In a way, we are already putting things in place to make a run for a summer classic. Would the 2028 be the time OKC is ready for this?

I think Dallas is making a bid for 2024, maybe we can be ready too?

All we need is a Olympic Stadium ( MLS ready ) and we are there.

If Salt Lake can hold the winter olympics, then we are not that far removed from type of global event. With our existing MAPS projects ( I and III ), many of these facilities will be in-place and debt free. Even if we do not get them in 2028, the following MAPS initiatives will bring us even closer to this chance to show the world our town.

I could see OKC possibly supporting the Olympics in 2028.

We would have some amenities for the games (boathouse row, The Peake, The Statefair arena) but would have to build an aquatics center, a biking track and several other 6,000-20,000 people arenas for the other sports, not to mention an 80,000-100,000 arena for the larger athletic games and the opening and closing ceremonies. On top of all that, an olympic village for some 18,000 or so athletes, mass transit for hundreds of thousands of people to come visit and at least 50,000 hotel rooms for media, the committe, employees and sponsors, not to mention the visitors, so you are probably looking 150,000-200,000 hotel rooms. London had an estimate of $4 billion to host the games and raised to $15 billion due to cost over runs. Then, whenever that 2.5 weeks is over, you are left with completely empty stadiums and other arenas that you have to redo for adaptive reuse. OKC has no mass transit and I don't think we will have reliable city-wide mass transit until 2020 or so. Then, you want to increase it to not just move for the 1.3 million people who live here, but the 1.3 million people who are going to visiting over a 2.5 week time frame. I am sorry, but it is not worth it to me. Dallas, I understand because they already have a ton of the pieces already in place and London is one of the most visited cities in the world, so all of that makes sense. The best we can hope for is Dallas to get it and OKC to get some runover with people flying in and a HSR traveling from OKC to Dallas.

I think around 2030 would be when OKC could start thinking about maybe putting in an bid someday eventually. The truth is, you're competing against Tier One international cities, places like Tokyo and Beijing. We'd need to hit "boom town" status soon, and maintain that for 20 or 30 years. We'd need a much larger population, a much stronger corporate presence, a bigger airport, an efficient public transportation system, international recognition, probably need to produce a very influential social figure (an Oklahoman who won the Nobel Peace Prize would be nice), and the willingness to go a few billion dollars into debt.

Get that stuff and then we'll talk Olympics.

In a way, we are already putting things in place to make a run for a summer classic. Would the 2028 be the time OKC is ready for this?

I think Dallas is making a bid for 2024, maybe we can be ready too?

All we need is a Olympic Stadium ( MLS ready ) and we are there.

Mass transit, hotel capacity and population to draw volunteers from are as big of issues as the major stadiums we would need to build (also would need a velodrome, probably larger one for tennis, a swimming/diving facility, generally there are some additional smaller ones).

Warreng good points. I see we could divide up some of the facilities between Universities of OSU-OKC / OCU / OU and have better facilities to compete in and already paid for. The Olympic Stadium could be a future ( existing MLS ) stadium ( say MAPS5 ).

Now the additional cost to London, may have been just to update their plumbing. The mass transit would be here in 20 years.

This could place us in a great position ( even if we don't get it ) with mass-transit / Core-to-Shore / etc.

If Dallas is going to be successful, then they will have to dam up the Trinity and start their rowing / canoe facilities.

I think around 2030 would be when OKC could start thinking about maybe putting in an bid someday eventually. The truth is, you're competing against Tier One international cities, places like Tokyo and Beijing. We'd need to hit "boom town" status soon, and maintain that for 20 or 30 years. We'd need a much larger population, a much stronger corporate presence, a bigger airport, an efficient public transportation system, international recognition, probably need to produce a very influential social figure (an Oklahoman who won the Nobel Peace Prize would be nice), and the willingness to go a few billion dollars into debt.

Get that stuff and then we'll talk Olympics.

true, but like I said about Salt Lake City ( not a megaplex ), but I think we will have the right size in 20 years. We need to continue to update / expand our airport anyways. And in 20 years, regional light rail will be in....should be in. We do have some Big Olympic names here in OKC metro ... Mr. & Mrs. Gold Medals... Bart & Nadia.

