Pittsburgh Olympics? (Erie, Washington, Duquesne: schools, universities, live)

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

G-20 was enough of a spit-show. Atlanta was the rare smaller city that could effectively handle it by virtue of its sprawling nature.

Atlanta was the worst Olympic host selection ever.... mostly due to its sprawling nature.

[SolitaryThrush]

Won't happen, and probably shouldn't happen.

But keep in mind, the cities chosen usually build venues for the games, and don't rely on what's already there. So if there aren't enough, say, hotel rooms or athletic fields, these are things that could be built. There's a lot of underutilized land throughout the city and in the surrounding area, and provided Pittsburgh had a grown-up transportation system it could work. However, that's a lot of time and money spent building things that either will be bulldozed or sit vacant after the games leave.

Pittsburgh would be better served going for smaller international festivals, and either using them to get some practice and build its case, or just being satisfied with them as big deals in their own right. The Universiade (World Student Games), for example, would be something within reach with some infrastructure improvements and a few new facilities: Universiade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The last one held in the US was in Buffalo in 1993. The World Games is another one: World Games - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[PITairport]

Is Heinz Field large enough for track and field?

http://pioneerathletics.com/pdf_file...eter_track.pdf

If so, would there really be a need for a new Olympic Stadium? It would be well short of 100,000 capacity, but is that really a requirement? Plus there will be more seating built on the east side of the stadium.

The main obstacle would be a lack of hotel rooms, plus aquatic facilities would need to be built.

Another concept would be to share the event with Cleveland, or to hold some events in Morgantown and State College where they may have appropriate venues for some events.

I think transportation issues are being overblown as long as events would be held in the core area. Simple things can be done to help in this area, such as opening up the west busway to hotel shuttles and other minibusses, as well as restrict trucks on I-376 between I-79 and Monroeville during the games. This is done on I-66 in NoVa inside the DC beltway. I remember reading Atlanta actually had a light rush hour during the games because local residents adjusted their work schedule, or avoided the city altogether.

Having said all that, I agree Pittsburgh would be better served by attracting other int'l events first, as well as a Superbowl now that they are not limited to the south.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by SolitaryThrush

Won't happen, and probably shouldn't happen.

But keep in mind, the cities chosen usually build venues for the games, and don't rely on what's already there.

Some do. LA used a lot of stuff it already had. Atlanta used some existing buildings and remodeled them. The Georgia World Congress Center was used as was the Georgia Dome.

So if there aren't enough, say, hotel rooms or athletic fields, these are things that could be built. There's a lot of underutilized land throughout the city and in the surrounding area, and provided Pittsburgh had a grown-up transportation system it could work. However, that's a lot of time and money spent building things that either will be bulldozed or sit vacant after the games leave.

You can build them at Pitt, CMU, Duquesne, Carlow U, and Chatham U...and they can be used after the games are over.

Pittsburgh would be better served going for smaller international festivals, and either using them to get some practice and build its case, or just being satisfied with them as big deals in their own right. The Universiade (World Student Games), for example, would be something within reach with some infrastructure improvements and a few new facilities: Universiade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The last one held in the US was in Buffalo in 1993. The World Games is another one: World Games - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have no problem with that. But even Cincinnati made a bid as the US candidate city for the games.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by PITairport

Is Heinz Field large enough for track and field?

http://pioneerathletics.com/pdf_file...eter_track.pdf

If so, would there really be a need for a new Olympic Stadium? It would be well short of 100,000 capacity, but is that really a requirement? Plus there will be more seating built on the east side of the stadium.

Maybe, LA used their Memorial Coliseum.

The main obstacle would be a lack of hotel rooms, plus aquatic facilities would need to be built.

Aquatic facilities would be a snap. For the Atlanta games, it was built at Georgia Tech. Even Atlanta doesn't have enough hotel rooms. People rented out their homes.

Another concept would be to share the event with Cleveland, or to hold some events in Morgantown and State College where they may have appropriate venues for some events.

