New York Possible Destination for 2024 Olympic Games Bid

New York is being considered the top contender for any potential U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) 2024 bid following their decision against a 2022 Winter Games bid.

USOC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have already resolved their revenue-sharing dispute, the USOC said it is considering a submission for the 2024 Summer Games and the 2026 Winter Games, with New York City being mentioned as a top candidate for 2024.

But the New York Daily News reports Dallas and Chicago are providing tough competition, according to sources familiar with the process.

Experts say a New York 2024 bid would have to start in 2014. But there reportedly are sceptics that believe New York’s Olympic moment has come and gone.

The area now has new stadiums and arenas in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey, while Madison Square Gardens is being renovated, and two subway extensions should be complete by 2024.

Rick Ludwig, who worked on the 2012 bid, said that New York has significant advantages. “It has corporate sponsors and a large population for buying tickets. It has the mass transit.”

But there are reportedly several obstacles to a 2024 bid. New York’s failed 2012 bid included an Olympic Village to be built in Long Island City, Queens, and an Olympic Stadium on the West Side. Both sites are now being developed for other uses.

According to a source with experience building Olympic venues, the city has no venue large enough to serve as a main stadium for track and field, or an aquatics centre.

Ludwig says the tougher sell for 2024 would be public money to guarantee the Games and to provide security.

Alex Garvin, the urban planner behind the 2012 bid said, “I’m convinced that something is possible. But we would need to inspire the citizens of New York all over again.”