a look at the venue plan below and you see that many events were unnecessarily put in areas that could have been either in Washington or closer to it.

Washington/Baltimore 2012 Bid (last known venue plan as of May, 2001)–

Northern Virginia - Canoeing-Flat, Rowing, Swimming, Diving , Synchronized swimming , Equestrian , Judo , Water Polo, Wrestling

Washington, District of Columbia – Ceremonies, IBC/MPC, Media Village, IOC Headquarters, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Tennis, Weightlifting

College Park/Prince Georges County, Maryland (right over the line from D.C.)-

Olympic Village, Modern Penthalon (Equestrian only), Softball, Shooting, Team Handball, Indoor Volleyball

Baltimore, MD – Ceremonies (had they gone with the awful National Mall/Baltimore Harbor idea), IBC/MPC (Yes the 2nd one!), Baseball, Cycling – Road, Cycling Track, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Football (Soccer), Table Tennis, Triathlon

Annapolis, MD – Fencing, Modern Penthalon (All events except Equestrian), Beach Volleyball, Yachting (Sailing)

In my opinion - most of (if not all) the events in Baltimore could have been in Washington - with the exception of maybe the Triathlon. Aquatics I would have been in D.C. if it meant sacrificing Boxing and weightlifting to northern VA, the Olympic Village I would have put in D.C., Arlington, or Alexandria. The venues in Annapolis were fine, though if a spot for beach volleyball could have been found close to the potomac in DC or northern VA I would have liked that better! The College park venues/ Prince Georges county venues I think were fine except for the Olympic village. And overall I think there would have needed to be a good balance between events in MD and VA (the ones that could not be held in D.C. to show equal support). I also think that having most of the events inside the Beltway helps utilize Metro better - for the events outside of the beltway you have VRE, MARC, or Amtrak in addition to bus service.

Now, as far as support goes - I may be wrong but I don't think public support was super high. I believe the Mayor's office was very supportive of the bid but other than that, not too terribly much. I could be wrong though and if someone has any more information please let us know. However, if another revamped plan came up I would be curious to see the public support. It depends on the angle they present the bid - I think it would gather a lot of support if they use the bid as a revitilizing effort for the southeast and Anacostia area of D.C. as well as speeding up improvements to METRO.

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

I totally agree with you that the 2012 bid was way to spread out. I think for DC to have a shot it needs to drop the Baltimore half. Ultimately, DC is big enough to host most the events, and Baltimore could always host Soccer prelims and what not.

I think the public would support the plan if they saw the benefits. The 2012 plan did little to revitalize Anacostia or expand the Metro (The purple line). If the new plan includes these things I believe DC residents would be supportive. The Olympic stadium could be a revitalized RFK stadium, which is right in the heart of DC and already has access to the metro.

There is a new mayor in DC (Adrian Fenty) who is young and seems well liked, he could help a bid.

Well if you couldnt tell im all for it!

[Rogerioandrade]

Chicago for 2024. Chicago had a very good plan last time and it can still be used (with some proper adaptations for 2024).

[Olympic USA]

I totally agree with you that the 2012 bid was way to spread out. I think for DC to have a shot it needs to drop the Baltimore half. Ultimately, DC is big enough to host most the events, and Baltimore could always host Soccer prelims and what not.

I think the public would support the plan if they saw the benefits. The 2012 plan did little to revitalize Anacostia or expand the Metro (The purple line). If the new plan includes these things I believe DC residents would be supportive. The Olympic stadium could be a revitalized RFK stadium, which is right in the heart of DC and already has access to the metro.

There is a new mayor in DC (Adrian Fenty) who is young and seems well liked, he could help a bid.

Well if you couldnt tell im all for it!

I thought the purple line was going forward regardless? I know the silver line is being built as we speak and will be at Dulles by 2016 (?) I don't know how much the 2012 bid would have spurred an extension of Metro. Most of the events were on or near the existing lines, plus MARC would have been heavily utilized due to the amount of events in Maryland.

Anacostia and Southeast D.C. need to be cleaned up - look at what the Nationals Ballpark has done for that area near the Navy Yards. An Olympics could certainly do even more - but if i'm not mistaken didn't the new ballpark receive some opposition and a lot of NIMBY's? I could be wrong on that - Anacostia though may be a different story, everyone in D.C. agrees it is a **** hole.

I'm definitely all for a Washington bid as well, it's my favorite city here in the USA - I miss it so much, especially this time of year - ahh, great memories of that city Feel free to PM me sometime if you want to talk more about it!

[Athensfan]

I really question whether DC has the right flavor for an Olympics. It is the political heart of the country. The federal government is what makes DC DC. It's difficult for me to imagine the IOC responding well to that. DC does not come off as remotely cosmopolitan. It is aggressively red white and blue. The character of the city is so totally saturated with American politics that it doesn't seem compatible with an international celebration of sport.

Incidentally, DC doesn't have a great history of hosting sporting events anyway.

