Philadelphia might bid for 2016 Olympics

Envisioning the Olympic torch one day burning in the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau has commissioned a Wharton professor to determine the feasibility of hosting the Summer Games in 2016 or beyond. Kenneth Shropshire, chairman of the Wharton Legal Studies Department and member of the Philadelphia Sports Congress, will head the study, which he hopes will be completed "at some level" in April. "It's a real preliminary look at what's available in the Philadelphia area and what the requirements are from the standpoint of the International Olympic Committee to put on a Games," said Shropshire, who worked as a lawyer with the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He is also an experienced consultant on sports facilities and a noted author, according to Bureau spokesperson Sue Schwenderman. Shropshire said that the study will look specifically at how Philadelphia's sporting facilities meet the IOC's standards, and it would attempt to determine what kinds of facilities the city might have to build if it decides to go for the Games. The study will also update a different study commissioned by the Congress 10 years ago that preceded Philadelphia's failed bid to host the Olympics Festival, which is held in Olympics off-years. The study will be used in Philadelphia's efforts to snare other major events. In recent years, the city has attracted the Republican National Convention and the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four. The 2016 Olympics would be Philadelphia's first chance, should the city attempt to lure the Summer Games. According to Mike Moran, a spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee, eight cities are currently vying to be the United States' candidate city to host the 2012 Games. The USOC will select one of these eight next fall to be its candidate city, and in 2005 the IOC will choose the site of the Olympics. The U.S. bidding process for the 2012 Games is closed, but according to USOC Director of International Relations Curt Hamakawa, the bidding process for Games after 2012 is not clearly defined. If the American candidate city loses out on the 2012 Games, it might be automatically designated America's candidate city for the 2016 Olympics -- leaving places like Philadelphia out in the cold. If America does not get the Olympics in 2012, however, the USOC might decide to submit a candidate city to the IOC for 2016 and open up the bid process to all interested cities. In this scenario, Moran said that Philadelphia would have a chance to grab the U.S. candidacy for the 2016 Games. "If we don't get the Games in 2012, provided we bid again for 2016, I think most of the cities that were in the race this time, plus any others that wanted to join, would all be on board for a bid for '16," Moran said. But if the United States is chosen to host the Olympics in 2012, it might be a long wait for the City of Brotherly Love just to get a seat at the USOC's poker table. "We think we have a good chance to get the Games [in 2012]," Moran said, noting that the USOC is happy with the interest that Philadelphia is showing. "If we were to get the 2012 Games, knowing the history of the organization, I doubt that we would seek the Summer Games again for 10 or 15 years."