Olympics 2012, in Londontown

Boston will never, ever even bid for an Olympic Games. It would require much regional cooperation, long-term planning and large amounts of public goodwill and willingness to put up with inconvenience. So we're out.

 

Durban would be a great choice.

 

Indeed. I think there was a rather palpable sense of surprise when they declined to bid for 2020.

 

I would have been more interested in stalking Brian Williams' daughter.

 

But they don't have the facilities. And would they spend the money to do something as elaborate as we have come to know it?

 

Denver would do an awesome Winter Olympics. Hope they get the chance before I die.

 

There's a lot of oil money floating around a lot of places in Africa. And if the IOC gets an idea in its head, it'll find a way.

Aren't the Qatar World Cup stadiums essentially supposed to be giant Erector sets that can be dismantled and moved somewhere else? I'm sure they could pick up a couple of those.

 

Pleeeeease, no more Whiter, errrr Winter, Olympics here in the U.S.

 

Yeah, I thought about that. It's one thing for South Africa to host the World Cup in 7-8 different stadiums. It's quite another to built swimming pools, indoor arenas, a velodrome, athletes village and all the other stuff.

As much as holding the Games in Africa would make a political statement, I can't imagine them being willing to have second-rate facilities and such.

Another point worth considering is that the IOC likes to reward nations that have been loyal to the Olympic movement and major commitments to sport. That is true of both China and Brazil. I'm not sure if it is yet about Africa. Only 25 years ago, South Africa wasn't even allowed to compete in the Games for a while.

 

There are only about 12-15 countries capable of and interested in a winter Olympics. US, Canada, Japan, Korea, China, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Norway, Sweden, maybe the Czech Republic. Finland and Poland don't have the money. The Netherlands has neither the money nor the mountains. No one in Africa or South America or Australia seems interested or has the climate. So the bidding list gets much shorter.

I suspect the 2022 Games will go back to western Europe and maybe a 2026 Games in North America.

 

Actually Mark, Finland does have the money. Maybe not the mountains, though.