[baron-pierreIV]

DC's a swampy, sweltering setting. I mean that's why it didn't even become a finalist for the domestic 2016 derby.

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

First DC is no hotter than Atlanta was in 1996. I also think DC does have a distinct setting, which of course is based on the American Political System. But there is a whole different side to DC, like Georgetown, that presents a more Cosmopolitan side of the City. Visit sometime and you will see that DC is way more than just monuments and politics. Some of the most expensive housing in the Nation is in or near DC, these owners are obviously "cosmopolitan". If Atlanta can win, DC sure can.

[barrack]

DC does not come off as remotely cosmopolitan. It is aggressively red white and blue.

I respectfully disagree with you on this point. DC, possibly *because* there's so much politics is not all that red white and blue. The citizens of the area tend to be jaded by the goings on of federal government. Any red white and blue is the result of tourism. I'm not sure where in DC you visited (I'm guessing the touristy sites) but the DC is more cosmopolitan than you're letting on.

I have lived in a few major American cities, and none have matched the diversity of DC. Yes, DC is no New York or LA, but it's not Omaha either.

[barrack]

DC's a swampy, sweltering setting. I mean that's why it didn't even become a finalist for the domestic 2016 derby.

Having grown up in DC, I can say that this is probably the point of most concern. The geography of the region lends itself to poor air quality in the summer. I remember we'd have "code red" days where the combination of heat humidity and lack of wind made for very poor air quality. The stagnant air would just sit over the city, with all the fumes that a city produces just lingering above us. We were encouraged not to spend more than 15 minutes outside on these types of days. Some years are bad, others don't have them at all... it's mostly based on winds.

Shame too, cos it's such a beautiful city. I'd love to see it host.

[baron-pierreIV]

First DC is no hotter than Atlanta was in 1996. I also think DC does have a distinct setting, which of course is based on the American Political System. But there is a whole different side to DC, like Georgetown, that presents a more Cosmopolitan side of the City. Visit sometime and you will see that DC is way more than just monuments and politics. Some of the most expensive housing in the Nation is in or near DC, these owners are obviously "cosmopolitan". If Atlanta can win, DC sure can.

I've been to DC. It is what it is...a cold, federal city -- full of impressive buildings which go empty at night. I don't see Ankara, Brasilia, Canberra, Islamabad or Pretoria hosting any time soon.

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

We didnt seem to have a problem having the Olympics in Beijing with the worst pollution in the world. Again there is a DC nightlife, its just not next to the White House. I think the imagery of rowing on the the Potomac with Monuments in the background is hard to beat. Give DC a shot, people seem to shoot down every idea on this board. I too grew up near DC and the pollution is no worse than say LA and NYC.

[baron-pierreIV]

But if the USOC which is the presenting body did NOT even make DC a finalist...???

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

Bids always improve the second time around, and the IOC did not like the DC/Baltimore idea, Maybe if DC went at it alone, it would have a better shot. Just because they were denied in 2012 (with baltimore) doesnt mean they should not ever be considered in the future.

[baron-pierreIV]

yeah, perhaps...but what has DC hosted? Nothing. Not even a major political party national convention. Its major covered arena is in Landover, MD; its so-called 'downtown / gathering place would be "Georgetown' which is what? not exactly DC proper, right?

So it would be a very dishonest bid. Which is why SF 2012 was weak because its main stadium and village were going to be in Palo Alto and Mountain View respectively. SF would only host the IOC hostel, the minor "box" sports whilst all the marquee sports were idstributed btween Berkeley, San Jose, Oakland and Palo Alto.

But going back to the case of DC, as long as LA, SF, Chicago and New York are interested and viable, DC is really a long shot. Where would you put the Olympic Village in a DC bid? To call it a DC bid, the main stadium has to be within its city limits; and ideally the OV must be within earshot of the Olympic Stadium. Then you got to have 40,000 conveniently located hotel rooms, does DC have all of those components close to each other?

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

Your lack of knowledge of DC is very evident. Redskins Field in Landover is not a covered arena, its open air. The MCI center is right downtown and is a covered facility and I bet it would host Gymnastics. Georgetown is a neighborhood in DC, just like other neighborhoods in other big cities. Hm i guess hosting the inauguration every four years doesnt count as a large event? Of all the arguments to make against DC that one seems the most foolish. The USOC has put up two Big cities (NYC and Chicago) and both have been rejected, the USOC needs to think outside of the box.

[dc/baltimoreolympics]

Your lack of knowledge of DC is very evident. Redskins Field in Landover is not a covered arena, its open air. The MCI center is right downtown and is a covered facility and I bet it would host Gymnastics. Also RFK is downtown and the new NAtionals Ballpark all are great venues. Georgetown is a neighborhood in DC, just like other neighborhoods in other big cities. Hm i guess hosting the inauguration every four years doesnt count as a large event? Of all the arguments to make against DC that one seems the most foolish. The USOC has put up two Big cities (NYC and Chicago) and both have been rejected, the USOC needs to think outside of the box.