Orange County commissioners pledged to spend $35 million in public money to help Orlando host a future NBA All Star Week and the Olympic qualifying competitions in 2028 — if the Greater Orlando Sports Commission’s bids win hosting rights.
Commissioners, some recalling the positive impression of the NBA’s 2012 All-Star Game in City Beautiful, expressed excitement about the possibility of having a longer hoops festival, before voting unanimously to approve both conditional funding requests from their tourist-tax fund.
The board followed last week’s thumbs-up recommendations of the Tourist Development Council, an advisory panel of tourist industry figures whose members also include Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“Sounds great,” said commissioner Mayra Uribe, who worked in sports media in 2012. “I remember the athletes would go to the Florida Mall and literally the mall shutting down. Every local restaurant. Every local night club. You really become the place to be.”
‘Wow the world’: Orlando wants to spend $35 million to lure Olympics qualifying and NBA All-Stars
Commissioners asked some questions that needed more study: For instance, could restricted-use tourist-tax money be used to pay public-safety expenses that are not expressly considered to be tourist-promotional, the main reason the 6% surcharge on short-term lodging exists?
Chris Mueller, general manager of Hilton Orlando and a member of the Sports Commission’s advisory board, was among a handful of community leaders who endorsed the publicly-funded effort to bring both of the spectator events to Central Florida.
“These are not just sporting events, they are global platforms that place our destination on the world stage,” he said.
Former Olympic gold medalist sprinter Dennis Mitchell, now a coach of world-champion track athletes in Central Florida, also spoke up for the Sports Commission’s effort to bring the Olympic qualifying series to Orlando. The events Orlando is seeking don’t include sprints — Mitchell’s medal-winning specialty — but they offer an opportunity for the community to be part of the Olympic dream, he said.
A prelude to the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028, the Olympic series would bring athletes from 150 countries to compete in beach volleyball, BMX freestyle riding, flag football, skateboarding and sports climbing, some of which will be first-time Olympic sports.
“I think our children here across Orange County will identify with so many of these qualifying sports,” commissioner Nicole Wilson said, recalling how popular beach volleyball has become in recent years. “I am very supportive of the efforts, understanding that we are a destination that welcomes the world and we need to continue to make people realize this is not a geo-political conversation. It is really about our ethics, our morals, our open doors, our welcomeness and our compassion.”
The Sports Commission asked for $20 million to stage the weeklong NBA basketball showcase and $15 million for the Olympic qualifying competitions to pay for venue staffing, event security, public safety and other costs related to hosting the events.
Orlando has twice hosted the showcase event for the NBA’s stars — in 1992 and in 2012. It has since become a bigger, longer shindig.
Promoters of the game and its featured events, including skills competitions like the slam-dunk contest, say it draws large global broadcast audiences. An accompanying “fanfest,” which likely would be held at the Convention Center, could lure overnight guests.
No public money would be spent if the Sports Commission doesn’t win its bids.
shdak@orlandosentinel.com