Toronto should bid on 2024 Olympics, Paralympics

The moment of truth is close at hand for Toronto.

September 15th is the deadline to decide whether the city and region want to compete — or remain on the sidelines.

There exists a golden opportunity to host the Olympics and Paralympics.

Or Toronto could pass, and kiss the chance goodbye for at least a generation.

It's time for Canada's largest city to bid for the 2024 Games.

I write this as a believer in the value of the Olympics, their ideals, and what the whole experience can mean to the host community. I'm also fully aware that the excesses of the past and the failures of previous host cities are many and varied.  

And while I work for the company that is the current Olympic broadcaster, it does not own the rights to the Games beyond Tokyo 2020, nor is there any guarantee that our organization would win those rights should Toronto be awarded the Olympics and Paralympics at any time in the future.

The successes of the recent Pan American and Parapan American Games are now on record.  

A massive volunteer base was mobilized in Toronto and the surrounding area. New, state-of-the-art sporting venues were constructed where none existed previously, and more spectators consumed the Games on all platforms — television, radio, online — than at any time in history. Canadian athletes excelled in unprecedented ways.

Toronto quite simply shone as the host city.  

The result was an extended period of celebration locally, provincially and nationally. People of all ages and circumstance were captivated by what they saw taking place in their own backyard.

These are the facts.

And out of this situation has grown an ambition, on the part of some, to consider what might come next. Namely, the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2024.

But there are undeniably questions and concerns.

1. Wouldn't the Games be too costly?

The Olympics are a hugely expensive proposition. Billions of dollars are required.  

But a return on investment is possible because the Games would become the impetus for the completion of a number of projects vital to the region's future.

The infrastructure that transports people across the vast urban area that is Southern Ontario would have to be upgraded. Toronto's mass transit system is currently inadequate for a city this size and congestion on roadways necessitates major changes.

In addition, the development of the waterfront would finally become a priority. It would have to be a creative plan with green space, recreational facilities and entertainment opportunities for a rapidly growing population which increasingly resides in the city centre.  

The Olympics and Paralympics would prompt an enormous and coordinated effort with huge employment opportunities. The resulting impact on industry, accessibility, the service sector and Toronto's international appeal would pay dividends for decades to come.

2. Aren't the Games too much work, and too much inconvenience?

There is no doubt: staging a celebration like the Olympics and Paralympics is a daunting task.  

Years of planning are necessary and so is visionary thinking. Traffic is bound to get snarled and there will be countless strangers in our midst. It means putting up with the annoying and costly security measures which a global event of this kind requires.

But this is the cost of being an open and welcoming place — which Toronto professes to be. If we want to throw a party and have people come to visit, then we have to make compromises so that everyone can enjoy our home, and celebrate humanity in a peaceful and joyous way.

Everything that is worthwhile entails work. The Olympics and Paralympics are no different. It just means that the entire community must work together in order to ensure success. There is no reason for a prosperous and capable city like Toronto to shy away from putting its collective nose to the grindstone.

3. What happens when the Games leave town?

The "white elephant" is always in the room when it comes to the Olympics and Paralympics. Huge, underused venues, which lie rotting in the wake of the Games, get a lot of headlines. Athens comes to mind, and there are many other examples from Montreal to Sochi.

Legacy must be managed and expectations have to be realistic.  

Increasingly, an appetite for sustainable projects is developing within the Olympic realm. Regional efforts like those envisioned by the Pan Am Games of 2015 are the way of the future. The giant Olympic park with hulking stadia is rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas venues which can be used by the people of the various host communities once the Games are over make much more sense. Their existence should lead to a healthier, more active population.  

London 2012 had success with this model. Those Olympics and, in particular, Paralympics, also proved that the Games can have an inspirational effect. People warmed to major international sport which saw rivals of similar abilities, at the height of their powers, engage in honest competition on level playing fields.

There is no reason why Toronto should not be able to devise a plan for a workable, modern Olympics capable of leaving a lasting legacy not only economically and in terms of infrastructure, but also for the physical and spiritual betterment of generations to come.

4. What about the competition? What if Toronto doesn't win the bid?

This is a fact of life and the risk that must be taken in order to prevail.

Yes, there are other cities who desperately want the Olympics and Paralympics, and no one is owed anything. That's why bidding requires a competitive spirit. Los Angeles, Paris, Budapest, Rome and Hamburg all have ambitions. They all have a realistic chance of winning the right to host the Games.

But Toronto should understand that it is no less a contender than the others. Los Angeles, Paris and Rome have all hosted before. Hamburg and Budapest have not, but they are in Europe, which had the Games as recently as 2012 in London. North America is due, and a peaceful, progressive, thriving city like Toronto in the Eastern Time zone — with a huge broadcast reach — would be very attractive.

The bottom line is that this seems like an open competition with the best bid having a good chance to win. There is no excuse for Toronto not to believe that it is capable of putting the best bid forward.

The Olympics and Paralympics constitute the greatest recurring spectacle on the face of the planet. They, unlike any other event, have the power to bring the world together in one place at one time to witness human potential.

They also have the ability to transform the host community. We saw this with Vancouver and the Winter Olympics in 2010. The Games allowed that city, indeed the entire country, to grow in confidence and build esteem for the abilities of Canadian athletes and Canadians in general.

The easy thing for Toronto to do would be to say, "no thanks" to bidding for the 2024 Games.  

There are just so many challenges.

Then again, no champion ever balked at a challenge.

It's time for Toronto to go to the start line and get in the blocks.

The chance will not come again anytime soon.

And you can't win a race if you're afraid to enter it.