What Would a Washington DC Olympics Look Like?

Update: So this might actually have a decent shot of happening. I went back and looked over my plan and made a couple updates that will be signified by (UPDATES). I also had to suffer through some of the horrible jokes I made. Seriously, it was bad. 


On August 22nd 2002, after four years of planning, fund raising and politicking, Washington DC was eliminated from consideration to be the USA's bid city for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The United States Olympic Committee would choose New York, only to see the Big Apple lose in the second round of voting to Paris, Madrid and eventual host London in one of the most hotly contested Olympic bid races in history.  While New York was never considered the front runner (Paris was deemed by many to be in the lead until London beat them out at the end), it remains the closest the United States has come to hosting a Summer Olympics since Atlanta welcomed the world for the Centennial Games in 1996. While Chicago did bid for the 2016 Games, it was eliminated in the first round of voting, with an IOC/USOC revenue sharing dispute being the much speculated reason for Chicago's early exit.

Fast forward to 2012, and it seems that the United States is ready for another Olympics on home soil. The USOC has publicly stated that it will immediately start exploring the possibility of hosting either the 2024 Summer Olympics or the 2026 Winter Games. The USOC is motivated by the improvement that host countries have seen in the medal count as a result of staging the games. Clearly, the United States doesn't need a ton of help to top the medal count, but a home Olympics would strengthen fund raising for minor sports that still struggle with fund raising (Speed Skating for example). With the revenue sharing issue now resolved with the IOC, the USOC believes the time is now for an Olympic bid.

Speculating on what US cities would bid for a potential Summer or Winter Olympics is always an interesting game. The Olympics are a giant event, and while many US cities have the sports infrastructure to host the Olympics, other factors play a part. Currently, the rumored Winter host cities range from early favorite Denver (who could also bid for a Summer games), Reno-Lake Tahoe, prior host Salt Lake City and Bozeman. Rumored candidate cities for the 2024 summer games include Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Tulsa (they formed an exploratory committee!) and Baltimore-Washington.

What? An Olympics in my home region? The official name of the games would most likely be Washington DC 2024, and while I don't identify at all with that city except for owning a Gilbert Arenas jersey, that sounds pretty awesome. Olympic events in Baltimore, most of them 15 minutes away from my house, would be kind of unbelievable. However, as with any dream, there are harsh realities. Any Olympic bid costs lots of money, with no guarantee you'll even make it to the final ballot, much less actually be chosen as the host city.  The Olympics are a massive undertaking. Infrastructure has to be strong, venues have to be pristine (for the most part), security has to be tighter than tight and everything has to go off without a hitch, or at least as few as possible. An Olympics in the Baltimore/DC region is probably a lot closer to not happening than happening, and would most likely receive some local resistance from people who points out the many instances of cities getting hurt by the Olympics.

With that said, my job isn't to dampen your spirits! An Olympics around the here would be great. Disregard all those books and papers written about how the Olympics financially hurts host cities (because it sort of does). For me, the local pride and just plain fun that an Olympics would provide trumps all of that. Then again, I don't want to sound ignorant to the problems that Baltimore and DC both have. Funding an Olympics would most likely hurt both city's efforts to fix some of these pressing issues and that's not good. However, I have been planning this thing in various school notebooks for like seven years. Sorry, but biology just wasn't as exciting as listing potential Olympic venues. Now, with a blog, a lot of free time, and a prior venue plan as a basis, I can finally reveal what my Olympics would look like.

Venue Plan

Athletics - New Olympic Stadium, RFK Stadium Site:

I really hate to say this, but a viable Washington DC Olympic bid could hinge on Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins, which could be a really good thing, or a really bad thing. I think the general feeling is that Snyder wants a new stadium for the Skins, and that he wants it to be spectacular. Say what you want about Snyder, but he does put a lot of money, misguided or not, into helping the Redskins become a winner. He seems like the kind of guy who wants to be considered among the elite of NFL owners, and with Jerry Jones residing in his same division, Snyder has seen first-hand how a gigantic, state of the art stadium can raise the prestige of a franchise and it's owner. If the former Six Flags Chairman were to build a stadium within the DC city limits (which seems to be the preferred location for Skins fans), the RFK Stadium site is probably the most viable place. The former home of the Redskins now hosts DC United of MLS, who have been looking for a new stadium for awhile now. I assume that at some point in the next couple years, United will get the stadium they crave (UPDATE: THEY DID), and that RFK will be without a permanent tenant. This is where an Olympic Stadium comes into play. In the original 2012 plan, the main Olympic Park would have been centered around a new Olympic Stadium on the RFK site.

