An Orlando, Florida sports official is on the ground in Paris trying to bring some Olympics magic back home.
The Central Florida region best known for its theme parks has also been developing as a sports mecca, and Greater Orlando Sports Commission President Jason Siegel wants to spread the message among sports powerbrokers currently gathered at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“We’re here just to forge new relationships and continue on with relationships we’ve had, especially leading up to LA 28 [Olympics],” Siegel told GamesBids.com in Paris.
“It’s really important for us to get that point across and for me to sit face to face across from CEOs, executive directors of world Olympic sport, US Olympic sport, countries that are looking to bring base camps [ahead of major events].”
Siegel says there are 45 venues across the region that his organization works with, and he is already able to organize multiple events at the same time.
“We want to make sure we relay that while we’re here and make sure that they don’t pass us over when they’re sending an RFP out on a bid opportunity. We want to make sure we’re front-and-center on their mind.”
Siegel listed the region’s recent resume that includes the 2023 North American Cup in Fencing, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials, Soccer trials ahead of July’s Copa América and the 2023 national para swimming championships.
But despite recent successes, Orlando failed in its bid to be a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The region has plans to further invest more than USD $1.5 billion in sports infrastructure.
“I think these are all stepping stones towards major marquee events.”
He hopes these events include FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031, The 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 women’s Rugby World Cup both already awarded to the United States, opportunities around the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games and the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics that were awarded in Paris last month.
Siegel didn’t rule out a bid to host an Olympic Games, a dream that has existed since 1997 when Orlando teamed up with Tampa on a Florida 2012 domestic campaign. A high-speed rail link was proposed to bring venues and accommodations across central Florida closer together. The then United States Olympic Committee (USOC) dropped Florida’s bid off the domestic shortlist in 2001 and the nomination eventually went to New York. London was elected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host in 2012.
In 2021 Florida’s CFO Jimmy Patronis made a pitch to “relocate the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo to Florida” during the COVID pandemic when questions surrounded the Japanese capital’s ability to stage the event after it was already postponed by a year. The Games remained in Tokyo.
In 2020 Orlando had hosted the NBA’s basketball playoffs in a bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Siegel noted from his time in Paris that hospitality, engagement and security are key strengths that the French are leveraging to make the Games successful, and these felt familiar.
“They have done a great job here in Paris with welcome committees … I applaud what they’re doing here, I mean there’s a terrific police presence so from a law enforcement standpoint – wonderful,” he said.
“From a hospitality standpoint, from an engagement standpoint… we’re the hospitality capital, we think, of the world, in Orlando and there’s been a lot of great organization you can tell they’ve put in a lot of time and energy into the logistics around hosting a major marquee event like this.
“If you look at the attendance at Disney, Universal and SeaWorld on any given day we’re hosting a Superbowl in Orlando every day so I think that our community has the capacity to do big things and collaborate and bring people together.”
On selling this message to key decision makers now in Paris, Siegel said we’re going to “let folks know that we’re going to be very aggressive.”
The next unallocated Olympic Games will take place in 2036. According to the IOC several countries are already involved in ongoing discussions to bid for those Games including India, Indonesia, Qatar and Turkey.
The IOC could choose that host as early as next year.
Germany and Great Britain have expressed interest in bidding for the 2040 edition.
Los Angeles is scheduled to host the 2028 Games with Brisbane set to stage the event in 2032.