I think around 2030 would be when OKC could start thinking about maybe putting in an bid someday eventually. The truth is, you're competing against Tier One international cities, places like Tokyo and Beijing. We'd need to hit "boom town" status soon, and maintain that for 20 or 30 years. We'd need a much larger population, a much stronger corporate presence, a bigger airport, an efficient public transportation system, international recognition, probably need to produce a very influential social figure (an Oklahoman who won the Nobel Peace Prize would be nice), and the willingness to go a few billion dollars into debt.

Get that stuff and then we'll talk Olympics.

I didn't even think of the airport. OKC has 26 gates and and 3.68 million passengers went through in 2012. For comparison, Atlanta airport (the busiest airport in the world) has 200 gates and accommodated 95 million passengers in 2012. DFW has 161 gates and accommodated 58 million passengers. SLC has 79 gates and accommodates 20 million people.

Only way OKC sniffs anything Olympics is if Dallas gets the bid and they have the rowing activities in OKC

We should first focus on getting an NBA All-Star game, which we are a ways off from being able to do from a hotel capacity perspective.

true, but like I said about Salt Lake City ( not a megaplex ), but I think we will have the right size in 20 years. We need to continue to update / expand our airport anyways. And in 20 years, regional light rail will be in....should be in. We do have some Big Olympic names here in OKC metro ... Mr. & Mrs. Gold Medals... Bart & Nadia.

Some caution needs to be had with comparisons to the Olympics in Salt Lake City, the Winter Olympics has fewer venues, athletes and visitors than the Summer Olympics.

Yeah, the Winter Olympics is a whole lot smaller.

If we put our mass tranist in place for a 2028 / 2032 event, then we as a city, would be in great shape our "everyday" use going forward. We would not incur the typical "city wide debt" most cities undertake, by our pay-as-we-go w/ MAPS.

Our airport could use this expansion as a business friendly component to keep up with the demand now.

I will say, if OKC airport ever wanted to do a major expansion, there is plenty of space south of the existing facility to do it. A trolley/subway, moving walkway would have to be built underground to link the terminals but I would thinks wings (no pun intended) could be added to the east side and then add a few coming off the the main terminal to the south. I think OKC would need to land either a major hub or a small, but expanding airline who wants a hub in the middle of the country before something like that would be feasible. I have joked with my wife that we need to get there about 30 minutes before takeoff because it never takes more than 10 minutes to go through security for us.

We should first focus on getting an NBA All-Star game, which we are a ways off from being able to do from a hotel capacity perspective.

Glad to see someone else understands this philosophy.

What does it take to host the NBAASG in the way of close hotel rooms? 6,000? What are we at now? 2,000?

I think OKC would need to land either a major hub or a small, but expanding airline who wants a hub in the middle of the country

Did you see the article Steve RT'd this morning about this topic: Not-so-friendly skies: Tough to be a city left out of the large hubs | Mobile Washington Examiner (http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/not-so-friendly-skies-tough-to-be-a-city-left-out-of-the-large-hubs/article/2540443)?

Glad to see someone else understands this philosophy.

This is not a in lue of, but both. Yes, we need to have a goal to get the NBA All Star Weekend, ...we handled the NBA Finals fine. A higher choice of rooms / selections is on it's way.

The Olympics event will benefit from our previous successes.

Did you see the article Steve RT'd this morning about this topic: Not-so-friendly skies: Tough to be a city left out of the large hubs | Mobile Washington Examiner (http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/not-so-friendly-skies-tough-to-be-a-city-left-out-of-the-large-hubs/article/2540443)?

I saw that. Makes you wonder if OKC lost out on another company because we don't have enough flights. Or if he just found it pertinent to OKC's situation. Hopefully the latter.

Also, what are the "Olymipcs"? Are they anything similar to the "Olympics"? :Smiley122

Did you see the article Steve RT'd this morning about this topic: Not-so-friendly skies: Tough to be a city left out of the large hubs | Mobile Washington Examiner (http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/not-so-friendly-skies-tough-to-be-a-city-left-out-of-the-large-hubs/article/2540443)?

This is another great reason we should place our "fly over" efforts into High Speed Rail. As a majoy hub for HSR, we could manage the high volumes that the Olympics creates.

In a way, we are already putting things in place to make a run for a summer classic. Would the 2028 be the time OKC is ready for this?

