Olympics 2012, in Londontown

Toronto lost the bid in '96 to Atlanta (the general consensus was that TO was second choice) but one of the reasons we lost was because of a very strident and aggressive 'Bread Not Circuses" campaign.

However, we are hosting the 2015 Pan Am games so depending on how that works out, Toronto may have a chance at 2024.

I think co-hosting with Buffalo would be awesome but the lines at the border would be horrendous.

 

Nice retrospective column by the Star's Cathal Kelly who can be a bit prickly from time time. He can't say enough good things about the Games.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/article/1240997--london-2012-london-welcomed-world-with-open-arms-and-a-cup-of-tea-kelly

The world showed up expecting a party, and London got up on the table and danced. They bought the room a round. After closing, they were spotted in a corner making out with someone else’s girlfriend. It was messy, but it was hella fun.

 

The Russian VB coach will certainly go down in history as a man with gigantic balls. Making that change in personnel at that time was a huge gamble that changed everything. Brilliant and fun to watch.

 

WTF are the Pet Shop Boys wearing? Seriously? That's about dang messed up.

 

Let's see, I thought it was cool to see Madness and Pet Shop Boys. Who the heck is that third group? One Direction? Never heard of them. Am I dating myself?

 

Detroit could do the games if there is a good amount of urban renewal between now and whenever the IOC decides to let North America back in on the party.

 

People talking about who is hosting '24 games. Shit. I just hope to still be alive to see '24 games.

 

New British boyband. Insanely popular with the teen and tween girls in the US. Came about in the last year or so.

 

Is it me, or does the stage look like an overgrown Trivial Pursuit gameboard?

 

Uhhh, yeah, I probably missed that. ;

 

I think both parties have made it particularly clear that the main reason the U.S. has not hosted the Olympics is the USOC/IOC TV rights dispute. For what latent anti-American sentiment may exist within the IOC, money talks and hosting the Games in the US means cash.

As Costas mentioned, Jacques Rogge will not be the head of the IOC in Sochi much less in 2024. I'm willing to believe that some Olympics in the 20s will be in the United States.

As for locations, who knows. I could see LA wanting to take a third crack at it by then. I get the feeling the Big Apple is too self-important for it, but if Chicago could probably got its proverbial crap together. I think a place like Seattle or San Francisco would be great, but to be perfectly frank, I wonder if some of the loony anti-globalization types (or simply their history) might derail it. As was mentioned, Toronto has some of those same issues, though I can't help but wonder if Toronto is getting such a natural fit for it that it won't matter.

Especially after an Olympics that could be financially spartan (Tokyo, Madrid) or politically risky (Istanbul), I think they'll want the bid equivalent of an off-tackle running play. And now that everyone's getting sufficiently paid, I think they'll get one.

 

Alex Morgan at the Closing Ceremonies.
SCHWING!