Meticulous

I see no reason to change this. However, stadiums are expensive, and when tax payers are forced to foot the bill, things can get dicey (UPDATE: This city has said it pretty much can't spend "one penny" on stadium construction). Getting Snyder involved could help solve a funding hurdle and get the Redskins back playing within the District again (UPDATE: Snyder is gonna have to be involved at this point). The stadium would have clear plans after the Olympics, something that is even more important to sell to locals after white elephant stadiums in Athens and Beijing tarnished those two cities' Olympic legacies. In addition, the way stadiums are being designed these days, it would be simple to convert the stadium from track and field to football. In fact, the Redskins lease with Landover ends in 2027, so there would be a three year period for the stadium to be converted. The stadium could potentially host a US or World Track and Field Championships (UPDATE: #pipedream) between Olympic and football use and could factor in to a US World Cup bid in the future. Is this stadium plan a bit of wishful thinking? Sure. However, you cannot tell me Dan Snyder wouldn't at least think about having a 110,000 (or smaller) seat stadium with an Olympic legacy as the home of his football team.  Jerry Jones can't say that.

Archery - Nationals Park:

This may seem like way too large of a venue to host a small sport like archery, but hear me out. I can only assume this Hunger Games thing will get bigger, so archery is bound to be like the fourth most popular sport in the US by 2024. At least over hockey. I mean, am I right Gary Bettman? Anyway, we need a place to put those 15,000 screaming fans. Enter, Nationals Park.

 ESPN

How awesome would that be? They could shoot from home plate towards the outfield and the atmosphere potential is off the charts. Nationals fans would be starving to see a winner perform in their stadium after three World Series loses to Manny Machado and the Orioles (A beltway series, imagine that) [SUPER BRACKETS UPDATE: Machado is the man].  In all seriousness, while archery is not the most popular sport in the world, I think it would work in this stadium. Could the sport be overwhelmed by the largeness of the venue, possibly, but I needed something to put in Nationals Stadium, and until baseball makes its Olympic return, that something is going to be archery. (UPDATE: Still think this is a decent idea, but I'm very interested to see what this bid does with this venue)

Gymnastics - New Baltimore Arena:

Our second, "glamour sport" of the games goes to Baltimore and it's new Convention Center/Hotel/Arena combination.  If you haven't heard, Baltimore wants a new arena and it finally looks like we're pretty close to getting one. Check out this awesomeness.

Baltimore Business Journal

Baltimore Business Journal

Oh. My. God. You have no idea how long I've waited for a Baltimore Arena that we (I) can be proud of. I understand that Baltimore will probably never be home to an NBA team. I'm at peace with that. The thing is, I hate First Mariner Arena an unhealthy amount and ridding the city of that monstrosity would be a life goal reached, even if I have nothing to do with it. While the arena project still needs to find funding, an Olympic bid would get the ball rolling if construction had not already commenced (UPDATE: It hasn't!).

Baltimore hosting gymnastics also works from a balance point of view. DC is going to be hosting track and swimming (more on that later), so Baltimore deserves to have one of the "big three" Olympic sports. In addition, if you're trying to find a local athlete to include in the organization of this bid, look no further than retired Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes. The Maryland native is universally loved by everyone, graduated from the greatest university in this country and is the current co-chair of President Obama's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She's a star, plain and simple. (UPDATE: Still a viable option. More viable then some of the jokes I made in this. Good lord I think I'm really funny)

Basketball - Verizon Center: 