I think Dallas is making a bid for 2024, maybe we can be ready too?

All we need is a Olympic Stadium ( MLS ready ) and we are there.

I am not sure the Olympics are a good investment nor would they be a good thing for OKC to go after. Charlotte hinted at trying to go after them a few years ago and I said the same thing about it. Olympic cities, especially for the summer games, are tier 1/global cities. Atlanta was an exception and it can be strongly argued they weren't ready even in 1996 or that the investment was even worth it. The winter games are a different animal because they depend on natural amenities moreso than being in a global city. That is how Salt Lake was able to get them. OKC simply is NOT an Olympic city and will not be in our lifetimes. That doesn't mean this city can't dream big though.

Personally, I think OKC should go after an NFL team sometime in the 2020s. This city isn't ready now but unless there is a major turn of events it WILL be then. That will bring in continual enjoyment, pride, and publicity rather than being a one time event. After that, I think this city could be prime for the super bowl and could get in a pattern of hosting it every several years. In addition to that, I think OKC could handle one of the political conventions and would be an obtainable goal even in the near future.

Here's a nice article about what it took Houston to get the All Star game:

How Houston Became the Host City for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game - Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2013/02/17/how-houston-became-the-host-city-for-the-2013-nba-all-star-game/)

Here's where the dealbreaker is for OKC:
"city has to have a state-of-the-art arena, a convention center that has at least 500,000 square feet and 6,000 hotel rooms in four to five star hotels"

We have a very, very, very long way to go with regard to the hotel rooms.

Following up on the "commemorative events" aspect, I think our best bet might be to shoot for the 2030 timeframe when we might be commemorating the opening of a new arena.

Actually, it would be really interesting for someone to create a graph showing the different types of possible events that could be hosted here and their respective needs.

Sort those then in ascending order and we'd have a really cool target list for both infrastructure and private development. If bigger and bigger events is our goal.

Exactly. Our paths as a City, and the needs / demands of an Olympic event are very similar. I would like to see that spreadsheet too.

Our 20 years with MAPS success, with another 20 years of success, we would be getting pretty close to a city ready for that Bid to the Olympic committee.

I think we've had one to many F5's to be remotely considered.

I think we've had one to many F5's to be remotely considered.

...we could add that event to the list.... Tornado Chasing.

...we could add that event to the list.... Tornado Chasing.

They are scheduled a couple months too late in the year for that.

We could have some of the events in Norman (via our new High Speed Rail ) at OU...the new Loyd Noble Center for Gymnastics & a new Aquatics facility.

We could have some of the events in Edmond ( via our new High Speed Rail ) at UCO ..the new Tennis facility & table tennis events.

We could have some of the events in West OKC ( OSU OKC ) / MWC ( Rose State ) with new facilities...via our new High Speed Rail commuter lines.

...the facilities could be absorbed into the existing univ. with the others in downtown area facilities ( and fairgrounds ). ....this way, they are not a one time use facility w/ an olympic name on them.

Fairgrounds - Equestrian. ....Golf - ...take your pick CC.

The only way I could POSSIBLY see this happening is if Dallas was to get the games and then OKC could have some events, most likely water events. By that time, there should be high speed rail to efficiently transport people from Dallas to OKC for those events.

OKC isn't hosting the Olympics in our lifetimes and neither is any other American city that isn't an alpha world city. New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc are Olympic cities. Sorry to be negative and everything but its reality.


If Salt Lake can hold the winter olympics, then we are not that far removed from type of global event. With our existing MAPS projects ( I and III ), many of these facilities will be in-place and debt free. Even if we do not get them in 2028, the following MAPS initiatives will bring us even closer to this chance to show the world our town.

The Winter games are a different animal. If OKC had world-renowned snow-capped mountains, I would say it could be a candidate.

A source for some of the stats warren used:
London Olympics by the numbers - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/world/olympics-numbers/)

This would be a monumental undertaking (don't get me wrong, I'd like to see this someday, but 2028?). Let's see if we can ever finish Project 180 and our highway interchanges and then sit down and talk about the Olympics.

Hell no. The idea is straight up stupid and makes us sound as dumb as tulsans who pushed for a bid. Plus, our city has way too many problems that need to be fixed before we dump money into something like this.

