Beantown Bid
LAST WEEK THE USOC selected Boston over Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to be the U.S. city to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Though the IOC won't vote on a host until 2017—when Boston is expected to go up against Rome, Doha, Istanbul, Berlin or Hamburg, and possibly Paris—the Massachusetts capital has already set out its preliminary ideas for the 17-day international sporting fete.
With a projected budget of $4.5 billion, which organizers say will be made up of largely private funds, the bid committee—Boston 2024—presented a potential plan for a cost-effective Games that will rely heavily on existing venues (map, above). The city would likely build a temporary or modular stadium in Widett Circle in South Boston to hold opening and closing ceremonies and track and field.
While the city's business community is on board (developer John Fish, Pats owner Robert Kraft, Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca), a construction-weary, post--Big Dig populace figures to offer some resistance. The organizers also need to win over the IOC, which passed up U.S. bids for 2012 (New York) and '16 (Chicago).
[The following text appears within a map. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual map.]
Harvard Stadium
Field hockey
MIT
Fencing
Beacon Park Rail Yard*
Swimming and diving
Widett Circle
Opening and closing ceremonies, track and field
Assembly Square*
Track cycling
TD Garden
Men's basketball or gymnastics
Boston Common
Beach volleyball
Boston Convention Center
Taekwondo, wrestling, judo, boxing and table tennis
Bayside Expo
Athlete's village
*Proposed construction
THEY SAID IT
"Worse comes to worst, my motto is, When in doubt, shoot the ball."
J.R. Smith
Cavs guard about adjusting to his new team before going a doubtful 0 for 5 in an 18-minute debut, a 105--93 loss to the Rockets
MAP
BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (MAP)
PHOTO
THEARON W. HENDERSON/GETTY IMAGES (SMITH)