SOCHI, Russia – As Sochi passed the torch onto PyeongChang, South Korea, the site of the next Winter Games, thoughts turned to a future U.S. Olympic bid. The leaders of the U.S. Olympic Committee intend to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics if certain criteria are met. In the next two months, the USOC will likely have a short list of three candidate cities and by the end of the year will be in a position to make its decision. There’s also the possibility that the USA will consider bidding for the 2026 Winter Games, even though the Summer Games is the more prestigious prize. Whatever the case, given the expense, security concern and politics – all central issues heading into Sochi – is it worth it? Does a country like the United States need the Olympic Games?It’s a big, heavy burden on cities and states,” USOC CEO Scott Blackmun acknowledged, given the federal government is only responsible for helping with security and transportation. “The payoff is what it does to transform sport in (a host city’s) community and what it does for the nation.” Given the cuts in college sports programs, which serve as a feeder system for most summer Olympic sports, Blackmun said a Games in the United States would help boost those programs. “Bringing the Olympics back to the U.S. makes sure that the level of interest in those sports stays high,” he said. Sochi spent a record $51 billion on these Games. Unlike Sochi, which had to build everything from nothing, the USA would have a far more developed infrastructure in place. On top of the list of potential bid cities are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, but of those cities, only Los Angeles has publicly expressed interest in hosting the Games. Other cities around the world that have expressed interest in bidding for the 2024 Games include Paris; Doha, Qatar; and Durban, South Africa. The International Olympic Committee vote on the 2024 Games will be in 2017.