The only way I could POSSIBLY see this happening is if Dallas was to get the games and then OKC could have some events, most likely water events. By that time, there should be high speed rail to efficiently transport people from Dallas to OKC for those events.

OKC isn't hosting the Olympics in our lifetimes and neither is any other American city that isn't an alpha world city. New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc are Olympic cities. Sorry to be negative and everything but its reality.


You're 100% correct. Several have mentioned other U.S. cities, but they're forgetting about all the far more ready-for-olympics cities in Europe, Asia, etc. The USOC is looking at several U.S. cities and will narrow it down to one and they hope to make a bid for that city for the 2024 Summer Games. To think Oklahoma City has an Olympic future in our lifetimes is fantasy.

Just a little reading on the Internet shows that Toronto and Rio have great cases for 2024 - as does Paris - it would be the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Even in the Olympics, the U.S. is in decline as far as our spotlight on the world stage. The east is rising and they have several candidate cities.

I thought Tulsa was getting the Olympics :)

No

So let me ask, why would OKC even want the Olympics? I know there was a time when the Olympics brought fame and fortune, but those days are gone. Now all it brings is insurmountable debt to the host city while at the same time driving away normal tourist traffic (see London).

So let me ask, why would OKC even want the Olympics? I know there was a time when the Olympics brought fame and fortune, but those days are gone. Now all it brings is insurmountable debt to the host city while at the same time driving away normal tourist traffic (see London).

I agree. The Olympics are a monumental investment and the benefits are not worth the costs for a city that doesn't have anywhere near the needed infrastructure in place. Many in Atlanta will tell you that, and in 1996 they were still 20 years ahead of where OKC is today. There are many areas where improvements are needed to improve the quality of life for residents in OKC and attract new residents and corporate relocations. There are other sporting events within reach for a city like OKC.

You're 100% correct. Several have mentioned other U.S. cities, but they're forgetting about all the far more ready-for-olympics cities in Europe, Asia, etc. The USOC is looking at several U.S. cities and will narrow it down to one and they hope to make a bid for that city for the 2024 Summer Games. To think Oklahoma City has an Olympic future in our lifetimes is fantasy.

Just a little reading on the Internet shows that Toronto and Rio have great cases for 2024 - as does Paris - it would be the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Even in the Olympics, the U.S. is in decline as far as our spotlight on the world stage. The east is rising and they have several candidate cities.

How many MAPS initiatives would be needed to BE that city that is "on the world stage"? I'm not saying we are ready today ( or even for the next few Olympic events), but when would be "our" time?

1. We are in a better fiscal position to take-on this event in the future, we are on a "pay as you go" (no debt) for these types of facilities. Our close proximity for universities to hold events is a big plus ( this means we can build a facility and have a re-use already in-place. )
2. We are on the same path for our infrastructure now. The mass transit is moving ahead.

So, when? ...I'm not saying today, but maybe we can put ourselves On Course to host an Olympic Event ... 2040 / 2044. This would be a 50th Aniv. for MAPS ?

How many MAPS initiatives would be needed to BE that city that is "on the world stage"? I'm not saying we are ready today ( or even for the next few Olympic events), but when would be "our" time?

1. We are in a better fiscal position to take-on this event in the future, we are on a "pay as you go" (no debt) for these types of facilities. Our close proximity for universities to hold events is a big plus ( this means we can build a facility and have a re-use already in-place. )
2. We are on the same path for our infrastructure now. The mass transit is moving ahead.

So, when? ...I'm not saying today, but maybe we can put ourselves On Course to host an Olympic Event ... 2040 / 2044. This would be a 50th Aniv. for MAPS ?

I'm 34 and probably not in my lifetime. I think most on here can agree with that.

I agree. The Olympics are a monumental investment and the benefits are not worth the costs for a city that doesn't have anywhere near the needed infrastructure in place. Many in Atlanta will tell you that, and in 1996 they were still 20 years ahead of where OKC is today. There are many areas where improvements are needed to improve the quality of life for residents in OKC and attract new residents and corporate relocations. There are other sporting events within reach for a city like OKC.

Atlanta has had a real problem with their Olympic infrastructure AFTER the Olympics. All those venues have to be maintain forever, or torn down decades before their lifespan is over. The remaining shell (Turner Field) of their form Olympic Stadium is about to be torn down in 2 years. Only 25 years after it was built.

