U.S. Olympic Committee reaches out to Houston, other potential host cities

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston was among 35 cities across the United States to get a letter from the United States Olympic Committee detailing the requirements it must meet in order to be considered as a host for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The committee sent a letter to the mayors of the 25 largest cities/metropolitan areas in the United States, along with 10 other cities that have expressed interest, to gauge their commitment to fighting for a potential U.S. bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"Based on expected International Olympic Committee deadlines, we have 2+ years to decide whether we want to submit a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. We would like to begin having discussions with interested cities about possible bid themes as well as the infrastructure, financial resources and other assets that are required to host the Games," the committee said the letter. "Our objective in this process is to identify a partner city that can work with us to present a compelling bid to the IOC and that has the right alignment of political, business and community leadership. We are seeking a partner that understands the value of the Olympic Games and the legacy that can be created not only for their community, but for our country."

Among the many requirements are:

• 45,000 hotel rooms
• An Olympic Village that sleeps 16,500 and has a 5,000-person dining hall
• Operations space for over 15,000 media and broadcasters
• An international airport that can handle thousands of international travelers per day
• Public transportation service to venues
• Roadway closures to allow exclusive use for Games-related transportation
• A workforce of up to 200,000

The city of Houston says it has not yet received the letter so it cannot yet comment.

The committee still has more than two years to decide whether it wants to submit a U.S. bid.
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