PatchMan 0 Posted March 18, 2004 Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 We have all heard again and again that toronto 2008 was one of the best bids ever and that toronto was 'robbed'. I am not disputing this, and i would definitely have preferred a toronto games to beach volleyball in tiannenmen square. :ghostface: What made the bid SO special, though? there have been lots and lots of great technical bids, so was it a combination of this and a certain 'je ne sais quoi'? there are many of you who are passionate about this, so can you fill me in? Also, i have heard people, and i remember afransen particularly, saying that if there had been no vancouver 2010, toronto would have been almost certain to win 2012. i do think this s a bit arrogant, and also unlikely given the stiff competition. what do you all think? Link to post Share on other sites
Suit U Sir !!! 0 Posted March 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2004 toronto would have been almost certain to win 2012. i do think this s a bit arrogant, and also unlikely given the stiff competition. what do you all think? Well if there had been no Vancouver 2010, i don't think Toronto would have "definetly won 2012," without fail, and would have been unbeatable. On many occasions the favourite has not won, and there have been shocks. However, i feel that what what most people are trying to say is that Toronto 2012 would have been a front runner. Considering that it got more votes than paris in the 2008 vote (Paris being the front runner for 2012), and that Europe is hosting 2004 SOG (Athens) and 2006 WOG (Turin), it would have been reasonable to expect a North american city to be awarded 2012. Definetly it would have been the bid to beat- but saying that, of course it could have been beatable. Link to post Share on other sites
SOlympiadsW 0 Posted March 19, 2004 Report Share Posted March 19, 2004 However Toronto's top status in other bids may have been masked by Paris, London, NYC, Istanbul, and Rio....and just to think what would Toronto do if they lost again in 2012, which was indeed possible with such high profile cities..... Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 Toronto beat Paris and Istanbul in terms of votes for 2008, so clearly even with a strong technical bid on the part of Paris, Toronto was favoured over Paris' star power. Toronto had a very creative bid. Never has there been a proposal to stage an Olympics on a downtown waterfront. Also, Toronto's bid was incredibly compact, with 25 of 28 sports being staged with a 3 km radius of the heart of downtown (around the CN Tower/Skydome). Also, the athlete's village would have been a few hundred metres from the Olympic Stadium. All these contributed to give Toronto one of, if not the most centralised bids in history. Having the Olympics located downtown placed them at the centre of Toronto's transportation network, ensuring easy access from hotels all around the region. Aside from this, there were a lot of little touches that were nice. For instance, the rowing events were to be held right next to the Olympic Stadium, the first time this has ever been done. Really, had Beijing not been in the running, Toronto could have won handily. Alas, it was Beijing's to win from the start, and only another human rights abuse on the level of Tienanmen Square would have stopped Beijing from getting the games. Link to post Share on other sites
SOlympiadsW 0 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 are you completely against Beijing 2008? Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 Does it matter at this point? I wish Beijing well in hosting 2008. Link to post Share on other sites
mr.x 24 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 are you completely against Beijing 2008? no, i think he's just really really really really really bitter. First words he said about Vancouver's 2010 victory was "Thank Toronto that Vancouver won 2010."....and that lead to a wave of arguments and insults between the people of these two cities for a month in two or more forums. Link to post Share on other sites
SOlympiadsW 0 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 yes but he just wished Beijing 2008 well.....so that's nice Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 are you completely against Beijing 2008? no, i think he's just really really really really really bitter. First words he said about Vancouver's 2010 victory was "Thank Toronto that Vancouver won 2010."....and that lead to a wave of arguments and insults between the people of these two cities for a month in two or more forums. Hey, its at least partially true, though, isn't it? I for one wasn't directing derogatory comments towards specific individuals. Link to post Share on other sites