Hell no. The idea is straight up stupid and makes us sound as dumb as tulsans who pushed for a bid. Plus, our city has way too many problems that need to be fixed before we dump money into something like this.

Hey, these excuses are the exact ones used in 92'. "Why would anyone spend 24 Mil dollars on a baseball stadium in downtown, we don't even support the 89ers now. THat's so dumb. We have roads that need fix'n. We have pot holes on my road so bad, I kaint' get to my house". "why would we want to spend 70 Mil on a stadium in downtown, we don't have NHL / NBA / only this minor league hockey team". "Hey we need new fire trucks now".

This sounds very familar. Mr. Norick had the vision then when so many did not. I think we ALL should be glad he did not listen to them and pushed it to a vote of the people.

Hey, these excuses are the exact ones used in 92'. "Why would anyone spend 24 Mil dollars on a baseball stadium in downtown, we don't even support the 89ers now. THat's so dumb. We have roads that need fix'n. We have pot holes on my road so bad, I kaint' get to my house". "why would we want to spend 70 Mil on a stadium in downtown, we don't have NHL / NBA / only this minor league hockey team". "Hey we need new fire trucks now".

This sounds very familar. Mr. Norick had the vision then when so many did not. I think we ALL should be glad he did not listen to them and pushed it to a vote of the people.

No, if they said lets pass this MAPS project to "attract the Olympics" it would have failed by large margins.

Hey, these excuses are the exact ones used in 92'. "Why would anyone spend 24 Mil dollars on a baseball stadium in downtown, we don't even support the 89ers now. THat's so dumb. We have roads that need fix'n. We have pot holes on my road so bad, I kaint' get to my house". "why would we want to spend 70 Mil on a stadium in downtown, we don't have NHL / NBA / only this minor league hockey team". "Hey we need new fire trucks now".

This sounds very familar. Mr. Norick had the vision then when so many did not. I think we ALL should be glad he did not listen to them and pushed it to a vote of the people.

You are talking about two completely different ways of thinking though. One (Mr. Norrick's): Let's do something that rebuilds our city and makes it a place people want to live. If we get a major league sports tennant, great!. Two (You): Let's spend more than $20 billion over 20 years to lure one of the least profitable events (but most watched) in the world to a city that has a population a quarter of any other city in recent history that has hosted. Yes, we could build a $100 million water sports arena at OU, a new large tennis court at OCU, a 10,000 person arena at UCO and an 80,000 person arena downtown somewhere, but that is not something anyone here in the city wants to take on. Oh and then we need to convince hotels to build enormous structures decades before the games with no possibility that they will be anywhere near full before or after the games. Yeah, good luck with that.

Atlanta has had a real problem with their Olympic infrastructure AFTER the Olympics. All those venues have to be maintain forever, or torn down decades before their lifespan is over. The remaining shell (Turner Field) of their form Olympic Stadium is about to be torn down in 2 years. Only 25 years after it was built.

Atlanta did it much better than many cities, they spread them out and placed in areas where (at least in most cases) existing organizations could use the stadium going forward (even when that meant having it outside of Atlanta) and handled the operations and minor maintenance going forward, many other cities they would hope that they could keep using them in the future but had built them in areas where there was not coaching, athletes, financial backers or concentration of fans for the sport; then the facilities go unused till they start to rot and collapse. It does not help that it is rare for countries to be huge fans of every game they need a stadium for. Athens is a poster child of this Abandoned Venues From The 2004 Athens Olympics (http://www.businessinsider.com/2004-athens-olympics-venues-abandoned-today-photos-2012-8#)

The world knows we are here thanks to the Thunder, lets focus $20 billion elsewhere and not on this silly pipe dream.

Atlanta has had a real problem with their Olympic infrastructure AFTER the Olympics. All those venues have to be maintain forever, or torn down decades before their lifespan is over. The remaining shell (Turner Field) of their form Olympic Stadium is about to be torn down in 2 years. Only 25 years after it was built.

True, and I think Atlanta was pushed ahead by Turner himself. They did have to put the city "in debt" to make this happen in "too short a window".

