Olympic Committee visits MIT regarding Boston bid
Olympic Committee visits MIT regarding Boston bid
On Nov. 18, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) visited Boston and MIT’s campus to evaluate Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, according to the MIT News Office.
“This was an opportunity for Boston to showcase itself as a center of innovation with a passion for sport, and for members of the U.S. Olympic Committee to experience the city,” said Israel Ruiz, MIT’s executive vice president and treasurer. Ruiz is one of four co-chairs for the Boston 2024 Institutional Outreach Subcommittee, a group creating support for the city’s Olympic bid among Boston universities.
The News Office reported that if Boston is selected, MIT would be a potential sports venue for archery and fencing. Ruiz said he believes MIT will play a role in educating youth about sports, health, and wellness. Additionally, he said MIT might provide educational programs for Olympic athletes to return to after the games.
He also said a Boston Olympics would be a chance for innovation and research. For example, he said Professor Carlo Ratti of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and his colleagues would take the opportunity to help improve transportation infrastructure by using mobility patterns extracted from real-time urban data.
The USOC will choose a city to move on to the international competition in mid-January. The host city will be announced in the summer of 2017.
—Daysi Gomez