After weeks of indecision, and mostly silence, time has finally run out on Toronto’s Mayor John Tory and the city’s 2024 Olympic Games bid.
GamesBids.com has independently confirmed a Toronto Star report that John Tory will reject the Toronto 2024 bid Wednesday at a 9:30am press conference scheduled at City Hall.
A nomination letter putting forth a Toronto 2024 bid had already been prepared by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) after they voted unanimously to support the project – but it will never be sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Though enthusiasm was high and support strong for a run at the Olympics following what many consider to be a very successful Pan Am Games across the City in July, the Mayor and his advisers spent time carefully examining the details of a potential bid. But as time passed, frustration mounted, the enthusiasm cooled and public support dropped from the 70’s down to 50 per cent according to a poll released Monday.
The timing of the closely contested federal election campaign is also said to have complicated things as the three potential party leaders have been busy on the trail.
The Star pointed to “lack of corporate enthusiasm” and uncertain support from the province.
Toronto competed internationally to win the Olympic Games twice before – for 1996 and 2008.
Budapest, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome have filed bids with the IOC, the final election will be held September 2017 in Lima, Peru.
More to come.
