Well the world missed out on H-town and that is thier loss!! They will know soon enough how nice OUR city is
I'm sorry fellas and I know I'll get flamed for this. I really haven't been paying too much attention to the Olympics bid because I couldn't imagine there was any way we'd get it. I love Houston. Don't get me wrong. I live here by choice. But our weather SUCKS (Atlanta having had an Olympics is argument against, not for, Houston. Why would they do it twice -- in even worse humidity?) and we have ZERO public transit. Thank your friendly neighborhood rail opponents over the years. Never mind the fact that we will never compete with NYC or SF for ANY tourist event. I mean, come on... Civic pride aside... New York didn't win because of 9/11 and they didn't win because they had better facilities and they didn't win because they had a better plan. They beat us out because they're ******* New York City. Same for San Francisco. We've got a lot of work to do as a city before we can cry foul that one of those two cities beat us out of an Olympics bid. Love Houston. Go for it. I do too. But don't be daft. SF and NYC are better places to visit and better places to hold high profile events. No Olympics team plan will change that. We need to make this city a better place to live and to visit first.
I wonder if the tarnished image of Enron had anything to do with Houston losing out. In a game like this, image is everything, and right now, H-Town ain't looking so hot to the rest of the world (unless you're talking about weather). Houston had a good plan, and the committee to bring the Olympics here was damn good (as Jeff pointed out). However, it just wasn't enough to overcome the "Big Boys," regardless of how airtight and solid our plan was (and how s***ty theirs was). I fear that the world sees Houston as just a scandal-plagued hicktown. However erroneous that stereotype is, I think Batman Jones is right: we must change our image if we want to be recognized on a world scale. Or... we could just resort to bribes and "gifts" to bring the Olympics to Houston...
Ditto. BS politicians making sure we have no decent public transportation, just a mass of cars blobbed together on the freeway, compounding the 95 degree heat and 90 per cent humidity with some nice smog. Beautiful parks? Civic pride? Who cares? Everyone comes to Houston to make money. If they have enough money, they live in the wooded suburbs. I knew NY would be one of the choices. F***ing politics. And I'm not surprised about SF. Beautiful city. Basically, Houston is viewed as Bayou City. Bayou City ain't getting no Olympics. Too bad, though. We deserved the chance.
i agree, you guys should have made the cut without the sympathetic NY vote...but right now i'm just excited that Vancouver is on the short list for the 2010 winter olympics! http://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.asp?id={80A81B71-4D0F-4C1A-85FC-ACDFA441BB52}
How do you change your image??? Houston is a great place to live...cost of living is low...good jobs...diverse population...plenty of culture to be had....so how do we communicate that? It is not a vacation destination...getting an event like the Olympics is a way to change that image because people have a reason to be here other than business. But if you can't draw the Olympics because you're not a tourist attraction (again, atlanta???) then how do you ever overcome that? If the Olympics is merely to be held in cities which are vacation destinations, they should have eliminated us earlier and let us know that.
