Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco already have thrown their hats in the ring to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The four already have set up committees to look into the feasibility of stepping up for what some consider a dubious honor.
The US Olympic Committee invited the nation’s 25 largest cities to bid, plus 10 others that have expressed interest in the past.
USOC CEO Scott Blackmun has estimated that the winner will need to spend in excess of $3 billion, not including venue construction and infrastructure costs. The winning city also must 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.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has not yet decided whether to apply again after spending $10 million on a failed 2012 bid. Chicago, which also spent $10 million on its bid, for the 2016 games, already has passed, along with Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, San Antonio, and San Jose.
Other cities are considering. Tulsa, OK, has a committee, too, and Philadelphians are tweeting to build support on @Philly2024. The "Cincinnati, OH for the 2024 Olympics" Facebook page has more than 3,400 supporters.
And, of course, cities outside the US also are in the running. Wikipedia notes that Taiwan, Qatar, Durban, Nairobi, Casablanca, Taipei, Doha, Dubai, Baku, Paris, Berlin, Rome, St. Petersburg, Guadalajara, and Toronto also are planning to enter the official bidding when it begins in 2015.
The last Summer Olympics on US soil was in Atlanta in 1996. Salt Lake City hosted the last Winter Olympics here in 2002.
