Do you think any future Olympics will be hosted in Orlando ?

[pooh2001]

Do you think any future Olympics will be hosted in Orlando ?
I would assume summer Olympics - not winter Olympics :rotfl:

All comments welcome.

[chesterpdt186]

orlando lackes to many facilties to host the olymics in full.
Tampa has a possiblity which would result in part of the games being held in orlando.

if the high speed corridor between orlando and tampa is completed. I believe that is one reason tampa has been denied before

[skiingfast]

I don't see it as impossibe, but it has a big problem. The hotels don't have much extra capacity in the summer.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Orlando is too smart to hold an Olympics.
2) With very few exceptions, Olympics lose MILLIONS of dollars for a city.

[mitros]

Besides, who needs a zillion more bodies in Orlando. It's crowded enough already. A big NO vote from me.

[jlewisinsyr]

I wouldn't be against it, but it will not happen. In all honesty the mass transit system and hotel accomodations are insufficient to host an event like the Olympics.

[DVCconvert]

If so...it will be only the wallet dump event.

;)

[Donut23]

Orlando would have to build the venues - and as others have said, it is NOT a $$ making event.

They have enough airports nearby - Orlando, Sanford, Tampa/St. Pete, Jacksonville, West Palm....even Ft. Lauderdale/Miami if necessary and they certainly have hotel rooms. If it were held in September many families would be back at home with children in school.

Oh boy....can you imagine an Olympics held in Orlando with a storm like Charlie flying through!

I suspect the Olympic Committee would probably not take the option seriously. I remember how worried they were about the heat in Atlanta. As it turned out for good reason!

Interesting question though!!

[skiingfast]

I wouldn't be against it, but it will not happen. In all honesty the mass transit system and hotel accomodations are insufficient to host an event like the Olympics.

Have you ever been to Salt Lake City. The freeways went from 2-3 lanes to 4 or 5. The put in a lighrail down town, and a standard gage commuter train.

Most of the facilities used already existed, college dorms and stadiums.

Granted this was Winter Olympics but Salt Lake is little compared to Orlando.

[Metro West]

Besides, who needs a zillion more bodies in Orlando. It's crowded enough already. A big NO vote from me. Exactly...just imagine what I-4 would look like! :eek:

[jlewisinsyr]

Have you ever been to Salt Lake City. The freeways went from 2-3 lanes to 4 or 5. The put in a lighrail down town, and a standard gage commuter train.

Most of the facilities used already existed, college dorms and stadiums.

Granted this was Winter Olympics but Salt Lake is little compared to Orlando.

And winter Olympics are NOTHING compared to the amount of tourists in the summer Olympics.

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

To me Orlando hosting the Olympics would be akin to saying that Las Vegas could. They are both fairly large cities but they draw in tourists not athletes. Where would you do the rowing events? Just doesn't make sense to me. Besides, the Olympics have been disappointing for cities lately. They spend a ton of money to bring the event there but rarely see a return on their investment.

[TisBit]

Where would you do the rowing events?

Bay Lake

[daber]

The could hold the winter Olympics at Blizzard Beach!

[Golf4food]

The could hold the winter Olympics at Blizzard Beach!

And there are plenty of mountains for the skiing events:

Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain
Everest

;)


If Orlando hosted an Olympics they would have to build a new stadium (the Citrus Bowl needs to be replaced anyway) and all sorts of other things and many events would be held in other locations, much like they did when Atlanta hosted and some events where held hours away in Savannah.

[plutospup]

Interesting thought of Central Florida hosting the Summer Olympics.

Honestly, I think it could be done quite successfully. There are a number of existing venues that could be used. The Chicago 2016 plan also included a number of temporary venues.

Two primary issues... heat/humidity, and how spread out the events and athletes village would be.

As for making or losing money on an Olympiad - Take note of the Olympic games that netted LARGE amounts of money: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Salt Lake City. A huge amount of IOC corporate sponsors are from the USA. After the debacle with the Chicago 2016 offer(The IOC chose Rio instead), it will be interesting to see how U.S corporate support wanes.

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

As for making or losing money on an Olympiad - Take note of the Olympic games that netted LARGE amounts of money: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Salt Lake City. A huge amount of IOC corporate sponsors are from the USA. After the debacle with the Chicago 2016 offer(The IOC chose Rio instead), it will be interesting to see how U.S corporate support wanes.

Huh?!? :confused3 Atlanta netted $10 million but that figure did not account for the expenses of the city operations. I don't know about you, but $10 million of profit for an event like that is nothing to write home about especially considering that it is more likely that we lost money with that. We are still paying off debt through taxes from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. :(

The Los Angeles and Salt Lake City Olympics figures are skewed and also don't account for the additional expenses the taxpayers ended up covering. The only benefit of hosting an Olympics is getting recognition for your country. Otherwise, total waste of money and effort. It has turned into a competition for who can spend the most instead of being practical.

[GrumpyFan]

Interesting thought of Central Florida hosting the Summer Olympics.