Speaking of image, here's a kind of funny Houston Press column about a Houston Olympics (obviously written before word came down about Houston being eliminated): http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2002-08-29/news.html/1/index.html Olympic Moments A marathon through the downtown tunnel, a rowing venue in a flooded Katy Freeway, the javelina throw -- how splendid, how Houston! BY GEORGE FLYNN (A television screen flashes with an aerial shot of Houston, followed by a zoom-in to a stadium broadcast booth.) Bill Smith: Welcome, sports fans from around the world. We've finally come to the closing ceremonies of these splendid 2012 Olympic Games. And this competition will certainly rank among the most exciting ever, thanks largely to our host city of Houston. Let's go down to the arena floor to Jim McKay and Bob Costas, for their take on this terrific spectacle. Jim: Bob, who would have ever believed back in 2002 that the Bayou City would even be selected? I still remember the bad raps on this feisty challenger: the heat, traffic, floods and that always elusive monkey on their backs -- that the area lacks an international landmark, world status… Bob: Absolutely. And just look at how that IOC selection has turned the tables so dramatically in the years since then. Seems like every city in the running has resorted to emulating Houston in wooing the Olympics. Who'd have dreamed there'd ever be billboards on the Eiffel Tower? And a Champs-Elysées Elevated! Jim: Yes, Paris may be copying Houston in trying to snare the 2020 Games. But don't doff your beret to Paree yet. I just saw where Rome's adding a dome and skyboxes to the Coliseum. Sure knocked the wind out of the sails of our own San Francisco -- now they're having to morph Fisherman's Wharf into Houston's own Bayport! Bob: Heh-heh. And how about those Russians? The Muscovites creating the Kremlin Mills Mall? You can still see Lenin's tomb in the special chilled mausoleum area of the Marble Slab ice cream shop. Jim: No doubt they've all learned from these Houston games that Mother Nature creates her own obstacles. It has been nothing short of amazing how this city has managed to make the floods a factor in its favor. Bob: Yes, civic leaders really sweated over paying for 27 enclosed arenas. But with residents getting flooded out a few times each summer, that added up to a lot of folks needing lodging and transportation. And with the 135 percent stadium tax on hotel rooms and rental cars, it helps the cause even if it kinda "Hertz" the locals. But, hey, high water really generates a heck of a, um, revenue "stream." Jim: And that was just leading up to these games. The three tropical storms during the competition really tested the city's ingenuity. Who'd ever have thought that the Katy Freeway would become the rowing venue? Sad that the Bulgarians took only the silver because they stopped to rescue two motorists. But downtown's flooded Hyatt Regency atrium was a classy venue for the high diving. That's the only time those athletes will get elevator rides up to the tenth-floor springboard. Bob: How about that noble effort for the distance runners -- when they started dropping from the heat, Houston routed the marathon through the downtown tunnel system. Nobody's gonna forget Kenya's brilliant Kuwahathoma Kuma making his move up the down escalator of the Chase Tower, to claim the gold for his-- Jim: To interrupt, we've got breaking news. All we can confirm for now is that a large number of law enforcement officers have blocked off traffic from both directions of Westheimer beyond Loop 610. Bob: Terrorist situation, no doubt? Jim: Nope. Word's just in that former mayor Lee Brown is back out in his car, searching for pirate signs. The police are only trying to protect the motoring public. Bob: As for terrorism, let's go to Tom Brokaw, who's standing by in the newsroom to update us on that unfortunate hostage incident. Tom? Tom: Yes, Bob. As you know, a man had seized a female spectator, later identified as Shirley DeLibero. She's said to be the head of Metro, the transportation system here. Authorities speculated that the man had forged a pass into the VIP section. Turns out he was credentialed -- the guy's an area congressman named Tom DeLay. But he grabbed DeLibero and began babbling strange demands. Bob: For the liberation of Palestine? The release of al Qaeda captives? Tom: Nothing quite like that. This DeLay threatened harm unless Houston immediately rips up the Metro light rail line. He demanded that the city take yet another vote on it. Bob: How did negotiators get him to release the Metro chief? Tom: They explained to him that these were the track and field games; that they've got absolutely nothing to do with any light rail. So he let her go, got his motorcade and went back to Sugar Land. Bob: What a relief…Violence would have been difficult to take, on top of the other incidents marring the field events. Jim: In Houston's defense, some were understandable language