Formally known as the MCI Center, the now 15-year-old arena (that's crazy to think about) is the natural host for the basketball competition. The arena revitalized DC's Chinatown and is a frequent destination for big events. It has hosted huge concerts, an NBA All Star game, the NCAA basketball tournament, the NCAA Frozen Four, a Stanley Cup Finals, the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships and numerous WWE events. I mean the place has had to deal with the hooligan Wizards and choke artist Caps for the last 15 years. The Olympics would be a walk in the park. Sorry, Washington sports fans, I kid because I love (UPDATE: Bad Joke Alert). (UPDATE: Verizon is still the best option for hoops)

Boxing - DC Armory:

Located just near RFK Stadium, The DC Armory would figure into the new Olympic Park as the host for the boxing competition.  The multi-purpose venue currently has a max capacity of 10,000 and hosts everything from trade shows to concerts. The place would have to be modernized, but it looks (I've never been there) to have the potential to be an electric boxing venue. Another solution would be to tear it down, and build a new arena on the site.

Once again, boxing has a legacy in this region that could help an Olympic bid. Former five division world champion and 1976 Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Leonard grew up in Maryland and would be another great figurehead for an Olympic bid. I would put Leonard up there with Dominique Dawes as two of the main athletes promoting the games locally. People in this region respect both individuals, and they could be key in helping gain public support. (UPDATE: I don't know about this one. There are so many arenas around the area. I think I messed this one up)

Beach Volleyball - Temporary Venue, Olympic Park: 

Let me just say this right now, it's going to be really tough to beat Copacabana Beach as a beach volleyball venue. That place is going to be insane in Rio. I'm so pumped for it. In fact, London's venue was incredible as well, and was apparently one of the most fun venues to visit during the Olympics. With all that in mind, a temporary venue in the Olympic Park would be a nice way to keep beach volleyball in the center of everything. It would help provide the venue with the party like atmosphere that it has enjoyed the last two Olympics.  Alternative spots could be the Naval Academy or even Ocean City (that would never happen, I just wanted to mention it and make you think about how great it would be) [SUPER BRACKET UPDATE: It wouldn't be that great], but I think its in the best interest of the games to keep as many events close to DC and Baltimore as possible.  So when Misty May and Kerri Walsh go for their sixth straight gold in Women's BVB, it will play out in Olympic Park.

Beijing Temporary Venue 

Aquatics - New Aquatic Venue, Olympic Park:

I'm including water polo in aquatics, which would mean that the water polo arena would be connected to the swimming venue. The 2012 bid plan called for water polo to take place at the Arlington Aquatics Center, but not only do I have no idea where that is, I don't know if it's capable of hosting an Olympic event. With that in mind, a new venue would be constructed in the Olympic Park to host all of the indoor aquatic events. Other than the Olympic Stadium, this would be the biggest opportunity the organizing team to create a memorable design for the rest of the world marvel at. Post games, this venue would be downsized and made into a public center/training venue for local swimmers much like what is happening to London's Aquatic Center. I think there would be strong argument to place the swimming events in Baltimore because of the legacy of Michael Phelps and the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, but it just makes more sense to build this venue in the Olympic Park. (UPDATE: Yep)

Rugby Sevens - New DC United Stadium:

If you asked my friends about my thoughts on the sport of rugby, their responses would range from, "he hates it" to, "he's mildly disgusted by it". I'm not sure what my problem is with rugby, but it probably started with being introduced to the sport by watching it at the high school level. If you ever want to show someone a sport with the aim of having them enjoy it, don't start them with high school games. Trust me, it won't work. Watching the most recent Rugby World Cup and some of the College Seven's National Championship has changed my tune on the sport a bit. Good time for that too, because Rugby debuts as an Olympic sport in 2016. The perfect venue would the New DC United Stadium, which I'm assuming will get built between now and 2024. Although, the way it's been going, the team could be in San Antonio or something by then (UPDATE: LOL).

