Boston Bid Solidifies Plan for Outer Olympic Venues

(ATR) Three of the venues not in Boston for a possible 2024 Olympics have been finalized.

Boston 2024 says indoor cycling will be housed in Somerville, Massachusetts, while boxing and rowing will take place in Lowell, Massachusetts, according to a report from the Boston Globe on Feb. 1.

Somerville is connected to Boston by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority "T" railroad and would host a 5,000-seat velodrome.

"We shouldn’t just be planning for a three-week party," Joseph Curtatone, mayor of Somerville, told the Boston Globe.

"We need to think of what this region is going to be like, and how the Games themselves can be a transformative event for the region."

Curatone said he has not received a final version of the plans for the velodrome, despite Boston 2024 announcing the venue.

Dan O’Connell, former president of Boston 2024, told reporters on Jan. 21 that rowing events would take place in Lowell, but the final boxing venue had not been finalized.

Now, Olympic boxing will be contested in the 7,800-seat Tsongas Center in Lowell.

The arena is located near a commuter rail station in Lowell that connects directly with Boston, a necessity for a bid that touts ease of transportation.

"The infrastructure is in place, access is in place, and we’re ready to go," Rodney Elliott, Lowell mayor, said to the Globe.

"I think it would be a real economic boon. It would bring thousands of tourists."

Written by Aaron Bauer

Homepage photo: Getty Images

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