Exciting news came across the airways in recent weeks about Nashville's invitation, among 35 cities, selected by the United States Olympic Committee as possible locations for the 2024 summer Games. This idea though exciting doesn't seem to have Major Karl Dean's attention. Yet this is not without good reason. Hosting the Olympics is a huge undertaking.
The city would have to give the city quite a face lift. The Olympic committee has very specific guidelines as to what is required of the host city. It is also a two step process. The IOC elects host cities following a two-stage process. Cities wishing to stage the Games in question become 'Applicant Cities'; the IOC Executive Board then selects a number of applicants to be considered 'Candidate Cities'. from which one is chosen by a vote of the IOC session. It takes approximately 7 years to complete these steps alone.
The most prominent points of a Olympic host city is its availability to create an Olympic Village with the capacity to house 16,500 athletes, which i a combination of housing for both athletes and media. That is for the participates alone, Nashville would also need the venues and hotels capable of supporting the influx of spectators that would swarm the city to watch the events. All this and more because we have yet to mention the venue that would house the games themselves.
Exciting soon turns to lots of construction and renovation of the city, over the next 9 years. The price tag is no laughing matter its said that bids are well into the 10's of millions. What an honor to even receive the invite, yet Nashville is not the only city in Tennessee that received an invitation, congratulations is in order to our sister city of Memphis.
Although the outlook that Nashville will actually have a chance at winning the Olympic bid is none to slime, our story is not without a glimmer of hope. Nashville had also been invited to bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This event would not require such major renovation. We have an available and ready field for play. The Titan LP Field is already an Olympic qualifying venue. FIFA’s experts set out their requirements for FIFA World Cup infrastructure. The requirements set specifics for the stadiums, the bases and training facilities to be used by the teams, hotel accommodation, transport, information technology and television broadcasting.
It wouldn't be a cake walk but Nashville is more prepared to host the World Cup over the Summer Olympics. Who's to say both wont be in Nashville's near future stranger things have happened. Yes we are out of the running for the 2022 FIFA and undoubtedly won't pick up the bid for the 2024 summer Olympics, still just talking about shows how Nashville is growing towards greatness. No longer just a star of the states we are endeavoring to become a star of the world. So lets talk about excitement hosting the World Cup and later the Olympics now that a bid to win.
Comments