Detroit and the Olympics
by Dave Weller
I never realized that the city of Detroit has bid many times to host the Olympic games. They bid on the Summer Olympics 7 times – in 1944, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972. Their best chance of securing the Olympics was in 1968. Detroit was selected over Los Angeles, by the USOC, in the right to bid for the games. They then came in second place to the winner, Mexico City.
Detroit holds the distinction of having the most bids, while failing to win the rights to host the games even once.
The Detroit Olympic Committee put together a promotional film called Detroit: City on the Move, in 1965, that was presented to the International Olympic Committee in their failed 1968 bid. The film, divided into 2 parts can be seen below.
