USOC Gauging Cities' Interest In Playing Host To '24 Games

The USOC today took the first step toward bidding for the '24 Summer Games by mailing a letter to 35 cities to gauge their interest in becoming a bid city. The letters went to cities ranging in size from Rochester and Tulsa to L.A. and N.Y. The USOC has two years to make a decision about whether or not it will bid for the '24 Games. The organization has said that it will not hold a formal domestic bidding process but will select and put forward a city that it believes offers the best chance to win the Games.

The letter advised the cities that the cost of bidding could exceed $10M and take a multiyear commitment to bidding and the cost of hosting a Games could exceed $3B. It asked that interested cities contact USOC Chief of Bids & Protocol Chris Sullivan, who will provide information to assess a city’s viability as a host. The USOC highlighted some of the major requirements to host the Olympics such as providing 45,000 hotel rooms; developing an Olympic Village that sleeps 16,500 and has a 5,000-person dining hall; and providing public transportation service to venues.