OKC to host Summer Olymipcs

[OKVision4U]

In a way, we are already putting things in place to make a run for a summer classic. Would the 2028 be the time OKC is ready for this?

I think Dallas is making a bid for 2024, maybe we can be ready too?

All we need is a Olympic Stadium ( MLS ready ) and we are there.

[OKVision4U]

If Salt Lake can hold the winter olympics, then we are not that far removed from type of global event. With our existing MAPS projects ( I and III ), many of these facilities will be in-place and debt free. Even if we do not get them in 2028, the following MAPS initiatives will bring us even closer to this chance to show the world our town.

[Plutonic Panda]

I could see OKC possibly supporting the Olympics in 2028.

[warreng88]

We would have some amenities for the games (boathouse row, The Peake, The Statefair arena) but would have to build an aquatics center, a biking track and several other 6,000-20,000 people arenas for the other sports, not to mention an 80,000-100,000 arena for the larger athletic games and the opening and closing ceremonies. On top of all that, an olympic village for some 18,000 or so athletes, mass transit for hundreds of thousands of people to come visit and at least 50,000 hotel rooms for media, the committe, employees and sponsors, not to mention the visitors, so you are probably looking 150,000-200,000 hotel rooms. London had an estimate of $4 billion to host the games and raised to $15 billion due to cost over runs. Then, whenever that 2.5 weeks is over, you are left with completely empty stadiums and other arenas that you have to redo for adaptive reuse. OKC has no mass transit and I don't think we will have reliable city-wide mass transit until 2020 or so. Then, you want to increase it to not just move for the 1.3 million people who live here, but the 1.3 million people who are going to visiting over a 2.5 week time frame. I am sorry, but it is not worth it to me. Dallas, I understand because they already have a ton of the pieces already in place and London is one of the most visited cities in the world, so all of that makes sense. The best we can hope for is Dallas to get it and OKC to get some runover with people flying in and a HSR traveling from OKC to Dallas.

[hoya]

I think around 2030 would be when OKC could start thinking about maybe putting in an bid someday eventually. The truth is, you're competing against Tier One international cities, places like Tokyo and Beijing. We'd need to hit "boom town" status soon, and maintain that for 20 or 30 years. We'd need a much larger population, a much stronger corporate presence, a bigger airport, an efficient public transportation system, international recognition, probably need to produce a very influential social figure (an Oklahoman who won the Nobel Peace Prize would be nice), and the willingness to go a few billion dollars into debt.

Get that stuff and then we'll talk Olympics.

[Snowman]

In a way, we are already putting things in place to make a run for a summer classic. Would the 2028 be the time OKC is ready for this?

I think Dallas is making a bid for 2024, maybe we can be ready too?

All we need is a Olympic Stadium ( MLS ready ) and we are there.

Mass transit, hotel capacity and population to draw volunteers from are as big of issues as the major stadiums we would need to build (also would need a velodrome, probably larger one for tennis, a swimming/diving facility, generally there are some additional smaller ones).

[OKVision4U]

Warreng good points. I see we could divide up some of the facilities between Universities of OSU-OKC / OCU / OU and have better facilities to compete in and already paid for. The Olympic Stadium could be a future ( existing MLS ) stadium ( say MAPS5 ).

Now the additional cost to London, may have been just to update their plumbing. The mass transit would be here in 20 years.

This could place us in a great position ( even if we don't get it ) with mass-transit / Core-to-Shore / etc.

If Dallas is going to be successful, then they will have to dam up the Trinity and start their rowing / canoe facilities.

[OKVision4U]

I think around 2030 would be when OKC could start thinking about maybe putting in an bid someday eventually. The truth is, you're competing against Tier One international cities, places like Tokyo and Beijing. We'd need to hit "boom town" status soon, and maintain that for 20 or 30 years. We'd need a much larger population, a much stronger corporate presence, a bigger airport, an efficient public transportation system, international recognition, probably need to produce a very influential social figure (an Oklahoman who won the Nobel Peace Prize would be nice), and the willingness to go a few billion dollars into debt.

Get that stuff and then we'll talk Olympics.

true, but like I said about Salt Lake City ( not a megaplex ), but I think we will have the right size in 20 years. We need to continue to update / expand our airport anyways. And in 20 years, regional light rail will be in....should be in. We do have some Big Olympic names here in OKC metro ... Mr. & Mrs. Gold Medals... Bart & Nadia.

[warreng88]

I think around 2030 would be when OKC could start thinking about maybe putting in an bid someday eventually. The truth is, you're competing against Tier One international cities, places like Tokyo and Beijing. We'd need to hit "boom town" status soon, and maintain that for 20 or 30 years. We'd need a much larger population, a much stronger corporate presence, a bigger airport, an efficient public transportation system, international recognition, probably need to produce a very influential social figure (an Oklahoman who won the Nobel Peace Prize would be nice), and the willingness to go a few billion dollars into debt.

Get that stuff and then we'll talk Olympics.

I didn't even think of the airport. OKC has 26 gates and and 3.68 million passengers went through in 2012. For comparison, Atlanta airport (the busiest airport in the world) has 200 gates and accommodated 95 million passengers in 2012. DFW has 161 gates and accommodated 58 million passengers. SLC has 79 gates and accommodates 20 million people.

