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Charlotte possibly hosting the Summer Olympic Games is still a consideration. I know there's already a thread about this, but who if for-against Charlotte hosting?
I had no idea Belk was the largest individual donor in the US. I definitely think the Carolinas could pull it off. Especially if its 10 years from now.
As much as I would love Charlotte to host the games, it's going to probably take more than 10 years for our public transit system to be large enough to handle the crowds.
This could happen with Charlotte at the center of the events. The sailing would, of course need to be done at the coast as it was with the London 2012 Olympics.
Canoeing, rowing and white water events could be handled on the lakes(s) and below the dams. Athletics (Track & Field) would need a new and dedicated stadium ($823M, capacity 80000 people) as did London, Sydney & Athens but there's space for that. I'm sure venues could be found for tennis & horse events too. The marathon would be brilliant here are so would cycling. Does Charlotte or a nearby town have a velodrome (6000 seats at a cost of $144M)? A BMX track should be easy too.
A full size (50 meter) swimming pool and a diving pool would also be needed. The London one cost $439M and has a capacity for 17500 people and has two 50 meter pools.
There are some big numbers floating about here. Still want the Olympics in Charlotte? Good, now think about the Olympic Village to house all the teams and their support people, 10000 in all with food to supply them all. This can be reused afterwards but still cost $1.76Bn.
On top of all the above you will have to put up with a number of closed traffic lanes between venues and some hotel to allow speedy transit of athletes, officials and VIPS to the various events. All this is handled by a team of dedicated volunteer drivers.
So now all we have to do is to make sure that there are enough hotels within about a 2 hour radius for all the spectators and manage the security situation without increasing taxes (they failed the taxes question in London but Londoners do now have some pretty nice sporting venues - worth it - YES, imo).
If Charlotteans can find the money and can put up with 5 years of building hassle then it is definitely worth the effort as it will bring HUGE and MASSIVE attention to Charlotte and will improve its world standing a lot.
Finally the London organizers handed out between 10000 and 15000 free condoms to the athletes and others so I guess these folk had energy left over after training and events.
Charlotte should be ready to host the Olympics after 2030, as Charlotte should be fully developed by then! I think they already have their host cities locked up thru 2024, if Im not mistaken! Maybe they can put in a bid for 2028!
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