It's looking like Buzzard Point is now the top choice as the site for the stadium, but as anybody who has followed this saga will tell you, it's a very fluid situation. (UPDATE: a situation that has now been resolved)

Volleyball - Comcast Center, University of Maryland:

Oh yeah, Terpnation! The Olympics are coming to CP, and it's bringing volleyball. If you are unfamiliar with the Comcast Center, it holds 17,950 fans and plays host to the greatest college basketball program ever (I might be biased) (UPDATE: I'm really biased).  The Comcast Center would be great venue for any indoor Olympic sport. While I contemplated putting the final in Baltimore, I just couldn't take it away from College Park, if only because I want the place that housed the basketball stylings of Mychal "Slash" Parker, Ekene Ibekwe, Dave Neal and Bambale Osby to host an Olympic final. (UPDATE: I see no reason to change this, although it could host basketball prelims if they put gymnastics at Verizon)

umterps.com

Tennis - William Fitzgerald Tennis Center

Located in Rock Creek Park in Washington DC, the Fitzgerald Tennis Center plays host to the Citi Open, a joint ATP/WTA tournament that's part of the US Open Series. It's really the only place to put the tennis competition, unless a new venue was built. The problem is that during the 2012 bid, residents surrounding the Center opposed the Olympics coming to the site. They cited the disturbance that the event would cause as the main reason for this. I really don't know how to rectify this complaint, but I'm going to assume that this problem would be resolved with the start of a new bid. (UPDATE: still the only viable venue)

ATPWorldTour.com

Sailing - United States Naval Academy/Chesapeake Bay:

This was the proposed venue for sailing in the 2012 bid, and I really see no reason to change it. Although, wouldn't it be cool if this was in Ocean City? Hell, Ocean City should just bid for the Olympics. Put the Olympic Stadium on the beach (the Dew Tour did it) and build a basketball arena on top of an Old Pro Golf Course. They could host the swimming events at my grandmother's house and canoeing at my cousins' house. How could this not be a success? (UPDATE: Stop, bro. Stop with the jokes) I'll stop before proposing badminton on the boardwalk. Speaking of badminton...

Badminton - Charles E Smith Center:

Don't worry, George Washington University, I didn't forget about you. 4,000 seat The Smith Center was just renovated and would be a great venue for the badminton competition. (UPDATE: I'm happy with this, although the statement by the 2024 people that Richmond will host events means that any of the sports I put in small arenas could get moved to the Richmond Coliseum)

Cycling - New Baltimore Velodrome/Streets of Baltimore:

In my all of my previous DC/Baltimore Olympic plans, Baltimore was to be the home of cycling, both track and road. I almost changed this plan when I heard there was interest to build a velodrome in DC near the new DC United Stadium. A city with people that actually want to build a velodrome? I wasn't sure if I could pass that up. However, I will stick with my plans of hosting both road and track cycling in the greatest city in the America. The Inner Harbor would be scenic end to the cycling road race, although, wouldn't it be cool for it to end on the beautiful Route 50 bridge in Ocean City??? (UPDATE: Yikes) Alright, I'll stop. (UPDATE: I'm thinking the velodrome would probably be in DC)

Golf - Congressional Country Club:

It's hosted three US Opens and one PGA Championship. Nuff said. (UPDATE: I won't go against my own "Nuff said")

Shooting - Prince Georges Trap and Skeet Center:

This was the venue for shooting in the original plan, and I won't mess with it. I almost put shooting in Oriole Park just for fun. In fact, I almost put about eight sports in Oriole Park. I almost did a lot of things. (UPDATE: This sounds good)

Soccer - Lincoln Financial Field, Metlife Stadium, FedEx Field, Soldier Field, M&T Bank Stadium (Final):

GOLAZO, GOLAZO, GOLAZO. (UPDATE: That's supposed to be funny) Honestly, you could put this competition in a bunch of nearby NFL stadiums and I wouldn't have a problem with it. I would have a problem with the final being in FedEx over M&T Bank Stadium. FedEx is bigger, but it's a dump and located in an inconvenient spot. The home of the Baltimore Ravens is smaller, but is in a nicer location that is accessible through public transportation. That's what puts it over the top as a venue for the final. The atmosphere would just be superior. An alternate scenario would be holding the women's final in Baltimore and the men's final in the Olympic Stadium in DC. (Update: Yep)

Modern Pentathlon -  PG County Sports and Learning Complex:

This was the venue that the 2012 organizers had designated for the modern pentathlon. I had never heard of this place, but it sounds pretty nice. Modern Pentathlon's weird array of sports makes it a weird sport to find a venue for. This will work. (UPDATE: I still have no idea where to put the Modern Pentathlon)

Handball - Patriot Center:

"Restore the Roar! The sport that the USA is inexplicably awful at comes to the big TU. The beautiful Tiger Arena would be a perfect host for the handball competition. Could we find or build an arena in and around DC that could host this? Possibly, but I want Olympic events in Towson. So this is how it's going down. Doc approves." 

