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Boston 2024 Plans To Host Sailing In New Bedford

Sailing on Buzzards Bay in Cape Cod. (Courtesy Bruce Tuten/Flickr)
Sailing on Buzzards Bay in Cape Cod. (Courtesy Bruce Tuten/Flickr)

Buzzards Bay in New Bedford will be the site of Olympic and Paralympic sailing, should Boston host the 2024 Summer Games.

Boston 2024 CEO Richard Davey and New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell made the announcement Thursday — the first in a series of new venue announcements planned by the group organizing the local Olympic bid.

Organizers say hosting sailing in Buzzards Bay could help revitalize New Bedford’s Fort Taber, which would serve as a viewing area for spectators and the location for medal ceremonies.

In a statement, Mitchell said he felt the city could strengthen Boston's bid.

"We made our case, pledged our partnership, and asked 2024 to evaluate our proposal on the merits," Mitchell said. "I can’t say enough about the level of responsiveness and engagement of Boston 2024. The more we learned what Boston 2024 sought in a sailing venue and they learned about what the City had to offer, the more this change came to make perfect sense."

Boston 2024 met with the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland last week and is currently developing the next phase of its concept for the games — which is slated to include venue plans and more details on the bid. The private nonprofit plans to release an updated version of its bid this month.

As bid organizers further develop their Olympic plans, Cambridge-based consulting firm The Brattle Group has been tapped to review the bid, state leaders announced Monday. The firm will evaluate infrastructure, financing, the economic impact to the state and taxpayer responsibilities.

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Headshot of Zeninjor Enwemeka

Zeninjor Enwemeka Senior Business Reporter
Zeninjor Enwemeka is a senior business reporter who covers business, tech and culture as part of WBUR's Bostonomix team, which focuses on the innovation economy.

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