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| Olympic bid logo Detroit Free Press File Photo Photo Credit |
Though delayed by a year, the 2020 Olympics have come and gone. The final results have been received from Tokyo, and there remains one event that the City of Detroit continues to hold an Olympic record. Detroit's application to host the games has been rejected more times than any other country. Nine if you're still counting.
The dream of Detroit hosting the 1968 games begins with Fred Matthaei. His leadership drove efforts to host the games in 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972. Detroit's closest lose was in 1968, when the games were awarded to Mexico City. That year's heart breaking story is recounted in David Maraniss's Once in a Great City: A Detroit City.
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| Cover of Special report by the Detroit News, September 15, 1963. Detroit Historical Society Photo Credit |
THE DREAM BEGINS AGAIN
Detroit's 1968 application was solidified with a vote by the US Olympic Committee. A 32-4 vote dodged a west coast challenge from Los Angeles. This first hurdle locked two of the fifty-nine International Olympic Committee (IOC) votes for Detroit. Lock number one was President of the IOC, Avery Brundage, who was born in Detroit. Lock number two was Chairman of the Detroit Olympic Committee, Douglas Roby, a Detroiter who played football at Michigan and with professional connections with Fred Matthaei. A third vote remained unlocked since it was to be cast by Jewett Garland of Los Angeles. It was unclear if his allegiance would shift to Detroit.
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| In a 1963 photo, Kenneth L. Wilson, President of the Olympic Committee (left), Michigan Gov. George Romney (center), and Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh stand around an artist's drawing of the proposed Olympic stadium Detroit. // Photograph courtesy of Richard Bak Photo Credit |
THE DETROIT DELEGATION
The focus now turned to Detroit's presentation to the IOC. To close the deal, a delegation led by Matthaei was assembled and sent to Baden Baden, Germany. In addition to Matthaei, Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh and newly elected Governor George Romney joined the delegation. And to address the ongoing civil rights concerns, African-Americans Judge Wade H. McCree* and Councilman William Patrick** also joined the delegation.
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| An artist's rendering of Olympic Stadium Photo Credit |
THE VENUES
The presentation highlighted a new 110,000-seat Olympic stadium to be built at the Detroit Fairgrounds and funded by $25 million authorized by the State Legislature. And to deal with the stadium's distance from Detroit's downtown, an unfunded monorail system was proposed to be built. Leading Detroit's design credentials were architects Louis Rossetti and Oscar Stonorov.
Additional venues scattered throughout the City included: Cobo Arena, Tiger Stadium, Olympia Stadium, Brodhead Armory, the Light Guard Armory on 8 Mile Road, University of Detroit and Wayne State University athletic facilities, Lake St. Clair, Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Brennan Pools at Rouge Park and the Bloomfield Open Hunt Club in Bloomfield Hills. New construction included an Olympic Village adjacent to the campus of Wayne State, a Shooting Range and Rowing & Canoeing Facility added to Belle Isle and a new Velodrome to be constructed at the State Fair Grounds. [See blog on The Dorais Park Velodrome that was actually completed in 1969]
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| An artist's rendering of monorail system at Olympic stadium Photo Credit |
THE PRESENTATIONS
Detroit was the third city to present after Lyon, France and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The theme of Detroit's Presentation: "The City asks not what the Olympics can do for Detroit, but rather what can Detroit do to further the Olympic ideal" played on President Kennedy's words during his 1960 campaign visit. Matthaei, Mayor Cavanaugh and Governor Romney took turns presenting. By film, President Kennedy offered Detroit's official invitation. Global track star Rafer Johnson filmed an endorsement. The presentation was interrupted by applause 12 times. And according to Maraniss's account, was considered the best presentation the IOC had ever seen.
Film submitted by Detroit in 1965 as part of its bid to host the Olympic games in 1968. Produced by Detroit based Jam Handy Company
King Rose Archives
The final city, Mexico City, presented last. Four well prepared speakers with no visuals argued their case. The words conveyed their city's history, abilities and facilities, it's $2.80 per diem (undercutting Detroit by 20 cents) and a medical explanation of its altitude having no effect on athletes. Finally, they argued for the enduring message it would send the world by awarding the games to Latin America, a place that had never hosted the games.
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| Proposed design for Olympic village Photo credit |
THE VOTE
Fifty-nine votes were distributed among members of the IOC: Europe - 34 (27 free world, 7 iron curtain). Asia - 9. Africa - 5. North and Central America - 8. Australia and New Zealand - 3.
Fifty-eight votes were cast in the final vote: Mexico City 30, Detroit 14, Lyon 12, Buenos Aires 2. Detroit was one vote shy of a second round. Detroit had lost the entire Soviet bloc, a few European votes and one of three US votes. Yes, Los Angeles continued to hold their grudge against Detroit.
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| What if Detroit hosted the 1968 Olympics? detroitisdifferent.com Photo Credit |
WHAT IF?
But what if Detroit won the 1968 games? Would the 1967 rebellion have happened? Would the city's racial divisions temporarily healed through the common goal of hosting the games? How would Tommie Smith's and John Carlos's glove-fist power salutes have played if it was in Detroit? Would the Detroit Lions have stayed in Detroit instead of moving to Pontiac in 1975? Would Detroit have a modern transit system?
These are questions that have no definitive answers. But I have to believe, that with the world's eyes focused on Detroit, with so many promises of renewal and modernization, that the trajectory of Detroit's job and population lost would have at least slowed, if not stopped. A guarantee of Olympic construction and infrastructure projects would have infused the City with new jobs. And with international exposure, Detroit would have been spared its current inability to attract the attention of tax generating businesses. And would the city's promise to live the Olympic ideal, by focusing the City's population on one goal, have prevented the 1967 rebellion? Would the Tiger's 1968 World Series win capped a summer of racial unity instead of division? Maybe. If only we had a time machine to find out.
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| *1968 Detroit Olympic Delegation Member Judge Wade H. McCree would be the first African-American appointed as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the second African-American United States Solicitor General in the history of the United States. Photo Credit |
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| **1968 Detroit Olympic Delegation member William Patrick was the first African-American elected to the Detroit City Council, formerly known as the Detroit Common Council, in 1957. Photo Credit |
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Maraniss, David, Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story, Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2015.
Stanton, Zack, "How Detroit Almost Hosted the '68 Olympics", Zack Stanton Blog, December 17, 2013.
Szymanski, Stefan, "Going for Gold: Detroit's nine attempts to get Olympics came up empty", Detroit Free Press, July 30, 2016.
"The Sports City", Detroit Historical Society Blog, July 9, 2012
Vachon, Paul, "Detroit's Failed Bid to Host the 1968 Olympics", Hour Detroit, June 20, 2012.
