With the London 2012 Olympic Games slated to commence on Friday, I think it’s safe to say you’ve thought about it.
I know I’ve thought about it.
In case you haven’t, let me plant the seed in your mind—what if Boston hosted the Olympics?
It’s an interesting concept and an almost storybook sentiment. Boston, the cradle of liberty; the Athens of America; the city on a hill, hosting the most prestigious athletic competitions in all the sporting world. Boston, the city whose major sports teams brought Lombardi Trophies, World Series Trophies, a Larry O’Brien Trophy, and a Stanley Cup all to its dirty water doorstep within the last decade. Boston, the city that fosters radical thinking and innovation, whose higher education institutions are the ones by which all others are measured, whose residents are leaders in commerce, industry, healthcare, politics, and literature.
Seems almost too good to be true. Almost.
Few cities boast the kind of identity that Boston does. The citizens are patriotic and loyal, speaking in a native accent that is sometimes only decipherable to themselves. The architecture and food feature a classic, colonial New England feel. Tourist sites are innumerable. With the number of colleges and universities in the area, it would be difficult not to find venues to house the 10,500 athletes, 302 events, and 26 sports.
In 2007, Gamebids.com (an independent source on Olympic city bids) reported that The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Tourism Committee was considering a bill that would create a commission to study the feasibility of hosting a summer Olympic Games. True, this never actually came into fruition though there are probably a number of culprits to blame. It could’ve been the (at the time) impending economic collapse or it could’ve been the failed bids for New York in 2012 and Chicago in 2016. It could’ve been both.
While we can only speculate at this point about what kind of impact the Olympics would have on the city, and if it’s even possible, I think we can safely assume that Boston would be an ideal destination to host the games.
The Process:
The process for host cities are thorough and extensive, and usually begin seven years before they would host. Before I get into that, it’s important to identify the governing bodies of the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the supreme authority of anything Olympics. They have the final say on who gets to host the games. National Olympic Committees (NOC) are authorities over a specific area or country that answer to the IOC. The IOC and NOC both enforce the Olympic Charter which acts as a constitution for the games, citing rules and regulations for anyone or anything participating.
If Boston wanted to host the Olympics, it would have to undertake this process. First, it would have to be selected by the USA’s NOC, not always an easy task especially when competing with city powers like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. But the IOC is beginning to look into host cities that are outside the norm, so Boston may have a decent chance at a first-time bid. Boston would then required to submit a questionnaire that covers important themes that would make for a successful games. Upon submission, the IOC would analyze the Hub’s hosting capabilities, including the strengths and weaknesses of their submitted questionnaire. The IOC and IOC executive board then selects the cities they feel are qualified to proceed to the next phase.
So Boston is selected and is now a “candidate city”. From there, Boston would submit a second questionnaire followed by a four-day inspection of the city by the IOC Evaluation Commission. The Commission’s results are then submitted to the IOC no later than one month before the IOC Electing Session. Each candidate city must then provide financial guarantees required by the IOC Executive board. The IOC Session then commences voting until one city has the absolute majority. If absolute majority is not reached, they continue voting until one is and drop the city with the least votes from every necessary round. Congratulations Boston, you win.
The Planning:
Boston would then have to focus on infrastructure and planning. Not only would the city be hosting the Olympics, but it’d be accommodating the hundreds of thousands of tourists accompanying them. English publication The Week expects roughly 500,000 tourists on top of 70,000 athletes and officials equaling approximately 260,000 additional people in London than at the same time period last year. That number is a little over 40 percent of Boston’s population. Imagine if the number of people walking down Newbury Street was increased by nearly 50 percent. That’s why I’m turning to you, MBTA.
The MBTA would need to step up its game tenfold. I’m talking the epitome of efficiency. I’ll let the laughter at my last statement die down before I continue but keep in mind, I’m being serious. The MBTA needs to clean up its act if Boston wants to host the Olympics. Another subway line wouldn’t even be out of the question. Busses and other forms of transportation could be borrowed or rented from the surrounding New England community, thus turning this into more of cooperative effort than solely a Boston one. Logan Airport can certainly handle the influx of passengers, and if not, Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport is a mere two hours away as is Maine’s Portland International Jetport.
The Places:
Now comes the fun part. Where would all of the games be held and where would all of the athletes be housed. As I mentioned before, there are 10,500 Olympians vying for 302 gold medals. The most likely place to set up the Olympic Village would be in the numerous college dorms throughout the city. In 2001, the Boston Redevelopment Authority stated that the total demand met for student housing was 27,910 for 19 colleges or universities. Boston University alone has Warren Towers, a 600-person dorm. In total, there are 52 higher education institutions in the Boston Metropolitan area. That more than covers the estimated 70,000 athletes and officials for London 2012. The Winter 2002 games utilized the University of Utah’s dorms; the ‘96 Atlanta games used Georgia Tech’s.
What if the IOC wants a more consolidated Olympic Village? Well, start building. In fact, maybe start in that gaping hole in Downtown Crossing where Filene’s used to be. The emerging Innovation District, or Seaport to you natives, is also a great place to start because, well, they’ve already started. Finding other available space may be difficult to accommodate because Boston is situated on a relatively small plot of land, so it may be best to start building nearby. The 2004 Athens games created an actual suburb composed of four- to five-story apartments in the area northeast of Athens adjacent to Maroussi, the suburb where the main Olympic complex was located. The Athens Olympic Village also became a 10,000-persona residential area following the Games, and I think we can all agree that Boston could use a few more apartments.
As for athletic events, there are just as many places to hold them as there are athletes. The Boston University Aquatics Center could house the aquatics events easily. It consists of a 10-lane-by-16-lane pool that can be adjusted accordingly to harbor the diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, and waterpolo events.
For track and field events, the options broaden even more. Boston College boasts 44,500-seat Alumni Stadium, MIT has Henry C. Steinbrenner ‘27 Stadium (yes, that Steinbrenner) which is home to their soccer and track and field teams, and of course the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center which seats 3,500 and contains a state-of-the-art 200-meter Mondo Super X track, an 8-lane, 55-meter dash runway, and provisions for high jump, long/triple jump, and pole vault.
Harvard’s Malkin Athletic Center is ideal for fencing, volleyball, and wrestling. Look no further than the Garden for basketball. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is less than an hour drive away. The Boston Equestrian Center is also just shy of an hour outside of the city. The Charles River hosts the Head of the Charles Regatta annually, so why not rowing and sprint canoeing/kayaking? Why not have long-distance running events along the Boston Marathon route? For miscellaneous events like archery, table tennis, shooting, and badminton, I say we build, build, build.To put it in the most cliche way possible, the possibilities are endless.
Hosting the Olympics could only benefit our city. Building and construction would revamp hotels and athletic facilities on campuses and throughout Boston, it would create jobs during times of economic turmoil, it would bring a city that’s been scarred by past events like the Boston Busing Crisis and is still split by contemporary conflicting neighborhood semblances closer together than it’s ever been before. For a city whose one major income is tourism, why not bring that to another level. I find it intriguing to say the least that such an integral cog in the American machine has been left out of such an esteemed event with built-in international acclaim. Maybe it’s time for Boston to grab ahold of the Olympic Torch and live up to its nickname as the The Hub of the Universe.
I’d like to hear from the Bostonians and transplants out there, the lifeblood of our city. What do you think? Is it feasible for Boston to host the Olympic Games in the future?
