Is the land of 10,000 lakes up to hosting an international event like the Olympics? Today, Ely, our small northern Minnesota town known as the Gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, threw its hat in the ring for the 2016 Summer Games.
Can we do that? Why not? Sure, there are already four cities “officially” competing for that right – Chicago, Rio, Madrid and Tokyo – but the decision isn’t being made until October 2, 2009, so why not make room for an underdog? Do those other cities have something to fear from Ely? Maybe.
Obviously, our air is cleaner, there’s less crime up here, and with 1.3 million acres of pristine northern Minnesota wilderness surrounding the city, there’s plenty of room to fit the ten or eleven thousand athletes and a million or so fans expected in 2016.
And the whole town is into it. We’ve got a huge banner up across Highway 1 when you drive into Ely. There are planning committees set up. There are t-shirts being printed, signs in the stores, an online petition, and more.
I think this thing could take off. What do you think? Let’s talk about it.
See the kick-off press conference at www.ely2016.com or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh8WRoVX8tg
Join us on Twitter. http://twitter.com/ely2016
Join our Facebook Group “Ely2016” http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=9a7b1995e45c151f03bc68b9379e436c&gid=69588770101
I’ll be here blogging all summer. Check back for updates. Wait until you hear what we have in mind for an Olympic Stadium!
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