Toronto 2020 Olympic Bid

[vz64]

Unfortunatelly, it is a RIP moment of this thread... Doug Ford is not interested:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/08/11/toronto-olympics.html

Toronto will not be in the running to host the 2010 Olympic Summer Games. In a time of financial constraint, the mayor's office has said it will not support a bid.

The city was approached recently by a group of civic leaders looking for approval — and funding — for an Olympic bid.

Toronto tried twice before to land the Games — but lost out to Atlanta for the 1996 Games and Beijing for the 2008 Games.

This time, with the infrastructure in place from the 2015 Pan Am Games, Olympic supporters wanted to get the city's backing for a new bid for the 2020 Games.

But Coun. Doug Ford, a close advisor to his brother Mayor Rob Ford, said Thursday the time is not right. He said no level of government can afford the money it would cost to host the Olympics.

"We can't, the feds can't, the province can't, it's just not the time. Everyone would love it but financially no one is in the shape to take it," said Ford.

Toronto city council is currently in the midst of a debate over a $774-million budget shortfall.

In spite of the budget concerns, some believed Toronto would be in a privileged position because of the infrastructure being put in place for the Pan Am Games.

Toronto will get a world-class aquatic centre as part of the 2015 Pan Am Games. Other facilities will be built in nearby communities.

The bid process for the 2020 Summer Games begins in September — but Ford says, right now, he doesn't see how any city can afford the multi-billion dollar price tag.

"I don't even know what country is in the shape right now to take it. But we aren't."

 

[nfitz]

ROB FORD loves sports.

But not apparently the Olympics.

Toronto won't bid for 2020 Olympics ... at least according to Mini-Me Ford.

 

[sixrings]

Extremely disapointed.... However I am lucky enough to have a Condo in Quebec city... so hopefully they go for 2022 Winters..... Im disapointed manily since I thought it was the most realistic way to get a DRL and secondly a NFL team (Last chance is that Rogers still claims it can retrofit the skydome by digging down to add 10,000 seats).

 

[khris]

Doug Ford needs to shut up. Plain and simple. He is NOT the mayor.
I'm really disappointed, because I think Toronto would finally get it if a bid was submitted.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

The Ford's cannot have it both ways. We will not get an NFL team for sure now. Rogers is junk.

Ford cannot say the 2020 games are too expensive and try to bring a 2 billion dollar NFL project on. No way.

You need another stadium for this.

I don't want to hear anything about the NFL or sports for the rest of his term.

And then his 10 billion underground LRT scam as well.

 

[klb86]

Good to see Ford putting the kibosh on this. Reading the comments from cbc, toronto star and the globe, seems most are in agreement with Ford, for once.

 

[MisterF]

You guys are talking about the NFL as if it would have been a given. The last Olympic bid didn't even propose a permanent NFL sized stadium and there's no reason to think a future one will.

 

[adeel]

you have got to be fricken kidding me....we had a great chance to FINALLY win this...man no wonder he gets death threats

I was more of a Ford supporter before this, but im firmly against now....this guy is RUINING us...this was a golden opportunity to move our infrastructure forward (among other things) and now i dont see how we can get the olympics in the next 20-40 years...

 

[Kitsune]

you have got to be fricken kidding me....we had a great chance to FINALLY win this...man no wonder he gets death threats

I was more of a Ford supporter before this, but im firmly against now....this guy is RUINING us...this was a golden opportunity to move our infrastructure forward (among other things) and now i dont see how we can get the olympics in the next 20-40 years...

yep fully agree - 2040 will be the next target year.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

You guys are talking about the NFL as if it would have been a given. The last Olympic bid didn't even propose a permanent NFL sized stadium and there's no reason to think a future one will.

Well there was no other way to get a stadium right? No taxes (rightfully so.)

 

[Mulder]

Well there was no other way to get a stadium right? No taxes (rightfully so.)

And as if NFL Board would approve an expansion/relocation here, or wither US TV companies would be willing to give money to a Canadian team where they can't and down't own any broadcast rights.

There's so many issues affecting an NFL team coming here, that a stadium would be the last of the concerns.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

And as if NFL Board would approve an expansion/relocation here, or wither US TV companies would be willing to give money to a Canadian team where they can't and down't own any broadcast rights.

There's so many issues affecting an NFL team coming here, that a stadium would be the last of the concerns.

No US teams own broadcast rights. The League does. What you mean is that a Canadian team would not be paying into the pot. Which is true. But the NHL has 6 canadian teams and a national US TV Contract, so its not like the a team could not get a contract from TSN for 125 million a year or whatever.

Then again that has never come up with London so...

But back on topic.

Toronto needed this. End of story.

 

[Mulder]

No US teams own broadcast rights. The League does. What you mean is that a Canadian team would not be paying into the pot. Which is true. But the NHL has 6 canadian teams and a national US TV Contract, so its not like the a team could not get a contract from TSN for 125 million a year or whatever.

Then again that has never come up with London so...

But back on topic.

Toronto needed this. End of story.

Yeah, that's what I meant.

What's different in the case of the NHL, CBC pays about 100million per season to air Canadian team's and playoffs. TSN about 25?

NBC just started putting money in the pot.

 

[MapleLeafs]

you have got to be fricken kidding me....we had a great chance to FINALLY win this...man no wonder he gets death threats

I was more of a Ford supporter before this, but im firmly against now....this guy is RUINING us...this was a golden opportunity to move our infrastructure forward (among other things) and now i dont see how we can get the olympics in the next 20-40 years...

Couldn't agree more.

What is even more frustrating is that the Pan Am Games was supposed to be a precursor to the Olympics. It was supposed to put some infrastructure in place and prove that we could successfully host an international athletics competition. It was the path Rio followed, and that the organizers hoped Toronto would follow. I'm hesitant to call it a 'waste of money,' as we did get some infrastructure from it, but it is most certainly a 'waste of time' in the sense that hosting the games itself is now useless.

 

[Mulder]

Couldn't agree more.

What is even more frustrating is that the Pan Am Games was supposed to be a precursor to the Olympics. It was supposed to put some infrastructure in place and prove that we could successfully host an international athletics competition. It was the path Rio followed, and that the organizers hoped Toronto would follow. I'm hesitant to call it a 'waste of money,' as we did get some infrastructure from it, but it is most certainly a 'waste of time' in the sense that hosting the games itself is now useless.

No, it is not the path Rio Followed. Rio had already hosted the Pan-Am games when they found out they would host the Olympic games. There will be a 9 year difference between Pan-Am and Olympic games for Rio. As oppose to 5 years for the Toronto Bid.