International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach called Boston’s 2024 Olympic bid “very strong” in an interview with Bob Costas on the NBC Super Bowl XLIX pregame show Sunday.
“Bostonians are famous for their love for sport,” Bach said. “The colleges, the universities can serve as a great backdrop.”
Boston could face strong opposition from Paris, Berlin or Hamburg and (definitely) Rome in a 2017 IOC vote to choose the host city. The deadline for cities to file bids is September.
Boston faced some public resistance to the bid since chosen by the U.S. Olympic Committee on Jan. 8.
“If there would be 100 percent support by now, we would be very suspicious,” Bach said. “We are in a democratic country here. You will never have 100 percent support. On the other hand, somebody who is asking a question is not necessarily against [the bid].”
Bach also spoke about the Rio 2016 Olympics, which will be the first Games in South America and Bach’s first Summer Games since he was elected IOC president on Sept. 10, 2013.
“Maybe on the day of the Opening Ceremony, when we come to the stadium, we’ll still have the opportunity to thank some of the workers personally for the work they’re just doing to finish the stadium,” Bach said. “When we go out to the stands, we will be overwhelmed by the Brazilians’ hospitality, by their enthusiasm and love for sport.”