Too far. Best to keep the venues in as close as possible.

Having said all that, I agree Pittsburgh would be better served by attracting other int'l events first, as well as a Superbowl now that they are not limited to the south.

I believe the Superbowl would require a domed stadium.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by PITairport

Is Heinz Field large enough for track and field?

http://pioneerathletics.com/pdf_file...eter_track.pdf

If so, would there really be a need for a new Olympic Stadium? It would be well short of 100,000 capacity, but is that really a requirement? Plus there will be more seating built on the east side of the stadium.

The main obstacle would be a lack of hotel rooms, plus aquatic facilities would need to be built.

Another concept would be to share the event with Cleveland, or to hold some events in Morgantown and State College where they may have appropriate venues for some events.

I think transportation issues are being overblown as long as events would be held in the core area. Simple things can be done to help in this area, such as opening up the west busway to hotel shuttles and other minibusses, as well as restrict trucks on I-376 between I-79 and Monroeville during the games. This is done on I-66 in NoVa inside the DC beltway. I remember reading Atlanta actually had a light rush hour during the games because local residents adjusted their work schedule, or avoided the city altogether.

Having said all that, I agree Pittsburgh would be better served by attracting other int'l events first, as well as a Superbowl now that they are not limited to the south.

Sharing the Olympics with Cleveland would only hurt our chances.

Another major obstacle is the fact that PIT only has 36 nonstop destinations (2 of which are useless seasonal stops in Punta Cana and Cancun). Pittsburgh has to be the most underserved major air travel market in the US.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Sharing the Olympics with Cleveland would only hurt our chances.

Another major obstacle is the fact that PIT only has 36 nonstop destinations (2 of which are useless seasonal stops in Punta Cana and Cancun). Pittsburgh has to be the most underserved major air travel market in the US.

If Pittsburgh won the games, service to the airport as the day of the opening ceremonies approached, would improve considerably...I promise you.

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Although if you ask people in Georgia to represent non-Southern U.S. culture, you'd probably end up with a bunch of people in latte costumes getting gay married to readings from the Communist Manifesto.

Most people I know here in Georgia aren't even from Georgia, they're from the NE and Midwest - this is just pure ignoramus talk. Besides you can find these types of people in the sticks of Pennsylvania right in your back yard Brian, I know, I grew up there.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by DaBurgh

Besides you can find these types of people in the sticks of Pennsylvania right in your back yard Brian, I know, I grew up there.

That's true. A lot of rural Pennsylvanians have adopted the lifestyle and cultural values of Georgians in recent years. It's quite disturbing.

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Too far. Best to keep the venues in as close as possible.


I believe the Superbowl would require a domed stadium.

If it takes a regional approach to pool resources, that's fine as its better than nothing. I believe Washington teamed up with Baltimore to put in a joint Olympic bid recently. The Atlanta games had sailing events hosted in Savannah. IIRC soccer events were held as far away as Orlando.

As far as a Superbowl, the new Meadowlands stadium is due to host a game, so no requirement for a roof.

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Another major obstacle is the fact that PIT only has 36 nonstop destinations (2 of which are useless seasonal stops in Punta Cana and Cancun). Pittsburgh has to be the most underserved major air travel market in the US.

PIT is actually one of the strongest assets in any hypothetical Olympic bid. It has the capacity for a large but temporary spike in traffic. The fact that only 36 cities are currently served is not relevant, as its easy for carriers to upgauge equipment on their current routes, and add a few new ones over the period of an event. Perfect example is the Steelers trip to the Tampa Superbowl, in which airlines used larger aircraft before and following the game, and some airlines such as JetBlue added nonstop flights to TPA, a route in which they do not otherwise serve.

London, on the other hand, will be a mess as one terminal complex at LHR will be half way through a total reconstruction, and not usable at all. It was originally planned to be completed in time for the 2012 games. Not to mention the decades long debate about another runway there, which has gone nowhere.