Two primary issues... heat/humidity, and how spread out the events and athletes village would be.



I lived in Atlanta during the 1996 olympics and it was pretty crazy. The argument about the events and village being too spread out doesn't hold. For the Atlanta olympics, some of the events were held outside of the city, including Athens (72 mi.), Savannah (249 mi), Polk County, TN (127 mi), Birmingham, AL (145 mi.), as well as Washington D.C., Orlando and Miami for Soccer events. So, distance seems to matter very little.

Personally, I think Orlando, or central Florida will eventually bid and host the olympics sometime in the future. The entire region continues to grow, thanks in part to Disney and Universal. So, it may not be soon, but my guess would be within the next 20 or so years.

[doconeill]

More and more bids are being put to the IOC for multiple cities - even in different countries - to hold a particular olympiad. So it is certainly possible for a Tampa/Orlando games, or even including Miami. The IOC is probably going to have to deal with it at some point as it becomes too expensive and complex for a single city to host the Games.

The IOC has generally said that they want the Games kept within a metro area though. I think Tampa/Orlando could be within their requirements, but no such proposal has made it as far as the USOC AFAIK.

It is not unusual for some preliminary games to occur at distant venues though. The LA 1984 Games included soccer games all over the country - I was at several games at Harvard Stadium in Boston.

[skiingfast]

And winter Olympics are NOTHING compared to the amount of tourists in the summer Olympics.

This is why I noted the disparity in size of SLC and Orlando.

BTW how big is Lake Placid compared to Salt Lake? They hosted the olympics there right?

[doconeill]

BTW how big is Lake Placid compared to Salt Lake? They hosted the olympics there right?

Lake Placid hosted them in 1980 (as well as 1932), but there were less than half the number of athletes competing back then, in about half the events with about half the nations.

[plutospup]

The Los Angeles and Salt Lake City Olympics figures are skewed and also don't account for the additional expenses the taxpayers ended up covering.

Sorry, I just returned from a meeting in Salt Lake. I saw the numbers. The Olympics were huge for that city. Not only in money, but for the community as a whole. Tax revenues due to increased tourism, conventions, and the like continue to roll in many years after their Winter Olympics. Olympic games, if managed properly, can be profitable.

[plutospup]

I lived in Atlanta during the 1996 olympics and it was pretty crazy. The argument about the events and village being too spread out doesn't hold. For the Atlanta olympics, some of the events were held outside of the city, including Athens (72 mi.), Savannah (249 mi), Polk County, TN (127 mi), Birmingham, AL (145 mi.), as well as Washington D.C., Orlando and Miami for Soccer events. So, distance seems to matter very little..

For the reason mentioned above (not only Atlanta but other somewhat recent Olympiads) the IOC is making a point of seriously looking at how far away the venues are from the Athlete's Village. This point was discussed throughout the 2016 bid process.

As another poster mentioned the bidding process is very competitive regarding who can build the biggest and shiniest venues. Less expensive temporary venues can reduce costs. On the other hand, permanent facilites improve the community, and can create future revenue. It's a crazy race, that all starts with a dream, and continues with unbelievable determination.

[yitbos96bb]

1) Orlando is too smart to hold an Olympics.
2) With very few exceptions, Olympics lose MILLIONS of dollars for a city.

Agreed. Being from Chicago, the majority of the area was very happy we didn't get the games. Sure it would be cool, but the logistics of it would have been a nightmare.

The only way I see it as a positive is if enough money can be raised to drastically redo the infrastructures of a specific city... similar to Chicago with the 1892 World's Fair. If there was enough state and local and private money to build some amazing public structures and more importantly to significantly upgrade the public transportation and technological infrastructures, then I would have supported it. Otherwise, its just not worth it.

[yitbos96bb]

To me Orlando hosting the Olympics would be akin to saying that Las Vegas could. They are both fairly large cities but they draw in tourists not athletes. Where would you do the rowing events? Just doesn't make sense to me. Besides, the Olympics have been disappointing for cities lately. They spend a ton of money to bring the event there but rarely see a return on their investment.

COuld you imagine the disaster of the Olympics in Vegas? Betting scandal after betting scandal... from throwing a match to point shaving in team events.

[pooh2001]

Since Brazil is having unsafe conditions for tourists - do you think they would move the Olympics ?

"While it is unlikely that U.S. citizens would be targeted during such events, U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Brazil are advised to take common-sense precautions and avoid any large gatherings or any other event where crowds have congregated to demonstrate or protest. Individuals with ties to criminal entities operate along the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. These organizations are involved in the trafficking of illicit goods; some individuals in the area financially support designated foreign terrorist organizations. U.S. citizens crossing into Paraguay or Argentina should consult the Country Specific Information for those countries."

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1072.html#safety

[doconeill]

Since Brazil is having unsafe conditions for tourists - do you think they would move the Olympics ?

HIGHLY unlikely. First, it is still 5 years away. Second, security assurances would have already been given to the IOC.

