Minneapolis considers bid for 2024 Summer Olympics
By Frank Bi
Jul 27, 2012; London, United Kingdom; An overall view of fireworks going off at the opening ceremonies at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Minneapolis as the location of a future Summer Olympics host city seems far-fetched especially to those who see the North Star State as more suitable for the Winter Olympics or no Olympics at all.
But to the contrary, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak believes the Twin Cities would be a prime location for the 2024 Summer Olympics and he wants to make a serious attempt at bringing the international games and the spotlight to Minnesota.
Rybak has asked the official Minneapolis convention and visitors association, Meet Minneapolis, to look into the costs of making a bid. And according to KSTP, Meet Minneapolis has already talked with the United States Olympic Committee about the possibility.
Perhaps not enough people consider Minneapolis as a top travel destination, but as the host city for the Olympics, the collection of new stadiums around the Twin Cities, including TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field, would be ideal for the Olympics — not to mention the spanking-new Vikings Stadium that would be completed by 2024.
If you still think hosting an Olympics in Minneapolis is implausible, Yahoo Travel this summer listed Minneapolis in the top 10 of most snubbed cities in the world vying for an Olympic bid.
Minneapolis has been snubbed over for the honor in 1948 1952 and 1956, according to Yahoo and as one of the most fit cities in the United States, hosting the Olympics could be a pretty good house warming party for the supposed “City of the Future” as long as it doesn’t crush every inch of infrastructure within a 20-mile radius of downtown Minneapolis.
More hotels would have to be built and an Olympic Village would have to be raised somewhere (how about the ol’ Arden Hills ammunition plant, eh?) but imagine the marathon from St. Paul to Minneapolis or the 100-meter sprint within TCF Bank Stadium. What a spectacular sight that would be.