San Francisco To Bid On Hosting The 2024 Summer Olympics
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – San Francisco is one of four finalist cities being considered for a U.S. bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2024.
The group in charge of developing San Francisco's proposal said the U.S. Olympic Committee will decide whether to submit San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston or Washington, D.C. as a possible site for the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee meets in December.
San Francisco To Bid On Hosting The 2024 Summer Olympics
San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer is heading the bid committee with venture capitalist Steve Strandberg and Olympic gold medalist Anne Warner Cribbs. "We believe a San Francisco Bay Area Olympic and Paralympic Games would be an enormous success, and would benefit the region, the nation and the Games themselves, well beyond 2024," Baer said in a statement.
Baer does tell the San Francisco Chronicle they are still in the early stages of the process and there are plenty of obstacles. It is believed the bid will include the use of a number of existing facilities throughout the Bay Area, including Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, the Earthquakes' new soccer stadium being built in San Jose, Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto and Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The proposed new Golden State Warriors arena and Coliseum City project in Oakland could also play a prominent role. But the centerpiece would be a pop-up stadium built along Highway 101 in Brisbane.
The question for many, including KCBS, KPIX-5 and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier, is the process really worth it for San Francisco and the Bay Area? Baer has given an initial estimate of $4.5 billion for operating costs, but most believe that number is far too low and will at least double.
Oftentimes after a city or country hosts the Olympics, they are left with large, expansive venues that they have little use for and infrastructure and transportation projects left unfinished.
The International Olympic Committee is not expected to name a host site until 2017.
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