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San Francisco: 2024 Olympic host?

The America’s Cup, a new Warriors waterfront arena and now, a possible bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games? San Francisco is on a roll.

Mayor Ed Lee was one of 35 major U.S. city mayors who received letters from the U.S. Olympic Committee Tuesday to feel out their interest in hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.

San Jose and Sacramento also received letters.

USOC CEO Scott Blackmun wrote in the letter:

“Our objective in this process is to identify a partner city that can work with us to present a compelling bid to the IOC and that has the right alignment of political, business and community leadership.”

So far Mayor Ed Lee is on board and wants to create a permanent nonprofit group tasked with bringing large-scale sporting events, like the Olympics.

However, these letters are just preliminary efforts and don’t “guarantee” that the U.S. will make a bid for the games, according to the USOC said.

The U.S. hasn’t hosted the Summer Olympics in 17 years, since Atlanta in 1996.

In 2006, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco were all vying for the 2016 games. San Francisco abandoned its efforts after finding out that the 49ers no longer planned to build their new stadium in the city, a project central to The City’s Olympic bid.

The USOC also aimed to remind city leaders just how expensive hosting can be, with a $3 billion-plus check to cover operating costs, venue construction and infrastructure costs. The host city would also have to provide 45,000 hotel rooms, an Olympic village for 16,500 athletes and officials, an international airport and a workforce of up to 200,000.

Last modified February 21, 2013 11:27 am

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