Unless Boston 2024’s polling numbers increase, the latest U.S bid for a Summer Games will either head to the IOC with the lowest public support of any recent Olympic bid, or it will simply collapse. The withdrawal of U.S. Olympic Committee support, a prospect virtually unheard of (and an unthinkable notion in January when Boston won the group’s endorsement) is a very real possibility, given the widespread skepticism and outright questioning of the bid’s appropriateness for Boston.
One less discussed aspect of Boston 2024’s potential demise has been what it would mean for future U.S. Olympic bids. If the attempt at the 2024 Games falters, would it serve to scare away U.S. cities in the future? And would it serve to erode U.S. chances in the eyes of the IOC?
On the surface, these are viable questions, given that Boston is the third major U.S. city to attempt to win the right to host the Summer Games in the 21st century. New York and Chicago have already failed.
This is derived from the fact that the U.S. relationship with the IOC has been notoriously bad in the last 15 years, helping to explain why both the New York 2012 and Chicago 2016 bids fell far short. Boston 2024’s stumbles, rooted deeply in a widespread mistrust of the IOC and it’s open-ended financial guarantees, would potentially only deepen the schism.
Yet in a rare piece of good news for U.S. Olympic advocates, the USOC-IOC relationship has actually been quietly rehabilitated.
USOC chairman Larry Probst is at the head of the reconciliation, and proof of it was on full display in a recent IOC announcement. Probst will serve in a very important role, heading the Olympic Channel Commission that will oversee the launch of the IOC’s major media project.
It’s a critical position, and is telling that after years of being on the periphery, American organizers are finally back in the fold.
Dan Doctoroff, a former head of New York’s 2012 Olympic bid and current member of the USOC Board of Directors, explained the reversal of the deterioration.
“One of the real reasons, both of us failed (Chicago and New York)…was the relationship between the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee was toxic,” Doctoroff said. “Completely toxic.”
“That is completely different now,” Doctoroff continued. “Totally different. That relationship has not only been repaired, but it’s really strong. And that’s a real credit to the leadership of the United States Olympic Committee, who are really committed to Boston winning this thing. And so the cost is clear.”
Sadly for the USOC, garnering IOC votes doesn’t appear to be the problem with Boston 2024. The issues are much more local. In the long term though, the future is bright, no matter how Boston’s bid turns out.
Image via Boston 2024
