Mr. Ambien Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 2024 Olympics: John Tory confirms Toronto won't enter a bid 'Toronto will be a great venue for the Olympics,' mayor says. 'But not in 2024' Toronto Mayor John Tory says he's not saying no to an Olympic bid forever, but it won't happen in 2024. Tory — as expected — announced Tuesday morning that Toronto will not submit a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. But there's no reason Canada's largest city can't explore making a future bid when the timing makes more sense, he added. "I believe that one day Toronto will be a great venue for the Olympic Games, but not in 2024," said Tory at a news conference held at Nathan Phillips Square outside city hall. "Time was against us in building the kind of support you have to have from the community in order for this to work. "I am not saying no to the Olympics. I am saying not this time." The timing Tory referred to was caused in part by a sudden, and somewhat unexpected, groundswell of support for an Olympic bid that grew during Toronto's successful hosting of this summer's Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. Those games wrapped in mid-August, leaving little time to muster support and answer all the questions about funding and infrastructure in time for today's deadline to submit a letter announcing Toronto's intention to bid. Tory also admitted that assembling support from senior governments was complicated with the country in the midst of a federal election. "We were quite a bit behind," said Tory. "No one was rushing forward with their chequebooks" Tory said he will create a panel to advise Toronto on bidding for future major events, including another summer or winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup or a world expo. Tory said he consulted widely before making his decision to not submit a bid and said the Pan Am success proves Toronto can host other major events. Marcel Aubut, president of Canadian Olympic Committee, said he accepts Tory's decision. "We remain optimistic Toronto could and should host the Olympic Games in the future," he said in a statement issued moments after Tory's news conference. The IOC was supportive of Tory's decision. "We realize that time was too short for such a detailed project to get the necessary support in just a few weeks following the successful Pan Am Games," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. "The International Olympic Committee highly appreciates what Toronto has done as it continues to work on a future candidacy." Some bid supporters were hoping a winning bid could help Toronto access funding to address the city's significant infrastructure and transit needs. Tory, however, said the Games shouldn't be used as a tool to loosen funding for things the city needs. "We have to invest in making sure this city works for everyone," he said. "Making that investment happen shouldn't be contingent on a vote of the International Olympic Committee. It should happen because it is the right thing to do." Mayor made 'the right call' Left-leaning Coun. Gord Perks said Tory made the right decision, given the city's current struggles to raise money for transit, housing and infrastructure improvements, which he says are needed now. "The mayor made the right call," Perks told CBC News. "The city has some pretty big challenges right now. Our first duty is to meet those problems, not put on a spectacle for somebody else." Coun. Gary Crawford, the mayor's budget chair, said he'd love to see Toronto host an Olympics someday but said holding off for now is a "prudent decision" given the uncertainties, particularly around cost. "We're not ready yet," said Crawford. "And the timeline didn't allow for [Tory] to gather the right kind of information. The partnerships, the funding, the numbers need to be critical. The IOC wants to see a city that really wants it and it wasn't there at this time." Toronto unsuccessfully bid for the 1996 and 2008 Summer Olympics, and Tory has said he didn't want to lead a third failed attempt. Among cities in line to try to host the 2024 Games are: Los Angeles. Paris. Rome. Budapest. Hamburg. The winner will be selected in 2017. A municipal study previously estimated bidding alone would have cost between $50 million and $60 million, and hosting the Games would cost between $3.3 billion and $7 billion. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/olympics-toronto-bid-tory-1.3228434 Shouldn't come as too much of a surprise here.. with the economy the way it's been, it would be hard to justify this kind of spending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Shouldn't come as too much of a surprise here.. with the economy the way it's been, it would be hard to justify this kind of spending. Agreed. And given the list of bidding cities, I think Toronto would have been a long shot. I bet L.A. will win this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Canadian cities should stay away from Summer Olympics anyway. The Winter Olympics are smaller and more within the financial reach of taxpayers. Personally, I like the idea of Quebec City bidding for a winter games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Agreed. And given the list of bidding cities, I think Toronto would have been a long shot. I bet L.A. will win this one. I hope LA and Paris don't win (they've had multiple occurrences of hosting an Olympics), it would be nice to see an Olympics in Hamburg or Budapest. Italy also recently hosted a Winter Olympics. If Hamburg were to win, it would be 52 years since Germany hosted an Olympics by the time 2024 arrived. The last US ones was 1996 and 2002, summer and winter respectively, which I think is rather symbolic with the dust they kicked up about Russia and security/terrorism. Anyone remember what happened in Atlanta? Budapest