Although the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is expected to decide in January whether it will make a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Boston 2024, a group organizing the city’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, has unveiled a new website and a promotional video called “2024 Anthem”. The video promotes Boston’s universities, sports culture and clean energy efforts.
But a group called No Boston Olympics, citing immense costs as reasons to steer clear of a bid, sent a letter to the USOC arguing that hosting the 2024 Games would threaten the state’s ability to invest in health care, education and transportation infrastructure.
In the letter the group writes, “As the home of the United States’ first public school, first public park and first subway, (Massachusetts) has a strong and proud tradition of social investment. Choosing Boston as the sole U.S. finalist for 2024 will threaten those efforts”.
The group estimates that the cost of hosting the Summer Games could run between $10 billion and $20 billion and that Boston would be required to build a new Olympic stadium, velodrome, aquatics centre and Olympic Village – all from scratch.
In the coming weeks the group promises to provide the USOC more information about the “troubling weaknesses and flaws” of the Boston bid.
Boston 2024 said it is working to meet a December 1 deadline to submit its proposal to the USOC and said residents will have “many opportunities” to weigh in on the plan if the committee chooses Boston.
Earlier this month Boston 2024 President Dan O’Connell, said the initial estimated cost for the Games would be about $4.5 billion. None of the expenses would be paid by the city, including security, which would be paid for by the federal government.
The city’s $1.2 billion share of broadcast revenues from the Games and revenue from the international and local sponsors and ticket sales would cover the costs, said O’Connell.
Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and San Francisco are among the other cities the USOC is considering.
