Boston 2024 released plenty of documents detailing the specifics of the city’s Olympic bid, but voters are still looking for a referendum.
The committee came out with hundreds of pages of documents last week that outline the logistics, as well as the cost, of having a Summer Olympics in the Hub. Boston 2024 president Dan O’Connell said he believes there’s a “strong majority in support for these games,” per Metro.
However, a MassINC Polling Group survey shows otherwise.
While the poll does show support for the Olympics, it’s not so much a “strong majority.” Fifty-one percent of those surveyed were in support of the bid, but an overwhelming 75 percent wanted a referendum. Opponents would need to gather tens of thousands of signatures to get a question about the Olympics on an upcoming ballot.
Projections estimate that the games would cost $4.7 billion. Boston 2024 released most of the budget specifics, withholding certain information due to how it might affect future negotiations.
“That’s the kind of thing that we’ve taken out,” O’Connell said, via Metro. “We need to have a truly competitive process at the best price.”
Potential venues include a 60,000-seat stadium on Widett Circle where the South End meets South Boston. Local colleges would also get in on the action, with Harvard hosting tennis, MIT having archery on its front lawn and Boston University holding badminton.