would be nice, there's not been any Eastern European Olympics, sans Balkans and Russia. Of all the Eastern European cities, I think Budapest would be in the top 3 I'd like to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inane Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Toronto drops Toronto's bid. Not Canada's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I hope LA and Paris don't win (they've had multiple occurrences of hosting an Olympics), it would be nice to see an Olympics in Hamburg or Budapest. Italy also recently hosted a Winter Olympics. If Hamburg were to win, it would be 52 years since Germany hosted an Olympics by the time 2024 arrived. The last US ones was 1996 and 2002, summer and winter respectively, which I think is rather symbolic with the dust they kicked up about Russia and security/terrorism. Anyone remember what happened in Atlanta? Budapest would be nice, there's not been any Eastern European Olympics, sans Balkans and Russia. Of all the Eastern European cities, I think Budapest would be in the top 3 I'd like to see. Yep. Budapest and then Hamburg for me, as well. Beautiful place, Budapest: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I hope LA and Paris don't win (they've had multiple occurrences of hosting an Olympics), it would be nice to see an Olympics in Hamburg or Budapest. Italy also recently hosted a Winter Olympics. Same here. I just have a feeling that we will see something that combines the games with a new stadium for the NFL. So many of the biggest sponsors are American companies, I think that L.A. will be the front runner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ambien Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 It's from a German source, so read with a grain of salt:Does Hamburg stand a chance vs Paris or LA?The race is on. The shortlist of cities to host the 2024 Olympics Games was officially announced on Wednesday, but can Hamburg see off competition from Los Angeles, Rome and Paris, not to mention Budapest?The International Olympic Committee announced the shortlist on Wednesday featuring Hamburg, Paris, LA, Rome and Budapest - and will announce the winner two years from now in September 2017.Hamburg has never hosted the Olympic Games, and it appears that most Germans don't particularly fancy its chances, with 49 percent saying they didn't think Hamburg had a good chance of winning.Germany hasn't hosted the Games since 1972 in Munich, and it was actually Berlin that had the strongest voice in the campaign for the bid. But in March, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced that it would be Hamburg that would be putting its foot forward.During its campaign for the bid, Hamburg had promised to build a brand new stadium for the Olympics, while the German Olympic Committee said Hamburg "offers a fascinating and compact Olympic concept and the development of a north German and north European metropolitan region can be promoted".The Hamburg bid is all about sustainability. All venues will be in walking distance of each other and the whole event will be carbon neutral with the plans in motion to 'up-cycle' the arenas once the sporting extravaganza is over.But two hurdles lie between the Hanseatic city and the finishing line. In November there will be a referendum in the city to see if people even want to host the games.On this count at least, Hamburg mayor Olaf Scholz is confident, saying that he is "very, very confident a big majority of the people of Hamburg will vote yes."But what about the second hurdle, the stiff competition the harbour city faces from the other metropolises who've tossed their hats into the ring?Hamburg vs ParisBy 2024 it will have been 100 years ago since Paris last hosted the Olympic Games, leading some to ask whether it's time the French capital had another go.The bitter taste left after being edged out by London for the 2012 Games is no doubt still lingering for Parisians, who some claimed were far too confident with their bid and took their eye off the ball.And let's not forget they were pipped to the post by the Chinese when the Games went to Beijing four years earlier - and by Barcelona in 1992But has Paris learned its lesson from those defeats?The proposed plans would come at a cost of €6.2 billion, which is around half the cost of the recent London games.If Paris does win, mostly existing infrastructure will be used for the events and the only thing that would need to be built is a swimming pool, an Olympic village for the athletes, and a media centre.Hamburg vs BudapestBudapest put in the latest bid of all five cities, nominating itself in July this year. The local public isn't extremely warm to the idea, with just 49 percent of Hungarians hungry for the Games.We still don't know too much about the Budapest bid, except that the budget is an impressively sleek €2.4 billion - the cheapest of all. In fact, this is Hungary's main argument for why it should host, taking advantage of the David and Goliath card in true Olympic spirit.It's committee urged the IOC to take a chance on a smaller city for a change, citing the games of Stockholm and Helsinki in 1912 and 1956 respectively.Budapest has lost bids for the games in 1916, 1920, 1936, 1944, and 1960.Hamburg vs Los AngelesLos Angeles can lay claim to having the most recent experience of playing host, having held the summer Olympics in 1984. While that might feel like only yesterday for some of us, it will have been 40 years ago by the time 2024 rolls around.The city will be acknowledged for its reputation of being a capable host, with some commentators noting the successful reductions to traffic in the city when the Games were being held in 1984.But, as the LA Times noted, there are "too many ifs" in the 2024 bid.LA is likely to struggle, not least because it was a default entry after