Baker, who has a news conference scheduled later Friday, has yet to declare his support.
Leaders of Boston’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics released details Thursday about insurance proposals they say will provide unprecedented coverage for Massachusetts taxpayers.
Baker said the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) is having a meeting on Monday and they asked him to call in.
The report from that group, The Brattle Group, isn’t expected until next month.
“It would be inappropriate for me, or for the Senate president, or for the speaker, to commit the Commonwealth one way or the other until we get that report”, Baker said Friday from the Massachusetts statehouse.
It is possible this alleged ultimatum was an attempt to gain a firmer endorsement from the authorities before USOC officials departed to Kuala Lumpur for next week’s worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) Session.
If the USOC were to bail on the Boston bid and try to replace it with another city – presumably Los Angeles – time is running short to make that move.
“We have learned much from the Boston bid and in many ways it will set the stage for a more transparent bid process for future Games, consistent with the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020″. The USOC considers the governor’s support key to the effort, as well.
“Since I became chairman we have created from the bottom up the new Bid 2.0, which has been made public on our website in its entirety,” Boston 2024 chairman Stephen Pagliuca said in a statement. Boston 2024 had previously kept parts of the “1.0” bid redacted, and cited confidentiality “commitments” to the U.S. Olympic Committee. It also included details about public and political support for the proposals, according to an AP report.
The documents reveal that organizers initially projected the games to cost about $4.7 billion but run at a almost $500 million deficit.
“We’re encouraged by recent discussions with Mayor [Marty] Walsh and Governor Baker and look forward to continued, constructive dialogue”.
A televised debate between bid officials and opponents on Thursday was followed on Friday by the release of an un-redacted version of the original Boston bid, submitted when Boston beat out three other cities to gain the USOC nod. Boston 2024 also suggested they were prepared to challenge any referendum effort on a variety of fronts, including the courts and legislature. In June, a revised proposal was released showing a $4.6 billion budget and a surplus of $200 million.
No comments:
Post a Comment