BOSTON (AP) — Organizers of Boston’s effort to host the 2024 Olympics said Monday they would not submit a final bid to for the games unless a majority of Massachusetts residents were supportive.
Boston 2024 ran a full-page ad in The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald on Monday, laying out what the privately-funded group said were the 10 principles that form the basis of the city’s bid.
Among them were using the Olympics as a catalyst to improve public transportation, create tens of thousands of jobs and spur development of affordable housing, according to the ad.
Other tenets included a multi-layered insurance plan to “protect the city and state from financial risk.”
One recent poll conducted for WBUR-FM of more than 500 Boston-area residents showed 36 percent supported the Olympic bid, while 52 percent were opposed and the rest undecided.
“We believe the 2024 Games fit into the long-term planning goals of the city, and will create jobs, economic development and affordable housing,” Richard Davey, the organization’s chief executive, said in a statement Monday. “We also want to be clear that we are only in this if we have a majority of the people in Massachusetts behind us prior to submitting our final bid to the International Olympic Committee.”
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Davey said the IOC wants to award the games to a city that is supportive and would welcome the athletes.
It was not clear how Boston 2024 would measure public support.
Evan Falchuk, who ran for governor last year under the banner of the United Independent Party, has proposed a question for the November 2016 state ballot that would bar the use of state taxpayer money for the Olympics.
The IOC is expected to award the games in 2017. Rome and Hamburg, Germany, are among other prospective bidders.
“Boston 2024 wants to be transparent about our goals for a Boston Olympic Games, and we expect to be held accountable by the public for delivering on these principles,” said Davey.
“The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games present a transformative opportunity for the city of Boston,” the ad states. “There are legitimate concerns and potential risks associated with this effort that must be addressed in a thoughtful and transparent manner for the Games to work for Massachusetts.”
In addressing the concerns, Boston 2024 pledged to submit a final bid to the International Olympic Committee only if the following criteria are met:
1. Hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is consistent with the future of Boston and Massachusetts and leaves both better for hosting the Games.
2. Tens of thousands of good-paying jobs are created for Massachusetts residents leading up to and during the 2024 Games.
3. Thousands of affordable housing units are created as a result of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
4. The 2024 Games serve as a catalyst for improvements in public transportation and infrastructure that benefit residents both pre- and post-Games.
5. The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games create opportunities for transit-oriented, mixed-use development in the City of Boston.
6. There is a clear and measurable plan for the inclusion of women and minority-owned businesses in all aspects of the 2024 Games.
7. Education and youth sports opportunities are created for the young people of Massachusetts.
8. A sophisticated plan, including multiple layers of insurance, is put in place to protect the city and state from financial risk.
9. The federal government designates the 2024 Games in Boston as a Special National Security Event and pays for the security costs.
10. A majority of people in Massachusetts support bidding for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The ad concludes:
“Boston is a world-class city, and it will remain a world-class city whether or not we host the 2024 Games. But we believe hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will serve as a once-in-a-lifetime catalyst for economic growth and investment in our future. Boston 2024 is convinced we can develop a bid that meets the criteria outlined above, and we will be spending the next year meeting with people across the state to strengthen and improve the bid. We believe this exhaustive and transparent process will lead to a bid that reflects the best of Massachusetts and the Olympic movement, that meets and exceeds the criteria we have laid out, and that makes a bright future for our Commonwealth even brighter.”
