Boston Mayor Martin Walsh yesterday said that IOC President Thomas Bach "needs to 'take a look inside the mirror' if he wants to know why Boston’s 2024 Olympic bid fell apart," according to Jack Encarnacao of the BOSTON HERALD. Bach has said that the Boston bid failed because the city "did not deliver on promises.” Walsh replied, "The only thing I can say back to the IOC president is that in Boston, or I think in any United States city, no one’s going to force taxpayers to pay for an Olympics. If they’re concerned why they’re having a hard time getting a United States bid, it’s because of the rules that the IOC has ... So I think Mr. Bach needs to take a look inside the mirror" (BOSTON HERALD, 7/30). In Boston, John Powers writes "simmering tension between Boston and the Olympics leadership boiled over into the public" yesterday (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/30). In DC, Adam Kilgore writes the "widespread local opposition to Boston’s bid -- and its failure -- is emblematic of shifting perception about the Olympic Games." For years, cities viewed hosting the Olympics as a "badge of prestige and patriotism to be fought over." More recently, both in the U.S. and foreign democracies, the Games "have been viewed as a problematic financial drain, met with hostility by citizens wary of corruption and misused public funds" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/30). Meanwhile, a HARTFORD COURANT editorial states in the end, Boston "doesn't need the Olympics." The Olympics "arguably can be helpful to cities trying to step onto the world stage," but Boston "has been there" (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/30).
DAMAGE DONE? In L.A., David Wharton writes with the USOC considering a replacement for Boston, other questions arise, including how much recent events have "damaged America's reputation" with the IOC, as well as how that "might affect" L.A.'s potential bid. But Bach "reiterated Wednesday he wants an American bid" (L.A. TIMES, 7/30). The AP's Eddie Pells reported putting a U.S. city in play "seemed like a popular idea" among USOC execs gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they were meeting to vote on where to hold the '22 Games. Because the official deadline to enter a city for the '24 Games "isn't until Sept. 15, the news about Boston wasn't taken as a sign the U.S. was out of the game." Leadership "tried to salvage things by cutting ties in time to get another city on board." USA Gymnastics President & CEO Steve Penny said of Boston, "In some ways, the USOC said, 'Let's see if this works.' They went down that road. It didn't pan out like they hoped. But they're saying, 'We could still salvage something here and put a decent bid out there'" (AP, 7/30).
IT TAKES TWO TO MAKE A THING GO RIGHT? MLB Giants President & CEO Larry Baer, who headed the S.F. group trying to secure the U.S. bid for the '24 Games, suggested the best way for the USOC to get the event would be L.A. and S.F. "pairing up, a combination bid.” Baer: "I’m not saying that L.A. might not do it on its own and I’m not saying there would be no city. But we’re in the due diligence, investigative phase to see if it’s possible that San Francisco and Los Angeles could team up.” He added a "key" element for any bid being successful is the California state government "would have to get involved in some of the financing." Baer: "What happened in Boston can’t happen again for the USOC, and San Francisco and Los Angeles don’t want to get caught up in financing questions” (“Sports Talk Live,” CSN Bay Area, 7/29).
