2020 Olympic bid

The 2020 Olympic bid is a proposal by Birmingham mayor Larry Langford to prepare an official bid for Birmingham to become the host city of the 2020 Olympic summer games. The notion was first voiced by State Representative John Rogers in 2005 as he lobbied for state funding for a domed stadium in Birmingham.

Langford announced the idea on June 20, 2008 at the opening ceremony of the Alabama Sports Festival at the BJCC Arena. He then presented booklets to the Birmingham City Council at their June 24 meeting, touching on the potential economic impact and possible venues. Key venues that would be needed to host the games are already in the planning stage, including the proposed new stadium and track and swimming facilities at Fair Park.

He hoped to secure public and private funding to come up with $500,000 needed to make a formal application. On July 15 Langford introduced a resolution appointing Ron Creel of Montgomery, the president and CEO of the Alabama Sports Festival, to chair a committee charged with preparing an application.

Reaction to the Mayor's suggestion has been mixed. Even supporters acknowledge that the potential for winning an Olympic bid is minimal. City Council president Carole Smitherman predicted that the international community would praise the city for its boldness. Councilor William Bell argued that it was worth a shot and that even a failed bid would be harmless. Some familiar with the bid requirements have dismissed the idea as ill-conceived. The United States Olympic Committee is preparing Chicago's bid for the 2016 games. If Chicago is selected, the USOC will not apply for the 2020 games at all. And if it did, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia are expected to compete for the honor.

To have a chance at a realistic bid, the city would need massive upgrades to the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, a working mass transit system, thousands of new hotel rooms, unprecedented public and corporate support, and regional cooperation of a kind that has been decidedly elusive.

References

• Bryant, Joseph D. "Birmingham, Alabama, mayor wants Olympics in 2020". Birmingham News
• Scarbinsky, Kevin (June 23, 2008) "Mayor Larry Langford needs vision checked - Birmingham not ready for Olympics." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (June 25, 2008) "Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford serious about landing 2020 Olympics." Birmingham News
• Stock, Erin (July 16, 2008) "Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford proposes paying the Alabama Sports Festival up to $250,000 to implement plan for 2020 Summer Olympics." Birmingham News
• Stock, Erin (July 16, 2008) "Head of Alabama Sports Festival will work as volunteer to bring Olympics to Birmingham." Birmingham News
• Brown, Robbie (August 23, 2008) "Mayor Pushes Skeptical Birmingham to Dream on an Olympic Scale." New York Times