Boston bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics

The Boston 2024 Partnership is a privately backed bid to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to the city of Boston, Massachusetts.[1] The official proposal was submitted on December 1, 2014.[2] On January 8, 2015, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) chose Boston to compete with candidates around the world,[3] and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the host city in 2017.[4]

Boston beat out Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC for the official US bid.[3] Boston was the only first-time bidder in the group.[5] Polls conducted in early 2015 indicate declining support in the Boston area for hosting the Olympics.[6]

Boston 2024 Partnership

Chaired by John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction Company, the Boston 2024 Partnership is the private group behind Boston’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1] Its membership includes Dan O’Connell, chief executive of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership; Erin Murphy Rafferty, a former Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce vice president; and Emiley Lockhart as general counsel.[7] The group is advised by area leaders including New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, former US Senator Mo Cowan, and university heads from Harvard, Bentley, and MIT.[7] The Boston 2024 Partnership is paying $124,000 in monthly consulting costs to promote their proposal to the public and demonstrate their commitment to keeping costs in check.[8]

The day after Boston was revealed by the USOC as the winning US city for the bid, partnership chairman John Fish recused himself and Suffolk Construction Company from any Olympic-related bidding.[9]

As of January 2015, former MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey is in charge of the Boston Olympics advocacy effort.[10]

Political leaders in the area—including Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick—have commented positively on the prospect of an Olympic event in Boston, while noting hurdles of financing and community support.[11]

Funding

Acknowledging the overspending at past Olympics like Beijing and Sochi, the Boston 2024 Partnership is planning a cost-effective event, using private funds, existing facilities and temporary venues, and transportation projects that have previously received approval.[4] As of June 2014, the group had privately raised $11 million,[12] and another $50 million in private funds will be raised for the global bid campaign.[4]

According to the Boston 2024 Partnership, planning for and running the Olympics will cost $4.5 billion.[4] In addition, the state of Massachusetts would be required to spend $6 billion on accelerated transportation infrastructure improvements.[13]

Revenues from TV rights, sponsorships, ticket sales, and merchandise would help with some of the costs,[1][4] and federal money would be expected to cover security.[4][14]

Potential venues

The bid leans on the use of existing facilities at Boston-area universities as well as venues like Gillette Stadium and the TD Garden.[4] The Merrimack River in Lowell was selected for rowing events over the Charles River because it has fewer bridges and is longer and wider.[15]

Before Boston could host the Olympic Games, several facilities would have to be built: a temporary stadium to seat 60,000 people,[16] an Olympic village that spans 100 acres, a velodrome, and an aquatics center.[17]

Proposed 2024 Boston Olympics venues
Type Venue Location Activities Transit line
E Agganis Arena Boston University Badminton Green Line B, West Station
E Boston Convention Center South Boston judo, table tennis, taekwondo, Volleyball, Wrestling Silver Line, Indigo Line
E Gillette Stadium Foxborough Soccer (Finals), rugby sevens Commuter Rail
E Harvard Stadium Boston Field Hockey Red Line
E TD Garden Boston Basketball (Finals), Gymnastics (Artistic and Trampoline) North Station
E Tsongas Center UMass Lowell Boxing Lowell Line + bus
T Assembly Square Somerville Velodrome Orange Line
T Beacon Park Yard Boston Aquatics, tennis West Station, Green Line B
T Boston Common Boston Beach volleyball Red Line, Green Line
T Connecticut River, Deerfield River Deerfield and Westfield Canoe, kayak
T Franklin Park Boston Equestrian, modern pentathlon Orange Line , Fairmount Line
T Killian Court, MIT Cambridge Archery Red Line
T Olympic Stadium Boston, Widett Circle Multi-sport, 60,000 seats South Station
P Media Center Boston Convention Center Press Silver Line, Indigo Line
T Merrimack River Lowell Rowing Lowell Line
T/P Olympic Village Boston, Bayside Expo Eating, sleeping, 16,000 beds Red Line