problems. Certainly that was the case when the local officials forced contestants to heave those wild boars. It was finally explained to them that it was the javelin -- not javelina -- throw. Bob: And that, uh, situation at the beginning of the sprints? Jim: Yes, I'm sure all our thoughts are with the family of Gunter Grebalhagen, the longtime German starter for the track events. As you know by now, the runners were in their blocks. Grebalhagen drew his starter's pistol -- immediately, he was hit by 27 rounds fired from the sheriff's deputies and constables working security. Bob: At least the delay was minimal, thanks to Houston's preparedness for any problems. Grand jurors had been given their own box, so they issued the no-bill on the spot and were back in their seats in time for the first race. Jim: And how about those races! Bob: I'll say! Nobody could believe those incredible times -- every world record shattered? We still can't explain that 4.3 seconds in the 100-meter dash. But there it is -- the official timers from Arthur Andersen certified its accuracy. Who can question their credibility? Jim: Of course, like every Olympics, this one has had its share of controversies. The 47-foot long jump that was disqualified; it was turned in by a pedestrian leaping over the construction work on Preston. Bob: But all that's part of the history of these games by now. And wow! Look at these fabulous festivities unfolding for the closing ceremonies. What is that on center stage, anyway? An inflatable or a cadaver from UTMB? Jim: Neither. Theatre Under the Stars organized the entertainment; that thing is beginning to move now. Why, yes -- it's Tony Curtis! Bob: All right, fans, we're headed into the exciting climax. Here's the gesture for world peace -- they're releasing the 1,000 white doves into the night sky. (The camera zooms in, only to catch at least half of the birds lifelessly plummeting to earth.) Jim: Oh, no! West Nile virus! The Egyptian team just confirmed it. Bob: Too bad. But get a load of this fantastic fireworks show-- (The audio cuts out momentarily after a continual boom boom boom. Cameras capture giant bursts of brilliant red along the horizon; the image is jarred by shock waves from intensely bright fireballs.) Jim: Good grief, Bob. Those aren't skyrockets. The Olympic flame has ignited the latest vapor release from the Ship Channel. This place is gonna blow! Get out! (Audio records their heaving breath as they dash out the exits along with the rest of the crowd. The sheer force of the mob batters down a fence. Panicked, they flee across a nearby parking lot for a Sonic drive-in and Kmart.) Jim: (Gasping by now) Jeez! What else could possibly happen in this Houston? (He glances up as he's still running, only to see a line of police and an HPD supervisor bellowing into his bullhorn.) Captain Mark Aguirre: FREEZE! Police! Trespassing! You're all under arrest! Book 'em, Dano! (The screen goes black.)
2016?? http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/other/3850025.html Games bid gets in gear City in running with four others if U.S. goes after 2016 Olympics By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle In keeping with promises to streamline a potential bid for the 2016 Olympics, the trappings of Monday's visit by a U.S. Olympic Committee leadership group were a far cry from the last time the group came calling to talk about hosting the Games. In 2002, a 10-member USOC task force spent two days in the city, complete with tours, receptions and banquets designed to promote Houston as a candidate for the 2012 Olympics. On Monday, committee chairman Peter Ueberroth and CEO Jim Scherr led a four-member delegation that flew in, met for two hours at City Hall with a group led by Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and flew to Philadelphia as part of meetings with five potential bid cities. The day moved quickly, and Ueberroth said the USOC would move quickly, too — by March 31, 2007 — in deciding whether to enter a city in the 2016 race and whether Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia or San Francisco will be the candidate. "There was just direct discussion ... ," Ueberroth said. "A lot has happened since the last time you considered any of this. You've got new facilities, lots of new facilities, so we have to get up to date, and we tried to bring your group up to date. We discussed the gamut from transportation to labor to polling, lots of things. We had a free, independent discussion." White described the talks as "an exchange of information, very businesslike in tone and attitude." Eckels added, "We're a community that knows how to come together to make things happen, and that was our message. We believe Houston is a great place for an Olympic venue." Houston was one of four U.S. cities in the running for the 2012 U.S. bid designation but lost to New York, which in the final cut finished fourth in a five-city field led by London. "We had very few votes in the 2012 bid, and we need to figure out a way to do better," added Ueberroth, the organizer of the 1984 Los Angeles Games, who chairs a board of directors that has been radically decreased in size and reconfigured since the 2012 bid. George DeMontrond III, who chaired the disbanded Houston 2012 Foundation, said there were no surprises in the discussions. He said the talks were of an exploratory nature as the USOC decides whether to enter a bid city for 2016. "We're excited that we're one of the five that get a chance to bid if they decide to bid," he said. DeMontrond said the USOC indicated there may be an interim cut in the five-city list, with two or more cities asked to provide additional information. "It's hurry up and wait, but it won't be a long wait," he said. "They're talking about going forward by March 31 (of next year), so they'll have to let us get out of the starting gate soon if they want us to go forward." Eckels, White and DeMontrond were joined in the Houston delegation by City Councilman M.J. Khan; Susan Bandy, once president of Houston 2012; Leroy Hermes, chairman of the University of Houston system board of regents; UH track coach Leroy Burrell, a 1992 gold medalist in track and field; Steven Lopez, a two-time gold medalist in taekwondo; the Rev. Bill Lawson; and Michael Moore, the mayor's chief of staff. Houston 2012 raised $6 million in cash and services, including some contributions from the city and county, but DeMontrond said any 2016 domestic bid efforts "will be a lot less than that, a fraction of that." Ueberroth emphasized that any 2016 bid will be privately financed. "We don't want taxpayers' money used to fund a bid for the Games," he said. "If there are some facilities built for the Olympics and used for 50 years after, that's a different mater. But the Olympic bid process should be done privately." DeMontrond said Houston will be able to use models and information from its previous bid. Eckels said the Reliant Park complex, including the Astrodome, will be available for use as Olympic venues. UH athletic director Dave Maggard said organizers also have discussed the possibility of expanding the Carl Lewis/Tom Tellez track and field complex as an Olympic track stadium rather than stage track events at the Astrodome. After today's visit to Philadelphia, USOC officials will head to Chicago on Wednesday and will be in Los Angeles and San Francisco on May 18. david.barron@chron.com
the image of houston worldwide is poor i think. people think its too hot and polluted for olympics. they might be right about the hot part i would hate to run track and field in the sweltering summer.
Atlanta was by all accounts a terrible Olympics logistically and most people were unimpressed, suburbanized spread out motor-cities are not good for millions of visitors who can't drive . I don't think that helps H-town's case just because they made the mistake of putting it in the wrong place once before.
i hear ya. but the strength of houston's bid was the close proximity of the olympic facilities. it was better, in that way, than any of the competitors. and many were all connected by the very same rail line.
Just out of couriousty, I don't travel outside the U.S. much but does anyone think that the compassion our city showed after Katrina helped our image nationally and/or globally to possibly increase our chances of landing the Olympics? I feel that nationally it might have helped our reputation but globally it did not register much. I feel that one of our major problems is that we rely so much on saying well we have the friendliest people. For example, during Super Bowl week we had a lot of critiscm but most people agreed that the people of Houston were extremly friendly. We hear that a lot, that we have so many friendly people but isn't that just a nice way of saying your city sucks but you got nice people. I mean doesn't it seem that we lack that "it" when you think of Houston. When you think LA, you think Hollywood. Paris, the Effiel Tower, San Antonio-the Alamo, New York-the city life. I mean I suppose you could argue that Nasa would be our "nitch," but it just seems that it lacks the pizazz(sp?) factor to resonate in peoples' minds. Nobody says I am moving to Houston to retire, I hate saying this because I grown up here almost all my life but it seems as if you would only come to Houston to either work or raise a family.
Actually, I think the spectre of recreating the "largest evacuation in human history" during prime hurricane season is a major factor going into this decision. I don't think the Olympic Committee has any desire to place the games anywhere near the Gulf Coast for a couple decades. Probably doesn't help either that Texas is heavily associated with the wildly unpopular George W. Bush. Plus there's the fact that you can't get anywhere in this city without a car. We certainly have all the facilities needed, though.
Half the country would think San Antonio was in Mexico if not for Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Tim Duncan.
