Because no one understands the difference between a prank and just lying on April Fools Day, a University of Hawaii news site reported Monday that Honolulu is planning to submit a bid for the 2024 Olympics. Totally hilarious.
The story claimed that Mayor Pete Carlisle – who is the real mayor of Honolulu – said, “If the IOC is interested in making a non-traditional choice for 2024, we think Honolulu is the city to beat.”
Which I guess is a joke… kind of. I mean, it fooled some semi-legitimate news sources. But that statement actually makes sense, and got me thinking: Why not Honolulu for the 2024 Olympics? The USOC didn’t send one of its 35 letters to Honolulu, but who doesn’t want to go to Hawaii for the Games? And, as a go-to tourist destination, what amenities do they not already have available?
The USOC’s requirements to host the Games include 45,000 hotel rooms (check), an international airport (boom), a workforce of more than 200,000 people (probably), and public transit (we’ve got a decade). But Hawaii could probably win the 2024 Olympics bid based simply on perfect weather, a location people already want to go to, and places to play sports in public. And we could add surfing.
The story also argued that places like London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Paris were “hogging” all the Games, and it’s time to give other cities a chance. Like Honolulu (also: Istanbul). Which seems fair.
So Phoenix still gets my vote, mostly for being the location of my birth and the best place to watch a sporting event in America. But once everyone shoots me down for it being too hot, I think the next logical decision is Honolulu. Who’s with me?
