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Beantown Bid

Boston makes a run at the 2024 Summer Games

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)