[KYMickey]

Since Brazil is having unsafe conditions for tourists - do you think they would move the Olympics ?
It's too early to make this decision (which I don't think they will) it will be much closer to the actual events. At that time the only possible option would be to move them to one of the cities that had just tell them recently because of the necessity to have the infrastructure in place. Based on that London would obviously be the first choice with Beijing also being a possibility.

[plutospup]

The IOC already knew the security situation when they voted to have the games in Brazil.

The last time games changed cities prior to the Olympiad was Denver '76. Following the awarding of the games, the citizens of Denver openly denounced the plan. Without public support Denver '76 withdrew, and the games were given to Innsbruck. Innsbruck had hosted the games in 1964.

Interesting to note, Montreal spent tons of money for the summer '76 games, and led to a huge financial loss. Remember the unfinished domed stadium where the Expos played baseball? Los Angeles '84, on the other hand only 8 years later was a financial success. Olympic Games, if managed correctly, can produce financial success.

[Donut23]

I lived in Atlanta during the 1996 olympics and it was pretty crazy. The argument about the events and village being too spread out doesn't hold. For the Atlanta olympics, some of the events were held outside of the city, including Athens (72 mi.), Savannah (249 mi), Polk County, TN (127 mi), Birmingham, AL (145 mi.), as well as Washington D.C., Orlando and Miami for Soccer events. So, distance seems to matter very little.

Personally, I think Orlando, or central Florida will eventually bid and host the olympics sometime in the future. The entire region continues to grow, thanks in part to Disney and Universal. So, it may not be soon, but my guess would be within the next 20 or so years.



Didn't the organizers break out in a rash at the last minute about the heat in Atlanta? I would think that would be a BIG problem in Orlando in the summer.

[doconeill]

Moving to another city close to the date would be extremely difficult. Even the most recent venues would likely be unavailable. Some are temporary, others get rebuilt from general purpose to specific, and the housing often changes hands. They do not maintain Olympic villages in reserve.

The Denver '76 issue was resolved several years ahead of the games, and Innsbruck had maintained the facilities from 1964. Innsbruck wasn't even a bidder - the IOC offered it to Vancouver/Whistler (who ironically was last in the voting, but may have been the best prepared to move on) but they turned it down (Canada had a government change in between). I believe Salt Lake then stepped up but reportedly the IOC felt burned and didn't want to award it to another US location (Salt Lake obviously won the bid for 2002). Innsbruck was the most ready on the (relatively) short notice - and back then the number of competitors for a Winter games was relatively small (about half what it is today).

[JoyB-UK]

The IOC already knew the security situation when they voted to have the games in Brazil.


With regards to Brazil hosting the Olympics , alot of issues, security and otherwise will be figured out in 2014 as this is when Brasil hosts the World Cup (soccer). Hosting the world cup in Brazil is as big an event as the olympics to the Brazillians and many other nations around the world. It will see huge numbers travelling there so by the time the Olympics come around in 2016 the country should pretty well organised having learnt from the 2014 experience.

[chartle]

Since Brazil is having unsafe conditions for tourists - do you think they would move the Olympics ?

If something happened to change the IOC's mind they would either have to cancel or at least greatly reduce the size of the games.

Others have pointed out that they did move a Winter Olympics, but moving a Summer games just wouldn't happen.

Last Winter games had around 2,500 athletes, the last Summer had over 11,000. Also the Summer has I think three times the number of sports. So moving at this late date just is't going to happen.

[Uncleromulus]

Olympics in Orlando??:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[fireflymedic]

I dont expect to see any in USA for a long long. with the ecomey the way it is, who has all the money to build the stadiums and stuff

[plutospup]

Following the IOC's 2016 decision, which ousted Chicago in the first round, I don't expect a U.S. bid in the near future. Admittedly, I'm biased, but Chicago 2016 was the best bid on the table - venues, proximity to Olympic Village, security,sponsorship, financial plan, and more. Unfortunately, IOC politics once again played in the decision.

The amount of money, time, and energy to put together a final round bid is tremendous. Right now to gamble it on the IOC would be questionable.

[doconeill]

Following the IOC's 2016 decision, which ousted Chicago in the first round, I don't expect a U.S. bid in the near future. Admittedly, I'm biased, but Chicago 2016 was the best bid on the table - venues, proximity to Olympic Village, security,sponsorship, financial plan, and more. Unfortunately, IOC politics once again played in the decision.

The amount of money, time, and energy to put together a final round bid is tremendous. Right now to gamble it on the IOC would be questionable.

Well, clearly they didn't spend enough money, at least in the right places ;)

Despite the strength of the bid, the USOC and the IOC have a bit of a love-hate relationship.

[plutospup]

Well, clearly they didn't spend enough money, at least in the right places ;)


Ah, yes... Salt Lake City. ;)

Of course the same could be said for prior winning cities as well. At least Salt Lake was a very successful Olympiad, financially successful, and the city is still reaping rewards of that Olympiad today.