Toronto city councillor James Pasternak said if Toronto wants to bid for another summer Olympics, the city should look at the possibility of a joint bid with a major U.S. city, saying that such a bid may be the only way to hold an Olympics that will actually pay off for its hosts.
According to the Toronto Sun, Pasternak said Friday, “the question is, can we (introduce) an era where Olympic bids are joint bids between countries? And 2024 might be the opportunity for a Canada-U.S. bid”.
Pasternak warned that a Toronto Olympics could leave the city with a financial hangover, but he wants city staff to see if a joint bid with an American city could be the cure.
“If you could have a Great Lakes Olympics where you are having cities on the Great Lakes that are partnering for events – that not only makes sense geographically, from a logistical point of view, but financially as well. Geographically Buffalo and Toronto are pretty close. Detroit and Chicago would be other options as well”.
However applications for joint bids are not permitted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Toronto Sun reports city officials are looking at the pros and cons of Toronto bidding for the 2024 Summer Games and a report is expected in the spring.