[Richard at Remax]

Only way OKC sniffs anything Olympics is if Dallas gets the bid and they have the rowing activities in OKC

[shawnw]

We should first focus on getting an NBA All-Star game, which we are a ways off from being able to do from a hotel capacity perspective.

[Snowman]

true, but like I said about Salt Lake City ( not a megaplex ), but I think we will have the right size in 20 years. We need to continue to update / expand our airport anyways. And in 20 years, regional light rail will be in....should be in. We do have some Big Olympic names here in OKC metro ... Mr. & Mrs. Gold Medals... Bart & Nadia.

Some caution needs to be had with comparisons to the Olympics in Salt Lake City, the Winter Olympics has fewer venues, athletes and visitors than the Summer Olympics.

[hoya]

Yeah, the Winter Olympics is a whole lot smaller.

[OKVision4U]

If we put our mass tranist in place for a 2028 / 2032 event, then we as a city, would be in great shape our "everyday" use going forward. We would not incur the typical "city wide debt" most cities undertake, by our pay-as-we-go w/ MAPS.

Our airport could use this expansion as a business friendly component to keep up with the demand now.

[warreng88]

I will say, if OKC airport ever wanted to do a major expansion, there is plenty of space south of the existing facility to do it. A trolley/subway, moving walkway would have to be built underground to link the terminals but I would thinks wings (no pun intended) could be added to the east side and then add a few coming off the the main terminal to the south. I think OKC would need to land either a major hub or a small, but expanding airline who wants a hub in the middle of the country before something like that would be feasible. I have joked with my wife that we need to get there about 30 minutes before takeoff because it never takes more than 10 minutes to go through security for us.

[OKCisOK4me]

We should first focus on getting an NBA All-Star game, which we are a ways off from being able to do from a hotel capacity perspective.

Glad to see someone else understands this philosophy.

[warreng88]

What does it take to host the NBAASG in the way of close hotel rooms? 6,000? What are we at now? 2,000?

[shawnw]

I think OKC would need to land either a major hub or a small, but expanding airline who wants a hub in the middle of the country

Did you see the article Steve RT'd this morning about this topic: Not-so-friendly skies: Tough to be a city left out of the large hubs | Mobile Washington Examiner?

[OKVision4U]

Glad to see someone else understands this philosophy.

This is not a in lue of, but both. Yes, we need to have a goal to get the NBA All Star Weekend, ...we handled the NBA Finals fine. A higher choice of rooms / selections is on it's way.

The Olympics event will benefit from our previous successes.

[HangryHippo]

Did you see the article Steve RT'd this morning about this topic: Not-so-friendly skies: Tough to be a city left out of the large hubs | Mobile Washington Examiner?

I saw that. Makes you wonder if OKC lost out on another company because we don't have enough flights. Or if he just found it pertinent to OKC's situation. Hopefully the latter.

[HangryHippo]

Also, what are the "Olymipcs"? Are they anything similar to the "Olympics"?

[OKVision4U]

Did you see the article Steve RT'd this morning about this topic: Not-so-friendly skies: Tough to be a city left out of the large hubs | Mobile Washington Examiner?

This is another great reason we should place our "fly over" efforts into High Speed Rail. As a majoy hub for HSR, we could manage the high volumes that the Olympics creates.

[bchris02]

In a way, we are already putting things in place to make a run for a summer classic. Would the 2028 be the time OKC is ready for this?

I think Dallas is making a bid for 2024, maybe we can be ready too?

All we need is a Olympic Stadium ( MLS ready ) and we are there.

I am not sure the Olympics are a good investment nor would they be a good thing for OKC to go after. Charlotte hinted at trying to go after them a few years ago and I said the same thing about it. Olympic cities, especially for the summer games, are tier 1/global cities. Atlanta was an exception and it can be strongly argued they weren't ready even in 1996 or that the investment was even worth it. The winter games are a different animal because they depend on natural amenities moreso than being in a global city. That is how Salt Lake was able to get them. OKC simply is NOT an Olympic city and will not be in our lifetimes. That doesn't mean this city can't dream big though.

Personally, I think OKC should go after an NFL team sometime in the 2020s. This city isn't ready now but unless there is a major turn of events it WILL be then. That will bring in continual enjoyment, pride, and publicity rather than being a one time event. After that, I think this city could be prime for the super bowl and could get in a pattern of hosting it every several years. In addition to that, I think OKC could handle one of the political conventions and would be an obtainable goal even in the near future.

[shawnw]

Here's a nice article about what it took Houston to get the All Star game:

How Houston Became the Host City for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game - Forbes

Here's where the dealbreaker is for OKC:
"city has to have a state-of-the-art arena, a convention center that has at least 500,000 square feet and 6,000 hotel rooms in four to five star hotels"

We have a very, very, very long way to go with regard to the hotel rooms.

Following up on the "commemorative events" aspect, I think our best bet might be to shoot for the 2030 timeframe when we might be commemorating the opening of a new arena.

[OKVision4U]

Actually, it would be really interesting for someone to create a graph showing the different types of possible events that could be hosted here and their respective needs.

Sort those then in ascending order and we'd have a really cool target list for both infrastructure and private development. If bigger and bigger events is our goal.

Exactly. Our paths as a City, and the needs / demands of an Olympic event are very similar. I would like to see that spreadsheet too.

Our 20 years with MAPS success, with another 20 years of success, we would be getting pretty close to a city ready for that Bid to the Olympic committee.