City officials consider 2020 Olympic bid

Three years ago, Philadelphia was unsuccessful in its attempt to host the 2016 games, and American officials chose to put Chicago forward as the bidding city instead. But, the city of Brotherly Love could again be preparing to submit an application to host the Olympic Games.

Rio de Janeiro residents are celebrating they’re winning bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Three years ago, Philadelphia was unsuccessful in its attempt to host the 2016 games, and American officials chose to put Chicago forward as the bidding city instead. Now, the city of Brotherly Love could again be preparing to submit an application to host the games.

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While some complain that hosting the Olympics is an expensive venture, Philadelphia Sports Congress Executive Director Larry Needle says the pros far outweigh the cons.

Needle: Tens of thousands of international visitors go to those cities years after the event. And certainly beyond that when you look at the kind of infrastructure improvements that you have an opportunity to make as a city and a region. And when you look at something that could in the short-term be an Olympic village and ultimately could be a whole new neighborhood or a re-birth of a neighborhood.

Needle says officials are working to improve the city’s odds of hosting the games in the future by drawing more international visitors, and by hosting more international sporting events. He says it’s too early to tell if the city will compete to host the 2020 Games.