I think OKC has many things in our favor for this type of event. As a young city, we don't have the tremendous cost of moving over 200 years of buildings like NYC / Chicago / Boston. We have more flexibility to place these structures in a more value friendly cost when looking at current infrastructure. We do have some built-in advantages that other cities may not.

A key to our success, are the proximity of our universities with large facilities. They will need additional facilities in the next 20 / 30 years, so why not "blend" this effort ? High Speed Rail to Edmond & Norman, MWC & Yukon ??? ...this is a tool we need in-place as well.

I'm just saying we could have more advantages than we realize and a great GOAL to aspire to. We OKIE's seem to exceed our expectations.

It's not just Atlanta with the debt left over after the game. Montreal hosted the games in 1976 and they just paid off the last debt 6 years ago. Athens will probably never pay off their debt. Rio is shaping up to be a total disaster on every level.

True, and I think Atlanta was pushed ahead by Turner himself. They did have to put the city "in debt" to make this happen in "too short a window".

I think OKC has many things in our favor for this type of event. As a young city, we don't have the tremendous cost of moving over 200 years of buildings like NYC / Chicago / Boston. We have more flexibility to place these structures in a more value friendly cost when looking at current infrastructure. We do have some built-in advantages that other cities may not.

A key to our success, are the proximity of our universities with large facilities. They will need additional facilities in the next 20 / 30 years, so why not "blend" this effort ? High Speed Rail to Edmond & Norman, MWC & Yukon ??? ...this is a tool we need in-place as well.

I'm just saying we could have more advantages than we realize and a great GOAL to aspire to. We OKIE's seem to exceed our expectations.

But, as a young city, we also don't have the infrastruture necessary to move 1.5 million people around city, even if it does take place all over.

But, as a young city, we also don't have the infrastruture necessary to move 1.5 million people around city, even if it does take place all over.

Everyone will have to rent a car.

How many MAPS initiatives would be needed to BE that city that is "on the world stage"? I'm not saying we are ready today ( or even for the next few Olympic events), but when would be "our" time?

1. We are in a better fiscal position to take-on this event in the future, we are on a "pay as you go" (no debt) for these types of facilities. Our close proximity for universities to hold events is a big plus ( this means we can build a facility and have a re-use already in-place. )
2. We are on the same path for our infrastructure now. The mass transit is moving ahead.

So, when? ...I'm not saying today, but maybe we can put ourselves On Course to host an Olympic Event ... 2040 / 2044. This would be a 50th Aniv. for MAPS ?

No MAPS initiative, no matter how ambitious, and propel OKC to being a world class city that can compete with London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, etc. This city is now just barely a nationally relevant city with the arrival of the Thunder and is still near the bottom of that tier. This city can become a very well-respected national city ala New Orleans, Denver, Austin, etc and still be far removed from an Olympic-class city.

For one, when is OKC going to get a hub airport with not only a direct flight to most major American cities but global ones as well? What is going to create the demand for those flights?

We could have some of the events in Norman (via our new High Speed Rail ) at OU...the new Loyd Noble Center for Gymnastics & a new Aquatics facility.

We could have some of the events in Edmond ( via our new High Speed Rail ) at UCO ..the new Tennis facility & table tennis events.

We could have some of the events in West OKC ( OSU OKC ) / MWC ( Rose State ) with new facilities...via our new High Speed Rail commuter lines.

...the facilities could be absorbed into the existing univ. with the others in downtown area facilities ( and fairgrounds ). ....this way, they are not a one time use facility w/ an olympic name on them.

You are seriously suggesting that we host major events for the Summer Olympic Games at a junior college. Wow.

You are talking about two completely different ways of thinking though. One (Mr. Norrick's): Let's do something that rebuilds our city and makes it a place people want to live. If we get a major league sports tennant, great!. Two (You): Let's spend more than $20 billion over 20 years to lure one of the least profitable events (but most watched) in the world to a city that has a population a quarter of any other city in recent history that has hosted. Yes, we could build a $100 million water sports arena at OU, a new large tennis court at OCU, a 10,000 person arena at UCO and an 80,000 person arena downtown somewhere, but that is not something anyone here in the city wants to take on. Oh and then we need to convince hotels to build enormous structures decades before the games with no possibility that they will be anywhere near full before or after the games. Yeah, good luck with that.

