This past year, athletes from around the world gathered in Sochi, Russia to compete in the XXII Olympic Winter games.  It seems as though whenever this international multi-sport athletic event occurs, chatter surrounding future sites for the games increases.  In 2015 the bidding for the host city for the 2024 Olympic Summer games will begin, and the winning bid will be announced at the 129th International Olympic Committee Meeting in 2017.  One of the potential cities in North America to host this event is also the one that we call home.

However, with all idealistic dreams come a few roadblocks standing in the way.  The concern over the lack of sound infrastructure needed to sustain the participants and tourists is the main argument against Boston hosting the event.  But this city brings plenty to the table in terms of potential sites for Olympic events, and should be able to find future use for any newly built facilities. According to Shirley Leung of The Boston Globe , “The easy part will be the sporting venues, because we have so many existing college and professional arenas. Imagine the next Michael Phelps swimming in one of our Olympic-size university pools (with additional seating), gymnastics and basketball at TD Garden, soccer at Gillette Stadium. And if baseball returns as an Olympic sport, how about Fenway Park?”

The challenge will be updating the MBTA and building a large signature stadium for the event, which is arguably the most important piece of the puzzle.  Although a large feat, this would leave plenty of room for building and construction companies to have a real impact on our city.  Not only could private and public companies partner to update the existing infrastructure, but Boston could also get ahead in terms of meeting sustainability and safety goals for a “smarter” city. This would further position the city as a leader in renewable energy and establish it as a trailblazer in public safety and city infrastructure, which are both goals well within Boston’s capability.  In addition, the need for new and improved structures, security, and transportation would bring countless jobs to the Boston area. 

In terms of building new sites, Leung also noted that “the committee is looking at cobbling together parcels in South Boston, including a city tow lot and an adjacent MBTA maintenance facility. You can see it off the Southeast Expressway when you’re driving into the city.”  The article further went into detail by saying that this venue could be used for the New England Revolution to host soccer games or for the city to use as a concert venue. In addition, Boston’s building and construction companies could develop structures in the up and coming Seaport District that could be used as future office space, or build up depressed areas similar to what Assembly Row brought to Somerville.  The possibilities are endless.

Regardless of the pros and cons for a Boston Olympics, we still have to endure a lengthy selection process before needing to address these issues. Boston is in the same company as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and many other international cities for hosting the 2024 games.  Making the short list is just one small step in the process, but for those hopeful, it keeps the dream of hosting this international event alive. 

According to BostInno’s Nick DeLuca, “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.”