How’s this for trivia. The Baltimore Sun reports that Houston has more air conditioning than any city in the world. Other benefits of a Houston 2012 Olympics according to the Sun is the fact that Houston’s residents speak 90 different languages, three domed stadiums with combined seating for more than 180,000 people, a Texas-size bankroll and possibly the most reasonable plan of any American city wanting to hose the Olympic Games.
But Rick Burton, executive director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon says, “the real question is, can Houston hold up against a place like Paris?”
Burton said, “Houston has done a phenomenal job – it has great venues, a compact location, plenty of government support and a unified committee willing to spend money. But that’s just not enough to make it a front-runner, or even likely to make the next cut”.
Almost all of the facilities necessary to accommodate the Games are either complete or nearing construction, with the exception of an aquatics centre for swimming and diving events. And nearly every venue is a few miles from the city’s centre.
Should Houston win the 2012 bid the Astrodome would get a $90-million upgrade, and as the Sun reports, “in a controlled climate and near sea level, runners and jumpers would compete unencumbered by environmental distractions”.
And the city says it needs less money of any city bidding – $165 million for new development, several billion less than what New York might require.
Also, thanks to a 2000 voter referendum, Houston Olympics could dip into sales tax revenue.
Susan Bandy, president of Houston 2012 said, “Houston is very fortunate to have a lot of great facilities tightly clustered together in a way that gives you just the kind of synergy and sense of community that the International Olympic Committee is looking for. It’s a great setting”.
According to the Sun, observers say that the United States Olympic Committee is not actually scouting for the best place for the Summer Games. It wants the city most likely to impress the IOC.