Warreng, I think we are running "parallel" with the needs of this event now. We need mass transit, we are getting it. We need new infratstructure, we are making it happen. We are calling them "qualilty of life" projects and they certainly are. We will benefit (at home) with them in an everday use. Central Park / Riversports / Convention Center / Sidewalks / Project180. Hotels are trying to open their doors ASAP, and the new 21cMuseum Hotel is an "example or barometer" of where we are with that type of investment group. Convention Center Hotel ( Hyatt type ). ...we are on that track now.

When the Central Park opens, it will be something we will use immediately...and in the future for other large events. We are putting things in-place now, to host large events....NBA / Future MLS / NFL ???, ...that is the path now..... it may just bump into the Olympics in 2044 ???

Hey, these excuses are the exact ones used in 92'. "Why would anyone spend 24 Mil dollars on a baseball stadium in downtown, we don't even support the 89ers now. THat's so dumb. We have roads that need fix'n. We have pot holes on my road so bad, I kaint' get to my house". "why would we want to spend 70 Mil on a stadium in downtown, we don't have NHL / NBA / only this minor league hockey team". "Hey we need new fire trucks now".

This sounds very familar. Mr. Norick had the vision then when so many did not. I think we ALL should be glad he did not listen to them and pushed it to a vote of the people.

A baseball stadium, an NBA arena, or even an NFL stadium are very different than the Olympics. The NFL is the next big, realistic goal for OKC in my opinion. That should be where we aim for MAPS4 or whatever. That as well as better public transit, sidewalks, parks, beautification, etc. The amount of money that it would take to attract the Olympics could be spent to make OKC a very desirable place to live, do business, and vacation even by the standards of other cities, and not just because its cheap.

You are seriously suggesting that we host major events for the Summer Olympic Games at a junior college. Wow.

The smaller events ... archery / badmitton / etc. And yes, when we have in-place our new HSR, the new rail is planned right in front of Rose State. This makes my point, it helps them get a couple of facilities they can benefit from. Hey, have you looked at it lately, it has come along way in the past 5-10 years.

Warreng, I think we are running "parallel" with the needs of this event now. We need mass transit, we are getting it. We need new infratstructure, we are making it happen. We are calling them "qualilty of life" projects and they certainly are. We will benefit (at home) with them in an everday use. Central Park / Riversports / Convention Center / Sidewalks / Project180. Hotels are trying to open their doors ASAP, and the new 21cMuseum Hotel is an "example or barometer" of where we are with that type of investment group. Convention Center Hotel ( Hyatt type ). ...we are on that track now.

When the Central Park opens, it will be something we will use immediately...and in the future for other large events. We are putting things in-place now, to host large events....NBA / Future MLS / NFL ???, ...that is the path now..... it may just bump into the Olympics in 2044 ???

But again, Maps3 is $777 million over seven years. About $111 million every year. What YOU are talking about would come out to $1 billion/year in bonds and sales tax revenue. That is why most cities go into debt with the Olympics. Because even most big cities aren't willing to do it a little at a time. The only think London really had to do was build several facilities, the athletic village and extend the Underground. We would have to do all of that as brand new construction. The push for the games and making a bid would start a solid 10 years before the actual games. So, we would have to have most of these things in tact in the next 20 years or less just to have a chance to host the games. Then, we might not get it at all. Again, I applaud you for looking forward and wanting to make out city world class and known to everyone, but go ahead and quote me on this: The Olympics in OKC will not happen in my lifetime.

A baseball stadium, an NBA arena, or even an NFL stadium are very different than the Olympics. The NFL is the next big, realistic goal for OKC in my opinion. That should be where we aim for MAPS4 or whatever. That as well as better public transit, sidewalks, parks, beautification, etc. The amount of money that it would take to attract the Olympics could be spent to make OKC a very desirable place to live, do business, and vacation even by the standards of other cities, and not just because its cheap.

bchris, MAPS 4 , 5 , and 6 should all be with the intent of quality of life, business friendly, and a vacation destination for others. At that point, if we look up and see that all of those are already putting OKC in a position to host that event, then great. If not, then we have our city were we want it to be anyway.

The earliest we could host the Summer Olympics (barring some sort of huge disaster, such as global warming flooding all coastal cities, etc) would probably be around 2060. I'm revising my earlier estimate.