PatchMan 0 Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 are you completely against Beijing 2008? no, i think he's just really really really really really bitter. First words he said about Vancouver's 2010 victory was "Thank Toronto that Vancouver won 2010."....and that lead to a wave of arguments and insults between the people of these two cities for a month in two or more forums. Well. I don't think there is anything wrong with being against Beijing2008. I dont know exactly where I stand, because although i obviously want the games to go well, i do believe it was a disgrace that Beijing was awarded the games, and beach volleyball in Tiannanmen Square is just sickening. Also, what he said is true. Vancouver had a good bid for 2010, but there were flaws and it wasnt necessarily better than Pyeongchand, Or Salzburg, or Berne - so it was luky they dropped out. i think one of the things that gave vancouver the edge was toronto being so obviously denied the games for political reasons- part of the reason they should have won, if you ask me.... So, in that sense, toronto helped vancouver a lot, and vancouver maybe should thank toronto Link to post Share on other sites
Guardian 22 Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 It's my POV, but I hope that Toronto does try a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, if NYC fails to get the 2012 Olympic Games. But, it seems that the sweepstakes for any future Games keeps getting higher, so to speak. Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Torch (Olympic Spirit Centre) construction pics, yesterday. There's a lot of construction in the area at the moment... Torch Torch Torch I doubt it will be ready for Athens, though you never know. Link to post Share on other sites
dave199 57 Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 the torch project looks more complete than the pics you provided....i pass by the construction site every day since I attend Ryerson University and the business management building is right across the street from the construction site. Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 I apologize, those pics are from Feb 29th. Link to post Share on other sites
dave199 57 Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 oh i didn't notice that myself. Anyways, is there any more recent pics? Link to post Share on other sites
Guardian 22 Posted March 28, 2004 Report Share Posted March 28, 2004 By the way, is Toronto still on track in wanting to bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games? Link to post Share on other sites
Dawson 0 Posted March 30, 2004 Report Share Posted March 30, 2004 You can be sure of it. There would be discussions going on within the closed doors of City Hall. Hamilton had its turn, this time it's big brothers turn. Toronto 2014 Link to post Share on other sites
Dawson 0 Posted March 30, 2004 Report Share Posted March 30, 2004 no, i think he's just really really really really really bitter. Well. Can you blame Toronto 2008 supporters like me? Vancouver was no innocent angel by far. The Vancouver committee knew what they were doing when they blurted out their prospective bid, when Toronto was full blown it its heated battle. I am not saying that this is why Toronto lost, I am just saying Vancouver was no angel. Link to post Share on other sites
thatsnotmypuppy 559 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I think it is safe to say that the lesson learnt from Toronto-Vancouver is that Olympic Committees in bidding countries will supress future bids as much as possible when a current bid is in the running for a Games. The French will not back Annecy 2014 if Paris loses - as the IOC could again deny Paris by backing an inferior Winter Games city. I will be very interested in seeing if Pyeongchang/Muju runs for 2014 if Busan stakes a claim for 2016. Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Realistically, South Korea has a much better chance of winning 2014 than 2016. 8 years after Beijing? If Europe gets 2012, 2016 will North America's to lose. Link to post Share on other sites
Guardian 22 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Or South America, minus the 2014 Men's World Cup of soccer. Link to post Share on other sites
mr.x 24 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 well Dawson, since you said Hamilton had its turn on the Commonwealths but lost and Toronto wants it now, it works the same way for Toronto and Vancouver and the Olympics. Link to post Share on other sites
Apple 10 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 well Dawson, since you said Hamilton had its turn on the Commonwealths but lost and Toronto wants it now, it works the same way for Toronto and Vancouver and the Olympics. good point mr. x! Link to post Share on other sites
afransen 0 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I'd rather Hamilton host them in 2030 for their centennial. Link to post Share on other sites
Apple 10 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I'd rather Hamilton host them in 2030 for their centennial. I think that’s what it’s ultimately going to come down to. Hamilton bid for 2030 centennial Commonwealth Games. It would be best if any other Canadian city won the 2014 Commonwealth Games bid because then it gives a good amount of space time before another Canadian city can bid for it again which will be in 2030, 16 years gap. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.