An organization of planners called the Philadelphia 2016 Working Group has been building the foundation for a bid to bring the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to Philadelphia for almost a year, although the United States Olympic Committee has not yet announced if it will submit a bid for the 2016 Games.
Architect Jim Kise, a lecturer in Penn’s School of Design, has been serving as a planner for the 2016 Working Group.
“Philadelphia is in superb shape to do this”, he said, adding that the city fares well when the criteria that were used to assess bids for the 2012 Olympics are applied to the city.
The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that according to Kise when an expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center is completed the city will have 22 of the 31 venues required to host the Games.
Kise said Franklin Field would be a candidate for women’s soccer and field hockey, and perhaps a venue for swimming events.
The rowing competition would be held on the Cooper River in Camden County, New Jersey.
All the athletes would be hosted at an Olympic Village although the venue has not yet been determined, and other Penn facilities could be used as training spaces.
A potential hurdle for the Planning Group is that Philadelphia may not have enough hotel space to accommodate the Games.
The planners must also make development plans for an Olympic Village and build a stadium suitable for track and field.
Kise said that one of the city’s biggest advantages is that the planned venues would all be within a three-mile radius.
The International Olympic Committee prefers venues to be as compact as possible and other possible U.S. candidates including San Francisco are more spread out, said Kise.
Scott Rosner, director of programs and strategic planning for the Wharton Sports Business Initiative said over the next few years the Philadelphia Working Group will continue to build consensus and strengthen its bid.
He added, “I think that the city has an excellent tradition associated with amateur athletes”.
