WASHINGTON — The World Police and Fire Games was such a success that some Fairfax County supervisors mentioned Tuesday that it could serve as a precursor to the Olympics, now that Boston has dropped out of the bidding for the 2024 games.
Supervisors Cathy Hudgins and Penny Gross were mostly joking in their comments as the Board of Supervisors recognized organizers of the Fairfax 2015 games. But the games had been seen as a potential test event if an earlier Washington-area bid had moved forward.
“My only thought would be, ‘Boston has pulled out of the Olympics’,” Gross said at the meeting, drawing laughter from colleagues.
“I listened to the news last night, and I think we’ve stepped into another arena, and we might get there,” Hudgins said.
Visit Fairfax President and CEO Barry Biggar says conservative estimates put the economic impact of the Fairfax 2015 World Police and Fire Games at about $83 million for the Washington region based on the athletes and visitors who traveled here from outside the area.
The games drew about 10,000 total athletes and saw 6,000 volunteers register to help at venues across the area. About 70 percent of the venues for the games were in Fairfax County.
But Board Chair Sharon Bulova did not seem as excited to even entertain the idea of hosting the Olympics.
“All I can say is ‘ahhh’ after all of this,” she laughed.
The county is hoping to host the 2019 National Senior Games, which would again draw about 10,000 athletes to the area.