Boston pulled out late in the game.Another obstacle for the Americans is that by 2024, the Games won't have been held in Europe for 12 years, since London in 2012. The IOC will be keen to keep Europe in the loop.The US city, which calls itself the "Eastern Capital of the Pacific Rim" in the promotional video for the Olympics below, has budgeted €4.1 billion and expects €1.5 billion in private investments.Hamburg vs RomeRome is a strong candidate which would provide a stunning backdrop to the Olympics - and it was the first city to officially announce its bid (back in 2014).The Italian city has a smaller budget of around €4 billion and previous experience hosting the Olympics (most recently in 1960).Rome has the former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo at the helm of its bid for the Games, who has pointed out that existing infrastructure would be used, and that events could even be held in nearby cities like Florence, Naples, or Milan.The biggest negatives for Italy are the concerns about the cost. Italy had to shelve its plans to bid for the 2020 games over rising costs as the country battled an economic crisis.Rome's "professional campaign" has been praised by international sports officials, but it has been attacked in Rome by some politicians who fear that the Mafia could take over contracts. http://www.thelocal.de/20150916/hamburg-olympics-paris-rome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I live in Toronto and I'm pretty happy about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I live in Toronto and I'm pretty happy about this. My condolences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 My condolences. for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoneypuckOverlord Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I wanted Canada to win, but hey.... if it involved corrupted money, I'm glad toronto didn't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovesLikeDatsyuk Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 for? Living in Toronto ya dumb dumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Living in Toronto ya dumb dumb. I live 10-15 minutes outside of Toronto. I really don't understand some people in Western Canada's hate towards the City of Toronto. I find it childish. If Toronto wasn't a good place to live in then it wouldn't have the largest population in Canada. We have Canada's baseball team here and I go to their home games 3-4 times a month. It also doesn't rain nearly as much and its sunny and warm out with clear skies almost every day in the summer. Our NHL team may be crap, but we also have NBA and MLB franchises here. Montreal and Ottawa are a 4 1/2 hour drive away and we go to a Canadiens playoff game every year they make it. Not to mention Canada's biggest amusement park is 30 minutes away from Toronto, a place I buy a seasons pass to every year. So to those who feel bad just LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovesLikeDatsyuk Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I live 10-15 minutes outside of Toronto. I really don't understand some people in Western Canada's hate towards the City of Toronto. I find it childish. If Toronto wasn't a good place to live in then it wouldn't have the largest population in Canada. We have Canada's baseball team here and I go to their home games 3-4 times a month. It also doesn't rain nearly as much and its sunny and warm out with clear skies almost every day in the summer. Our NHL team may be crap, but we also have NBA and MLB franchises here. Montreal and Ottawa are a 4 1/2 hour drive away and we go to a Canadiens playoff game every year they make it. Not to mention Canada's biggest amusement park is 30 minutes away from Toronto, a place I buy a seasons pass to every year. So to those who feel bad just LOL I live 5 minutes from Walmart. And it has a McDonalds right in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbox Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I live 5 minutes from Walmart. And it has a McDonalds right in it. Everyone who lives in a non-rural area does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kragar Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I wonder what countries have economies strong enough to support the Olympics. Top of my head, I wouldn't think that Euro cities would be in a great place financially, but I don't know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stierlitz Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 The winner will be selected in 2017... Nobody knows what economic situation would be in Europe by that time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inane Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I live 10-15 minutes outside of Toronto. I really don't understand some people in Western Canada's hate towards the City of Toronto. I find it childish. If Toronto wasn't a good place to live in then it wouldn't have the largest population in Canada. We have Canada's baseball team here and I go to their home games 3-4 times a month. It also doesn't rain nearly as much and its sunny and warm out with clear skies almost every day in the summer. Our NHL team may be crap, but we also have NBA and MLB franchises here. Montreal and Ottawa are a 4 1/2 hour drive away and we go to a Canadiens playoff game every year they make it. Not to mention Canada's biggest amusement park is 30 minutes away from Toronto, a place I buy a seasons pass to every year. So to those who feel bad just LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift-4 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Not to mention Canada's biggest amusement park is 30 minutes away from Toronto, I thought the ACC was right in the middle of T.O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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