5 Cities That Should Host an Olympics
Whether it be the Summer or Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has often chosen some of the largest and most-visited cities in the world to host the games. However, there have been some notable cities that have been left off ever since the Olympics started moving to different cities at the start of the 20th century.
Which cities are the most egregious omissions to the list of hosts, though? Here are our picks for five cities that should host an Olympics. Some cities that just missed the cut include Chicago (United States), Auckland (New Zealand), Brussels (Belgium), and Cairo (Egypt).
Toronto, Canada
Canada has been the host to the Olympics three times, with the first coming in 1976 when Montreal hosted the summer games. 12 years later, Calgary hosted the country’s first-ever Winter Olympics, and Vancouver became the second in 2010. However, the largest city in the entire country hasn’t hosted the Olympics in any season. That doesn’t mean that Toronto hasn’t at least tried, though.
The first time that Toronto tried to host the games came in 1960, but the city ultimately lost out to Rome. Toronto then tried again in 1964, 1976, 1996, and 2008, and each time was passed over. At this point, it doesn’t seem that Toronto is even all that interested in hosting the Olympics. The city has said that putting together a full bid and playing into the hands of the IOC isn’t at the top of their list.
New York City, United States
Just like Canada, the United States has never hosted the Olympics in its largest city. This comes as a huge surprise to many as the country has hosted the games more than any other country, and New York City certainly has the infrastructure to pull it off. However, the closest that the Big Apple has gotten to hosting an Olympics was when the 1980 Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid.
The bid for the 2012 Olympics nearly went to New York City, but the IOC ultimately decided to have the games in London. Some speculate that the city is simply too packed for the Olympics as it is, but cities with high population density have hosted before. There are still plenty of chances for New York, though, as the city ramps up for a 2036 bid.
Madrid, Spain
Spain is one of the most beautiful and visited countries in the world, but throughout the long history of the Olympics, it has been host to only one Olympiad. That came in 1992 when Spain hosted the summer games, but it wasn’t held in Spain’s largest city, but rather in Barcelona. The games proved that Spain was more than capable of hosting, so it should only be a matter of time before Madrid gets its chance.
Madrid has certainly been trying over the years, too. The city started bidding for the 2012 games and has continued to place a bid in for every Summer Olympics ever since then. Due to being passed over, city officials have talked about taking some time off and then preparing an all-in bid to finally land an Olympiad.
Delhi, India
The largest city in the world (Tokyo) has hosted multiple Olympics, but the second-largest city has not even come close. Delhi, India has a population of more than 28.5 million, which is nearly 3 million more than third-place Shanghai and 7 million more than fourth-place Sao Paulo. What has kept Delhi from hosting the Olympics is simply infrastructure.
Delhi city officials have been making improvements with hopes of one day hosting the Olympics, though. They know that stadiums need to be up-to-date and the city has to be easily accessible to visitors. Because of this, Delhi has high hopes that it will be the host of the 2048 Olympics, which would be the first in India.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina has a rich history of soccer, but the country has never played host to the Olympics. In fact, South America has only had one ever Olympics, and that came in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro, Brazil played host. The natural next step for the Olympics in the continent would be to come to Argentina.
When you come to Argentina, it makes sense to come to Buenos Aires. The city hasn’t really put in a serious bid for the Olympics just yet, but is working with other countries to possibly have a joint bid. However, Argentina is more focused on hosting another World Cup for now, so it could be a while for Buenos Aires.