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Toronto hosting International Events???

T

toforumer

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I was just wondering why Toronto always seems to fail when trying to get the rights to host international events. It was pretty much common knowledge that Beijing would win the 2008 Olympics, so that wasn't a surprise. But Toronto had Expo 2015 in the bag but somehow the government fucked up and we had to pull the bid which was pretty embarrassing.

My question to those that frequent these boards is.....Do you think Toronto should continue to pursue any other International events such as another Expo bid, a Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, any sporting World Championships, or even another Olympic games down the road. Or should they not even bother with any of these?

What do you think is at the top of their list first?


Personally, I think the city should host a major world event before they bid again for another Olympics which is rumored they will for the 2020 edition. But the question is, what event should this be?
 
We have hosted major international events, just not mega sports events. Expos, which I think are a good idea, just don't have the cachet they used to.

World Youth Day(s) was one that went very well and got a lot of attention. Some of the big conferences, like the recent AIDS one, keeps us up there in specialized circles.

I am not that fond of the Olympics, but we did well with the last bid, but we went up against a politcal juggernaut, and had a terrible mayor promoting it. We have to wait until at least 2020 or 2024.

Let Hamilton have the Commonwealth Games, though it isn't a bad idea if Toronto really wants it (and please, don't let York Region or Mississauga put their bids in).
 
SeanTrans said:
We have hosted major international events, just not mega sports events. Expos, which I think are a good idea, just don't have the cachet they used to.

World Youth Day(s) was one that went very well and got a lot of attention. Some of the big conferences, like the recent AIDS one, keeps us up there in specialized circles.

I am not that fond of the Olympics, but we did well with the last bid, but we went up against a politcal juggernaut, and had a terrible mayor promoting it. We have to wait until at least 2020 or 2024.

Let Hamilton have the Commonwealth Games, though it isn't a bad idea if Toronto really wants it (and please, don't let York Region or Mississauga put their bids in).
Click to expand...

Well the city needs to start planning now. The city could really benefit from the improvement in infrastructure and new sports facilities based in Canada's largest city. It's pretty sad that this city lacks some crucial sports infrastructure. No wonder our Canadian athletes (minus the Winter athletes) perform horribly.
 
toforumer said:
Toronto had Expo 2015 in the bag
Click to expand...

I wouldnt go as far as to say that Toronto had Expo 2015 in the bag. It may have been easy to become Canada's entry, but I dont think that Toronto was a given internationally.
 
Jdot said:
I wouldnt go as far as to say that Toronto had Expo 2015 in the bag. It may have been easy to become Canada's entry, but I dont think that Toronto was a given internationally.
Click to expand...

Against an unknown Turkish city which I forgot the name of now and Milan,Italy which has already hosted Expo before.

Yes, Toronto had it in the bag especially with a Waterfront central bid.
 
Well, maybe an international celebration of this
ngsd.gif

Maybe if Giorgio Mammoliti became mayor...
 
For sporting events, I hope the FIFA U-20 World Cup might bring a little bit of attention to Toronto (although our BMO Field might be a bit of an embarassment to international fans). There is potential for Toronto in hosting a few world-class sports events in the future. The one we might have the biggest chance at getting is a couple of games in the World Baseball Classic hosted by MLB. I was surprised why Toronto didn't get to host any games in the inaugural tournament - Toronto has a retractable roof stadium, and Toronto is home to the only non-American team in MLB. I recall Hugo Chavez (the Venezuelan president... the same one who called Bush the Devil) suggesting before the last tournament that the WBC should host some games in Canada so that Cuba could play in the tournament without having to go to the US.

Toronto will be hosting the 2008 MLS All-Star Game, which will be a world-class sporting event if David Beckham shows up. Toronto is also on the inside track for a future NBA All-Star Game, which is no doubt an event watched around the world. The Raptors are holding off on hosting an All-Star Game until Maple Leaf Square is completed (which could be the reason why Las Vegas hosted the last All-Star Game).

As for other events, I'd say instead of bidding for international events, and try to develop our own events. I would like to see our CNE transformed from Toronto's version of a county fair into an annual non-sanctioned World's Fair (like the 1964 New York World's Fair, which was unsanctioned by the BIE). A big winter carnival in Toronto, like those in Ottawa and Quebec City, could also be considered an international event.
 
Toronto should bid for various sporting events:

PanAmerican Games
Commonwealth Games
World Hockey Championships
World Track and Field Championships
World Aquatics Championshios
World Rowing/Canoe/Kayak Championships
World Gymnastics Championships

Summer Olympics
CONCACAF Gold Cup
World Cup (Toronto to host finals if Canada selected)

Most of these would require significant infrastructure investment, but you have to start somewhere. It's a glaring hole that Toronto has not one large stadium. At 50,000, Rogers Centre is fairly small and is fairly limiting. It is not acceptable to FIFA to stage soccer, neither is it big enough to house a track.

Canada should lobby for Toronto to become the new home of the Organization of American States which is currently headquartered in Washington, DC. New York City got the UN, this would be the next best thing. This is just a pipe dream, but thought I'd add it anyway.
 
Fire the mayor!

The big big problem in this city is our mayor. Don't expect him to put Toronto on the world map. Remember, he's the guy who sent Live-Eight to Barrie! Stupid guy! Imagine all the lost revenues in that lucrative weekend.
 
All I remember is Pink Floyd and The Police reuniting. Wasn't that what it was for?

Oh, and stuck in Canada, having to watch the lame shows, and the obvious fact that Ben Muldoon had no idea what Pink Floyd was.
 
I think it was ostensibly an event to draw attention to the world's hungry. I remember news clips of the concert-goers earnestly spouting off the fact that by attending this event, they were changing the world.
Oh, and it was free.
 
Instead of flashy events like the Olympics which may leave a legacy of unpaid bills, I think Toronto should instead vie to become the headquarters for international instituitions. They can't all be based in NYC, and really Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world. With most of the world fearing the USA these days, but with access to the USA still important, I think Canada (and of course Toronto) would be an ideal location for such instituitions. With instituitions like this, we'd attract a ton of high paying and highly educated professionals to the city, which would do wonders for the city beyond any one time sporting event.
 
Does the aviation one have a ton of high paying and highly educated professionals in Montreal doing wonders for that city?
 
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