2028 Olympics in OKC

[chssooner]

So it would only be one event (canoe slalom) coming here? So maybe 3 or 4 days total? If that is the case, I'd hate for OKC to spend a ton in infrastructure for it. And I doubt developers will be rushing to build a bunch of hotels for a week total (most likely). Hopefully I misread that, and it is more than just 1 singular event.

I'm not saying the impact would be minimal, by any stretch, but for 1 event for 1 week, in an event that isn't a highly televised competition, the need to overspend isn't there (but that is likely why LA isn't wanting to build a venue for it).[hr][/hr]

[Pete]

So it would only be one event (canoe slalom) coming here? So maybe 3 or 4 days total? If that is the case, I'd hate for OKC to spend a ton in infrastructure for it. And I doubt developers will be rushing to build a bunch of hotels for a week total (most likely). Hopefully I misread that, and it is more than just 1 singular event.

I'm not saying the impact would be minimal, by any stretch, but for 1 event for 1 week, in an event that isn't a highly televised competition, the need to overspend isn't there (but that is likely why LA isn't wanting to build a venue for it).[hr][/hr]

6 events with multiple heats over a 9-10 day period; that's just for canoe slalom.

Other events, such as rowing, are still a possibility.

[chssooner]

6 events with multiple heats over a 9-10 day period; that's just for canoe slalom.

Other events, such as rowing, are still a possibility.

Ok. I was mistaken. I appreciate the clarification.

[Laramie]

The exposure OKC will receive hosting 2028 Olympics on the Riversport Rapids Whitewater Center ICF Canoe Slalom events, imagine the views from surrounding developments, Finish Finish Line, OKANA, FAM museum, new NBA arena and skyline will be on par with OK 89 Olympic Festival and any previous water sports events.

[jdross1982]

Don't look now but there will be a post that says this isn't that big of a deal and if it wasn't coming people would just spend their money elsewhere.

[jdross1982]

The exposure OKC will receive hosting 2028 Olympics on the Riversport Rapids Whitewater Center ICF Canoe Slalom events, imagine the views from surrounding developments, Finish Finish Line, OKANA, FAM museum, new NBA arena and skyline will be on par with OK 89 Olympic Festival and any previous water sports events.

As big as the 89 Olympic Festival was, this will be so much bigger and grander.

[amocore]

The whitewater facility being the most expensive part of equipment, I am not sure what major investment OKC will need to come up with.
It is at a prime location, very close to downtown.

Whatever we get, it is already awesome to be part, even small, of the Olympics.

[warreng88]

Don't look now but there will be a post that says this isn't that big of a deal and if it wasn't coming people would just spend their money elsewhere.

[PoliSciGuy]

Don't look now but there will be a post that says this isn't that big of a deal and if it wasn't coming people would just spend their money elsewhere.

Nah, this is a genuine big deal and international draw that will bring in thousands of people who would otherwise never dream of setting foot in this city. No need to try to build strawmen here or make bad comparisons.

[Jersey Boss]

Anybody know anyting about this event? USA team? Traditional powers? How many in a canoe? Men and women events? Etc.

[Laramie]

Anybody know anyting about this event? USA team? Traditional powers? How many in a canoe? Men and women events? Etc.

You are asking all the right questions.

[jdross1982]

Nah, this is a genuine big deal and international draw that will bring in thousands of people who would otherwise never dream of setting foot in this city. No need to try to build strawmen here or make bad comparisons.

Yet you continue to grasp at strawmen saying people who travel to OKC for Thunder games, Concerts, Events etc. (a decent amount of fans come from outside OKC metro for each game and concerts attract people from everywhere even if a majority is from OKC metro) would still spend their money in OKC regardless if the Thunder were here or not and if those concerts came or not.

[jdross1982]

Anybody know anyting about this event? USA team? Traditional powers? How many in a canoe? Men and women events? Etc.

https://americancanoe.org/competitio...lympic/slalom/

[PoliSciGuy]

Yet you continue to grasp at strawmen saying people who travel to OKC for Thunder games, Concerts, Events etc. (a decent amount of fans come from outside OKC metro for each game and concerts attract people from everywhere even if a majority is from OKC metro) would still spend their money in OKC regardless if the Thunder were here or not and if those concerts came or not.