This is what a wrote before I realized I forgot to put an event in the 10,000 seat Patriot Center. Sorry Towson people, I'll make it up to you later. (UPDATE: still think George Mason would host at least one event)

Equestrian - Laurel Park/Pimlico/Great Meadows:

Look, we have places to put equestrian and I'll let the people decide whether they want Laurel Park or Pimlico to host. Apparently, the 2012 organizers chose Laurel Park as the venue for the jumping and dressage events, but I really don't know why. Did they think people would still be hungover from the Preakness in Pimlico? Anyway, Great Meadows was the proposed 2012 venue for the endurance events and it looks like a pretty appropriate venue for these types of things. I've never been there (my polo skills aren't up to par yet), but it seems like a winner, so we'll just go with it and hope there's not some local uproar against it as a venue.

Field Hockey - Johnny Unitas Stadium:

There are a couple different possibilities to host the field hockey competition. Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University is a potential site, but there is a lack of room for expansion and quite frankly, I don't like it's location in Baltimore. The second potential site is UMBC Stadium, but that location is sort of out of the way. While it looks to have good expansion prospects (I haven't been there in a long time so I can't confirm), I don't really like the idea of Field Hockey sort of being out by itself. Solution? Put an Olympic competition at Towson University so I can make up for stripping them of handball! People will say that parking/congestion could be a problem around Towson, but I'm not worried about it. 

Canoeing - Beaverdam Reservoir: 

The reservoir, located in northern Virginia was the venue for canoeing in the 2012 bid plan. Honestly, I don't know enough about Maryland/Virginia reservoirs to justify changing this. I'll trust that the 2012 organizing committee did their due diligence on this one.

Mountain Biking - Patapsco Valley State Park:  

The 16,000 acre park is another 2012 bid venue, and after my own research, seems to be the best place to host the Mountain Biking competition. (UPDATE: I don't remember researching that at all)

Taekwondo, Fencing, IBC - Walter E. Washington Convention Center:

Everybody wants to know where Bob Costas is going to be when NBC rolls him out at age 72. Well that place is the nine year old Walter E. Washington Convention Center, which will be home to the international broadcast center, in addition to taekwondo and fencing. The place clearly has space to host major events, as it was the site of the controversial Lamont Peterson/Amir Khan world title fight in 2011. Sounds like a perfect host for the fighting that will go on in fencing, taekwondo and the media rooms. (UPDATE: I still like that joke)

Table Tennis, Wrestling*, Judo*, Additional Media  - Baltimore Convention Center:

Home of car shows, anime conventions and the backdrop of the occasional Indy Car race, the Baltimore Convention Center would host table tennis, wrestling and judo, along with being a secondary media hub to supplement the IBC in Washington. I put an asterisk next to wrestling and judo because I'm unsure of what the Convention Center would look like from an exhibition space perspective after the arena/hotel expansion. If the BCC couldn't host the wresting/judo combination, it would be moved to either the Howard University Arena or a temporary venue somewhere else. (UPDATE: I'm pretty sure they would find different venues near DC to host these sports)

Triathlon - Inner Harbor/Streets of Baltimore: 

This site really excites me. The Inner Harbor would serve as a fantastic venue for the triathlon. It offers everything that is needed to run an effective triathlon competition, along with a great backdrop that would look good on TV. Would the water have to be cleaned up? Yes. (UPDATE: sure, why not?)

Marathon - Streets of Washington DC

Awesome scenery? Check. Lots of different cool spots where the race could end? Check. I think that's all we need. Site established. 

Well, that's it. The venue plan for my 2024 Washington DC Olympics has been laid out for all too see. If you think I should change a venue, or just have any general thoughts on an Olympic bid in this region, leave a comment below. By the way, I would have the Olympians housed in University of Maryland dorms. No place would be more ready for energetic, partying and possibly disruptive young people.  We've got that down. (UPDATE: the best idea)