Would it be cool to have the Olympics in OKC? Sure. But we'd need 50 years of incredibly rapid growth to achieve that. Right now we'd be like a teenager who works at McDonalds planning how he's going to run for President when he turns 35. It's nice to have plans, but how about you get rich first, kid.

We're currently on what I would consider our first stage of urban reconstruction. We have a downtown area that's still filled with huge empty lots. We're covered with surface parking. Property values here are low enough that Stage Center, next to our beautiful downtown park, sold for like $3M dollars. That's very very low for prime downtown real estate. Here in 25 years, if our growth continues the way it is now, we'll have filled up most of the area from the river up to 23rd, and from the Capitol down to the Farmer's Market building. Maybe all the way down into Capitol Hill and over to Stockyard City. That would be phenomenal growth and a wonderful redevelopment of our city's core. It will also be a lot of the 4 story wood construction that we're seeing right now in Deep Deuce and Bricktown. Only once these areas are almost fully filled in will property values rise high enough to begin a second stage of urban development, where they'll tear down say, the Deep Deuce Apartments and replace them with 20 story residential towers. Maybe after another 20 years of that type of construction will have this city ready to take on the Olympics.

That's all presuming we keep growing at a rapid rate. Get OKC itself (not just the metro area) to about 1.8 million people, with a metro of about 3 million. Make us a major hub for some kind of transportation system (airline or high speed rail). Have a major, internationally recognized social figure come out of the city, a Nelson Mandela type person (someone with that level of recognition and general public goodwill). Establish a 20 billion dollar museum that is on par with the greatest museums in the world. Build a major architectural symbol that makes our skyline instantly recognizable around the world, something like the Space Needle or the St Louis Arch.

Then, and only then, will OKC be ready to seriously compete for an Olympic bid. That, or wait until nobody cares about the Olympics anymore.

bchris, MAPS 4 , 5 , and 6 should all be with the intent of quality of life, business friendly, and a vacation destination for others. At that point, if we look up and see that all of those are already putting OKC in a position to host that event, then great. If not, then we have our city were we want it to be anyway.

One thing necessary for the Olympics that no MAPS initiative could bring is global prestige. OKC could become the nation's next big boomtown story and compare with Denver, Austin, or Charlotte in 20 years but would still not be cosmopolitan enough to compete for the Olympics.

The earliest we could host the Summer Olympics (barring some sort of huge disaster, such as global warming flooding all coastal cities, etc) would probably be around 2060. I'm revising my earlier estimate.

Would it be cool to have the Olympics in OKC? Sure. But we'd need 50 years of incredibly rapid growth to achieve that. Right now we'd be like a teenager who works at McDonalds planning how he's going to run for President when he turns 35. It's nice to have plans, but how about you get rich first, kid.

We're currently on what I would consider our first stage of urban reconstruction. We have a downtown area that's still filled with huge empty lots. We're covered with surface parking. Property values here are low enough that Stage Center, next to our beautiful downtown park, sold for like $3M dollars. That's very very low for prime downtown real estate. Here in 25 years, if our growth continues the way it is now, we'll have filled up most of the area from the river up to 23rd, and from the Capitol down to the Farmer's Market building. Maybe all the way down into Capitol Hill and over to Stockyard City. That would be phenomenal growth and a wonderful redevelopment of our city's core. It will also be a lot of the 4 story wood construction that we're seeing right now in Deep Deuce and Bricktown. Only once these areas are almost fully filled in will property values rise high enough to begin a second stage of urban development, where they'll tear down say, the Deep Deuce Apartments and replace them with 20 story residential towers. Maybe after another 20 years of that type of construction will have this city ready to take on the Olympics.

That's all presuming we keep growing at a rapid rate. Get OKC itself (not just the metro area) to about 1.8 million people, with a metro of about 3 million. Make us a major hub for some kind of transportation system (airline or high speed rail). Have a major, internationally recognized social figure come out of the city, a Nelson Mandela type person (someone with that level of recognition and general public goodwill). Establish a 20 billion dollar museum that is on par with the greatest museums in the world. Build a major architectural symbol that makes our skyline instantly recognizable around the world, something like the Space Needle or the St Louis Arch.

Then, and only then, will OKC be ready to seriously compete for an Olympic bid. That, or wait until nobody cares about the Olympics anymore.

Exactly.