Type key: E existing facility, P new, permanent, T new, temporary[18]

Transportation improvements

The Boston bid relies on several transportation system improvements, most already approved by the state legislature but not yet fully funded, These include:[18]

Opponents

The Boston 2024 Olympic bid has attracted criticism, particularly from a group called No Boston Olympics.[19] Arguments against the bid include: a pattern of overspending in previous Olympics,[1] years of construction,[1] the absence of community meetings,[4] few proven economic benefits for host cities and their tourism industries,[1] and conflicts of interest with Boston promoters who stand to benefit from the Olympics.[1] A March 2015 poll indicated that a 52% majority of Boston area residents are opposed to hosting the Olympic games in 2024.[6] The same poll showed only 36% in favor, one of the lowest levels of support ever registered in a potential Olympic city.[20]

Proponents

In response to critics, the Boston 2024 Partnership has encouraged area residents to see the 2024 Olympic bid as a conversation about the region’s future. In an interview with the Boston Business Journal in June 2014, Fish stated the Partnership’s commitment to studying the feasibility of bringing the Olympics to Boston.[21]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Horowitz, Evan (November 19, 2014). "What are the costs and benefits of a Boston Olympics?". Boston Globe.
  2. ↑ Annear, Steve (December 2, 2014). "Boston Officially Submits a Bid to Host the 2024 Olympics". Boston magazine.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Boston will bid to host 2024 Olympic Games: USOC". Yahoo! Sports. Reuters. January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Arsenault, Mark (November 23, 2014). "Boston bidders hope time is right for frugal Games". The Boston Globe.
  5. ↑ Powers, John (September 16, 2014). "Compact Boston may have Olympic advantage". The Boston Globe.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Nikisch, Kurt (2015-03-20). "Support For Boston Olympics Falls Further, WBUR Poll Finds". WBUR. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chesto, Jon (11 July 2014). "Here are the players behind Boston's Olympic effort". Boston Business Journal.
  8. ↑ Nikisch, Kurt (2015-03-09). "Six Boston 2024 employees make over $100,000 a year". bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
  9. ↑ Arsenault, Mark (9 January 2015). "John Fish recuses construction company from Olympic projects". The Boston Globe.
  10. ↑ Levenson, Michael and Mark Arsenault (January 23, 2015). "Ex-transportation chief to head Boston 2024 campaign". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
  11. ↑ Arsenault, Mark (13 June 2014). "Boston makes US short list for 2024 Olympics". The Boston Globe.
  12. ↑ Arsenault, Mark; Esteban, Chiqui (23 November 2014). "Paying for the Olympics". The Boston Globe.
  13. ↑ "A pitch for bringing Olympics to Boston". The Patriot Ledger. October 17, 2014.
  14. ↑ Vaccaro, Adam (17 November 2014). "Boston’s Response to the Marathon Bombing Wowed the Olympic Committee (Maybe)". Boston.com.
  15. ↑ "Lowell eyed as potential venue for Boston Olympic events". WCVB. January 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ Chesto, Jon (22 October 2014). "Here’s why local Olympics organizers switched to a temporary stadium". Boston Business Journal.
  17. ↑ Levenson, Michael (26 February 2014). "Boston Olympics in 2024 would be a ‘monumental task’". The Boston Globe.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Revenue to dictate difficult choices on Olympic transit projects, Michael Levenson and Nicole Dungca, The Boston Globe, January 10, 2015
  19. ↑ Vaccaro, Adam (25 October 2014). "How ‘No Boston Olympics’ Could Try to Block the 2024 Games". Boston.com.
  20. ↑ Seelye, Katharine (20 March 2015). "In Boston Olympic Bid Vote, More Is at Stake Than Games". nytimes.com.
  21. ↑ Chesto, Jon (13 June 2014). "Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish makes his case for Boston’s 2024 Olympics bid". Boston Business Journal.

External links