Central Mass. can play a role in Boston Games
What are the chances Boston will host the Olympic Games in 2024?
If you're attentive to where previous Games, and the 2016 and 2020 Summer Games (Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, respectively), have been sited, the chances are not all that long that the world's elite athletes will compete on U.S. soil in the summer for the first time since the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
But how likely is it that the Boston organizers will concentrate nearly all the Olympic activities within Route 128? That won't be easy, and it's probably a bad idea. That's where Central Massachusetts could come in.
Along with nearly 11,000 athletes, the Games will draw millions of tourists, potentially doubling the commonwealth's current population of about 6.7 million during the roughly two weeks the Games will take place.
Boston has suggested it can keep all the events close to the city. But that invites unnecessary congestion in an area whose road network is already quite difficult to navigate within the densely populated communities inside Route 128. Since public transit between Boston, MetroWest and Central Massachusetts has been enhanced significantly over the last two decades, there clearly ought to be a role for this region. Also, how could organizers not seriously consider Lake Quinsigamond, a superb location for crew events? How could the area's colleges and universities not be considered for their housing or facilities? Or, how could organizers not consider running the men's or women's marathon along the same Hopkinton-to-Boston route as the world renowned Boston Marathon?
Earlier this month, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty told the Telegram & Gazette that he would like to see Worcester reach out to the Boston organizers about bringing some events out here. That would bring direct economic benefit to Central Massachusetts, and we encourage such an effort. Yet, one danger to this region in having an Olympic event so highly concentrated in and near Boston is one of infrastructure investment. Already, leaders in Central Massachusetts are wary of Greater Boston consuming the lion's share of the investment and resources for the Games, effectively starving the rest of the state of those resources.
While we support a move to bring part of the Games here, we also agree that appropriate — and long-lasting — infrastructure investments should find their way outside Route 128 as well.
The separate issue of whether Boston should follow through with its bid, with overwhelming evidence about the downside of being an Olympic host, will also be debated in the court of public opinion.
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