No Olympics 2024, and Bostonians Celebrate!

I live in one of the most historic parts of the city of Boston and know first-hand how congested and overrun with millions of tourists this small section, The North End, can be during all seasons of the year, yes, even in the winter. That's why my neighbors and I let out a collective sigh of relief when we heard there would be no Boston 2024 Olympics. 

Boston's Mayor Walsh is overwhelmingly supported by the people who would have been affected the most by the influx of millions of visitors to our city for the Olympics and by the taxes that would be levied on us by the inevitable cost overruns. Boston's not the only city to say no to what historically turns out to be financial obligations and logistical nightmares to cities that host these games. Denver, Colorado, Oslo, Norway, and Munich, Germany, to name a few, have, in the recent past, said no -- an intelligent decision to what has become a financial burden to the cities that say yes. 

Since colonial times, Boston has had the reputation of being a city where education is highly valued. This decision reflects the will of a majority of citizens and businesses -- an intelligent decision.

Boston Strong!




From the Boston Globe: 

After months of working as unpaid volunteers, they were celebrating their victory over Boston Olympic bid organizers Boston 2024 with a room full of about 30 colleagues, supporters, and friends. Earlier that day, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and bidding group Boston 2024 made the mutual decision to pull the plug on the city’s bid, following a growing lack of public support and the loss of Mayor Marty Walsh’s full backing. 

The bar event, attended by venture capitalists, state senators, and environmental activists, was as much a celebration as a moment to exhale. “It’s just a big sense of relief,” Michael Femia, who works at Wentworth Institute of Technology and lives in Somerville, said. “We’re here because a lot of people fought really hard. It’s nice that this isn’t going to be hanging over our heads for the next nine years.” Femia echoed the complaints of many Boston-area residents, or at least of those ten people on Twitter who have opposed the city’s bid. 

Many feared the burden Olympic games would place on taxpayers, the MBTA, and the environment. “I was against it from the getgo,” Charles Lax, a venture capitalist of Wellesley said. He came out to celebrate No Boston Olympics’ efforts on Monday night after donating money to the cause, thinking that writing a check now would be proactive, saving him from shelling out extra taxes in the coming years to cover the games’ costs. 

 “David kicked Goliath’s butt to wake up extremely intelligent Boston to the fact that these games are a disaster,” he said.