I don’t think you understand what a strawman fallacy is. How many people travel here just for Thunder games? Meanwhile the number of people who travel here for the Olympics will be pretty easy to quantify, and it’s going to be in *at least* the tens of thousands. That’s immediate, quantifiable impact, all using facilities that we already have. That’s a deal I’d make six days a week and twice on Sunday, and is profoundly different than the Thunder situation. Let’s not bog down this thread of great news with irrelevant side conversations or passive aggressive jabs.

Edit: \/\/\/ where are you seeing that Omni data?

[Mountaingoat]

If the Omni Hotel is any indication, quite a few travel to see Thunder games.

[Bellaboo]

If the Omni Hotel is any indication, quite a few travel to see Thunder games.

I had club level tickets for 10 years. I sold a bunch to people from Kansas City, Wichita and Tulsa. But it's when someone wanted to see LeBron or Kobe, or just the Lakers or their favorite team.

At times I'd get 2 if not 3 times my price. I sold to a radio station in Tulsa who were having giveaways.

[OkieBerto]

When I worked at the Colcord the Devon tower was being built, the Thunder was in the Playoffs, and the Boat Houses were already holding lots of events. People traveled here from all over for so many different reasons. We still had a healthy amount of Conventions year-round at the old convention center. We had tons of Route 66 travelers and definitely people here for the boat houses. However, most were here for the Thunder games. They would come in from all surrounding states and depending on the team we were competing against, we even had many celebrities. Most of them enjoyed their time in the city. Expressing love for the food, the park, and the Bricktown canal.

We have had travelers here for a long time and they have been back.

[dankrutka]

How many people travel here just for Thunder games?

I still split season tickets with a group even though I haven't lived in OKC/Oklahoma since 2011. I probably make an extra 5 visits to OKC a year that wouldn't happen if not for Thunder games. So, just for me, that adds up to over 50 OKC visits over the last decade where I was spending money at local restaurants, shops, breweries, etc.

Based on your statement, I suspect you're dramatically underestimating how many people come to OKC for Thunder games.

[PoliSciGuy]

I still split season tickets with a group even though I haven't lived in OKC/Oklahoma since 2011. I probably make an extra 5 visits to OKC a year that wouldn't happen if not for Thunder games. So, just for me, that adds up to over 50 OKC visits over the last decade where I was spending money at local restaurants, shops, breweries, etc.

Based on your statement, I suspect you're dramatically underestimating how many people come to OKC for Thunder games.

Oh I fully concede that I possibly am. I'd love to see the numbers on how many people there are, other than occasional anecdotes.

[unfundedrick]

Oh I fully concede that I possibly am. I'd love to see the numbers on how many people there are, other than occasional anecdotes.

Of course you are asking for something that is impossible. People are not questioned when going to a Thunder game about where they are from and what they are spending. People are not asked when they check into a hotel or go to restaurant about why they are there. It has to be mostly speculation so you will never get a true answer about that.

[Mountaingoat]

I wonder how many came from out of town for those Garth Brooks concerts?

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Or two nights of Luke Combs that sold out every parking garage in the central business district. I can’t tell you how many people I spoke with on the street who were from somewhere other than OKC.

[Urbanized]

The visitor economy is all but invisible for most locals, who are blissfully ignorant to the positive impact it has on our city, and how pronounced it has become in the past 15 years. There are a number of reasons the City’s sales tax revenue has doubled over the past few years, and it can’t be neatly accounted for with population increases or inflation. Oh, and even if it could be accounted for by population increases, those are defensibly due to quality of life investments, which have been largely driven by MAPS.

[Pete]

^

And when we are talking about spending locally by visitors, we're not just talking about people flying in. There are a huge number of people that drive in from outlying areas and drop a bunch of money in OKC.

[Urbanized]

My best friend from childhood and his wife travel all over for concerts, and they come to OKC from Wichita probably half a dozen times each year, and have for close to twenty years. What first brought them here was a Van Halen show at what is now Paycom. They tend to gravitate to smaller venues, and the explosion of quality local places in OKC has certainly increased their OKC travel frequency. But our arena is what brought them here to begin with, and they still make a number of shows there (and BOK too).

I also have Tulsa friends who routinely come to OKC for shows AND for Thunder games.