The poll, conducted by independent company Sage Consulting, showed that 40 per cent are opposed to the bid, while five per cent remain undecided, with full details of the findings available here. 

Boston was chosen as the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) bid city for the 2024 Games ahead of San Francisco, Washington D.C and Los Angeles earlier this month. 

Interestingly, the same poll, in which 1,600 residents were surveyed, showed that 61 per cent would be in opposition if "tax dollars" - which can be taken to mean public funding - are used.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh believes the event could potentially pay for itself owing to broadcast fees, corporate sponsorship and ticket sales.

They have also pledged that no public money will be used other than to pay for upgrading current infrastructure, such as roads, and a key theme of the bid is to use current stadiums and facilities in order to keep costs to a minimum.

Boston was chosen as USOC's bid city for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games last week ©Getty Images



But many feel not using tax money will be impossible in the current age of increased security, with Boston still feeling the impact of the bombing during the 2013 Boston Marathon which tragically left three dead and hundreds of others injured.

The poll comes after a first meeting of opposition group No Boston Olympics, which was attended by around 100 people, a fairly minimal number considering the city has a population of almost 650,000.

The meeting, which took place in a Boston church, gave those against bringing the Games to the city a chance to discuss the potential problems of hosting, including runaway budgets, traffic and also a perceived lack of transparency by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Bid Committee.

But rather than claiming the city is incapable of hosting the Games, the group members believe there are many other more pressing issues which should come first, deeming the Olympic bid a luxury the city cannot afford.  

The group No Boston Olympics held their first meeting earlier this week which was attended by more than 100 people ©No Boston 2024



Time will tell whether this opposition movement becomes more sustained, and affects the early local optimism behind the bid which the Sage Consulting poll indicates. 

Rome is the only other confirmed candidate to have so far entered the race, although Germany is reportedly preparing to put forward either Berlin or Hamburg.

Paris, Budapest, Istanbul, Doha and Baku are also thought to be considering bids, while South Africa is potentially preparing a nationwide bid in what would be an Olympic first.

The winning bid will be announced at the IOC Session in Lima in September 2017, with the deadline for applications coming on September 15 following the opening of an eight month long invitation phase by the IOC on Thursday (January 15). 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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