Germany

San Francisco Sweetens U.S. Olympic Committee Bid With Oakland Stadium Proposal

The United States Olympic Committee on Thursday will decide which city can bid for the the 2024 Summer Games between four finalists: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington.

And San Francisco is hoping to sweeten the pot, to have the Opening and Closing ceremonies — and track-and-field events — at a hoped-for new stadium in Oakland. That stadium, in turn, could become home to the Oakland Raiders, a football team that has long wished for new digs. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news.

In a Thursday interview with NBC Bay Area, Schaaf said she hopes this future stadium could "leave a lasting legacy for a city like Oakland," and since the city is in dire need of new sports stadiums, "the timing couldn't be more perfect."

She said she and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee approached the USOC on Wednesday. Lee told NBC Bay Area, "I'm good with that," in reference to building a new stadium in Oakland.

Raiders spokesman Mike Taylor simply said he had "no comment" on the issue.

The original proposal from the San Francisco bid committee was to have a $350 million temporary stadium in Brisbane, where boxing would be at Cow Palace, gymnastics at the new Warrior’s stadium and weight lifting and fencing at the Moscone Center. The full map of proposed locations can be found on the San Francisco Olympic Committee's website. The entire Olympic complex is could cost up to $4 billion.

That would also include new swimming venue has been proposed for Pier 80 and the plan is to put 2,000 units for the Olympic Village at the Hunter’s Point shipyard.

The Raiders and East Bay officials have been trying for years to hammer out a new stadium proposal, with funding being a crucial sticking point, the Chronicle reported. The Olympics may provide the impetus and additional funding to get things done, although exactly how the financing would work is unresolved.

The United States hasn't hosted a Summer Games since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

The country's last two tries have been flops, with New York (2012) and Chicago (2016) each finishing fourth in voting. The USOC chose not to bid for the 2020 Games, which will take place in Tokyo.

The International Olympic Committee is expected to pick the host of the 2024 Games in 2017.

Contact Us