US says no to Olympics in 2020

The news broke about a week ago that the US Olympic Committee (USOC) was not going to pursue the 2020 Summer Olympics. That can be good news from a financial standpoint; but from a PR standpoint, it's not great.

First, the United States has not done well lately in bidding for the Summer Olympics. New York City tried for the 2012 games; and the city was considered the favorite to win the bid. London ended up winning the bid and the New York loss was considered an embarrassment to the USOC.

A worse blow was dealt in 2009 when Chicago was vying for the 2016 Games. Chicago didn't even last the first round of bidding. There are several rounds of bidding within the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to determine a host. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil won the 2016 Games. It will be the first time an Olympics will be held in South America.

On one hand, it could be a blessing in disguise. The Summer Olympics are such a large production that it takes the host city years to prepare (which is why the 2016 Olympics were selected in 2009). And, it costs a lot of money. Arenas, stadiums and other venues need to be built. Infrastructure needs to be repaired or built.

My parents told me once how they talked to a friend who visited Sydney, Australia a while back. Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Games. This friend proceeded to tell them about the taxes in the city of Sydney. Restaurants had taxes of 18%. Hotels had similar taxes. Everything in the city was exorbitantly taxed. Outside the city, prices were much lower. What was the deal in Sydney? This friend found out that Sydney was trying to recoup financial losses from the 2000 Olympics.

But, this is the United States, right? We can handle it. The US hosted the Summer Olympics twice in a sixteen-year span. Los Angeles hosted in 1984; and Atlanta in 1996. The Winter Olympics last made an appearance in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Is it a PR thing? Did Chicago or New York City not prove themselves as viable hosts of the Olympics? I mean, London has hosted the Summer Games twice: 1908 and 1948. 2012 will be their third time. New York City was said to have a tremendous bid for the Games; and really, lost in embarrassing fashion.

Public relations could be part of the reason. Atlanta certainly had its share of problems in 1996; mainly the bombing in the Olympic Park about a week into the Olympics.

Money seems to be the biggest reason. According to TIME magazine (article linked to post title), the USOC and the IOC are grappling over money; and how much the USOC should be able to collect from television revenue and corporate sponsors. The USOC has a certain percentage in mind and the IOC thinks it's a bit too much.

So, the USOC decided to withdraw any bids for the 2020 Games. New York and Dallas had thrown their hats into the ring for 2020, as well as Las Vegas. But, with the latest move by the USOC, the US will be waiting a long time to host the Summer Olympics on its soil. If the US wins the 2024 bid, it will have been a 28-year wait for the Summer Games to return.

That's not too bad. The US waited 52 years between the 1932 and the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games. And, of course, nestled in there were the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY.