Montreal-Toronto joint Olympics?
 

Radio Canada et La Presse reported this morning Montreal and Toronto might go after a joint bid hosting an upcoming summer Olympics.

https://www.lapresse.ca/sports/jeux-...l-aventure.php

Le Comité olympique canadien (COC) étudie la possibilité de présenter une candidature conjointe de Montréal et Toronto pour l’organisation des Jeux olympiques d’été, a appris La Presse.

We can't bribe enough to win these things. Nor do we actually want to build the infrastructure involved to be great hosts. I'm pessimistic. Wish I wasn't.

T'es franco-manitobain?? Je le savais pas. :O

Would Kingston get the sailing?

Having a joint Montreal-Toronto Olympics would certainly make a great case for kicking the VIA HFR plan into gear sooner rather than later. Interconnectivity will be key to making this a successful venture.

It's an interesting suggestion. It would negate the need for Toronto to build a 80,000+ stadium which would certainly go unused afterwards. That said, the IOC has never entertained a joint Summer Olympics bid. That only happens in the Winter Olympics as a mountain conducive to alpine events is required.

Non je suis pas, No I am German as my dad is from just outside Hamburg in Stade, my aunt is a Doctor in Grenoble France though.

They could barely give the last bids (2024 and 2028) away.

The problem for Toronto and Montreal being that 2032 would be on the same continent as the previous Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

So, we're looking at 2036 or 2040. Let's get past the next few years before we get too excited for spending on something frivolous.

Toronto/Montreal for 2036 would make a lot of sense IMO. 15 years out gives us plenty of time to think about, plan, meet over in committees, plan some more, think about it some more, and then maybe build HFR between the two in time for the games.

India 2032 is seeming like an interesting proposition at this stage, which would satisfy the continental rotation of things after LA 2028.

It's the Canadian Olympic Committee looking at the possibility and not the cities individually, FWIW.

I'd imagine so.

In the article, it mentions that this joint venture could include the entire A20/HWY 401 Corridor as needed, so Kingston could host venues, as it did in the 1976 Olympics when it hosted sailing venues.

"Tout le corridor de la 401 pourrait être impliqué, et le temps de transport entre les deux villes ne serait pas très important."

That being said, who knows how long the financial strain from Covid will last. Even with a leaner Olympic model and no more Big Owes, I don't think this is a particularly good idea. But hey, might be fun.

Big O renovation and their swimming centre at the Big O can be renovated which makes swimming, track, soccer and several other sports much more feasible. Velodrome and new athletes village would need to be made and probably a few other facilities that I am missing off the top of my head.

0% chance, but hey the Big "O" might be paid off by then if they do get it?

Olympic Stadium was paid off in 2006.

If the opening/closing ceremonies, track and swimming are in Montreal, those are the marquee events and they will be essentially the Montreal Olympics. Toronto's ego would never allow them to be the second fiddle, even if they were marketed as Toronto2036Montreal or something like that and almost every other event was in Toronto.

As for what year, I don't know if the COC would get a package together in time to bid for 2032, but if they could, they should. As we saw with 2024 and 2028, maybe the IOC awards 2 together again next time and basically let the winners pick between themselves who wants to go first.

Also will be curious to see what happens with Tokyo. I don't think there is any chance they happen this summer either. Will they get pushed to 2022 or cancelled outright? Seems all the talk I hear is that the IOC says they can't do winter and summer in the same year, and we are assuming that China will make sure their winter games happen next year. But they did them in the same year up until 1992, so I don't see why the summer games can't happen in '22. But if they do get cancelled, does that throw a wrench in future games? Gotta think Tokyo shoots to the top of the list for the next open slot, should they want them.

I really hope they don't waste money on this....

I try to imagine Toronto agreeing to host an Olympics and I'm afraid I can't. The opposition would be fierce.

I'm not even sure we're done paying for the last time yet :haha: my vote would be a clear "no way, find another sucker!"

Haven't read the proposal, but any Joint hosting that doesn't somehow have the Opening and Closing ceremonies in different cities would be a nonstarter.

The main challenge of course would be the flame, the lighting and extinguishing of the Olympic flame, but that could still be doable by having a pair of flames lit simultaneously. The opening ceremonies with the Athletes march could be done in Montreal with a smaller simultaneous ceremony in Toronto to cover the lighting at both locations.

Then the closing ceremonies held in Toronto, maybe with the Montreal flame extinguished first, the rest of the closing ceremonies and the Toronto flame passed on.

Track and Swimming events would almost certainly be split between the two cities since those are THE main two sets of events for the Summer games.

So logistically speaking, it certainly could be done, even with the traditional limitations.

Politically speaking it would be a major challenge, both to get the two cities and two provinces to agree, and to convince the IOC to go for it.

If we really want Olympics in Canada, how about the St. John's Olympics and then right after having it all happen on credit, the province declares bankruptcy which it was looking at doing anyway? :D

Then we can re-boot NL up debt-free under a new name like Terra Nova, six months later.