A top Florida official is actually lobbying the International Olympic Committee so that the next Games can be moved to his state if they are canceled in Tokyo.
Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, wrote to the IOC on Monday asking the organization to relocate the 2021 Games – which have already been postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic – to Florida if they are canceled or postponed again.
He cited a recent report that Japanese authorities had already decided to cancel the Games entirely because of the coronavirus, although the IOC completely denied the accuracy of that report.
“There is still time to send a site selection team to Florida to meet with state and local officials about hosting the Olympics in the State of the Sun,” wrote Patronis. “I would like to have the opportunity to introduce Florida and help you make the right contacts to do this.”
Patronis argued that Florida’s “ample hotel capacity and well-maintained transportation network” could enable the Games to be successfully held, and that there are “12 major universities with existing sports facilities”.
“I think it is more important, however, that we have a state with leaders willing to do that,” wrote Patronis.
Could Florida logistically host the 2021 Olympics?
Do not.
The IOC is not only committed to hosting the Games in Tokyo – and has said repeatedly that there is no “Plan B” in place for another location – but the Olympics are expected to start in about six months. It is almost certain that it is impossible to plan a world event in that time.
It would also need full support from the federal government to withdraw it, and even then it would be very, very unlikely.
Or, as Santa Cruz economist and Olympic impact expert Victor Matheson said, Patronis’s plan is “totally crazy.”
“The idea that just because Florida has a lot of hotels they could host an entire Olympic event in six months is absolutely crazy,” Matheson told the Huffington Post.
The other big problem that Matheson pointed out is, obviously, the coronavirus.
Not only does the United States lead the rest of the world in confirmed cases and deaths, but Florida had the third highest number of cases among any state in the country, according to The New York Times. The state has repeatedly been a hotspot for the virus and has often ignored or failed to enforce the necessary social distance rules and other precautions.
From a coronavirus point of view, Matheson said, hosting the Games in Florida would be “frighteningly stupid”.
“Let’s be honest here: if Tokyo is not safe enough due to COVID to host the event, there is no way in a million years that Florida is safe enough to host the event,” he said, via the Huffington Post. “It simply means that Tokyo really cares whether it wants a mass superspring event in its city, while Florida does not.”
Is the IOC thinking about changing the Tokyo Olympics?
Do not.
While Matheson and other Florida officials can discuss their ability to run the Games as much as they want, this is the most important part of the puzzle.
The IOC is moving forward with the Tokyo Olympics.
“At the moment, we have no reason to believe that the Tokyo Olympics will not start on July 23 at the Tokyo Olympic stadium,” IOC President Thomas Bach told Kyodo News last week. “That is why there is no Plan B, and that is why we are fully committed to making these Games safe and successful.”
Now, the Olympics may end up being postponed or canceled for several reasons. Japan is currently experiencing a further increase in coronavirus cases, and a January survey found that 77% of Japanese citizens are in favor of canceling or postponing the Games again.
At this point, however, any conversation about reprogramming is premature.
“We have not received any information suggesting that the Games will not take place as planned, and our focus remains on the health and fitness of US Team athletes before this summer’s Games,” the US Team said in a statement last week.
While there are many doubts surrounding the upcoming Olympics, one thing is clear: Florida will not host them, no matter how hard the authorities put pressure.
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