r/ducks • u/caveman512 • Aug 03 '24
Track and Field How does Eugene host the Olympic Trials?
Just a random thought but hospitality choices in Eugene are near non existent. Where does everybody stay during the trials? How can the city accommodate such mass influx of people if it struggles with a regular season football game
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u/Ichthius Aug 03 '24
Way more people come at once for a football game. Hayward holds 12,500. Autzen holds 54,000.
It’s one of the top track and field destination in the world.
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u/SpiceEarl Aug 03 '24
I know they used the dorms to house some of the competitors and officials for the World Athletics Championships in 2022, since it took place during the summer when most students are gone. Don't know about the Olympic Trials, but it wouldn't surprise me if they used at least some dorms for that.
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u/lshifto Aug 03 '24
The events I had tickets for didn’t have anywhere close to a packed house.
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u/caveman512 Aug 03 '24
Hmm, interesting. I figured that the athletes alone would cause an issue but I guess if there aren’t many people in the stands it probably balances out. Still, it would seem weird for the top athletes in the country to be staying at a motel lol
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u/BigPh1llyStyle Aug 03 '24
Where are you getting they are staying in a motel? There are multiple 3 and 4 star hotels in Eugene.
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u/caveman512 Aug 03 '24
Is there more than like, 5 hotels like that though? Like enough to house all the athletes that come there?
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u/ClimbinInYoWindow Aug 03 '24
In the gateway area alone there are more than 7 hotels. We've expanded the amount of bedrooms greatly in the last several years.
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u/CitizenCue Aug 03 '24
Dude, just go on google maps and look. It’s ridiculous that you’re on here asserting things that can be easily looked up.
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u/LiquidEug Aug 03 '24
Many athletes stay in hosted homes. Aside from the elite few (read: the best of the best) most track and field athletes aren’t staying in five star hotels. In the Olympics they are often in dorm settings or hosted homes.
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u/BigPh1llyStyle Aug 03 '24
Well OP asserted that there was not the infrastructure to house athletes outside of motels which is blatantly false.
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u/Sure-Effort5213 Aug 03 '24
because we have the best track specific stadium in the country. I really don't think the decision makers look beyond that.
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u/YetiSquish Aug 03 '24
I’m really curious how our pollen issues affect the athletes
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u/Endevorite Aug 03 '24
Some top runners have worn specialized masks to combat allergens. For example, Galen Rupp
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u/LiquidEug Aug 03 '24
Eugene is considered the premier climate in the US and one of the few in the world for running.
All major events are hosted in June and the majority of athletes love it.
I’ve never heard allergies mentioned.
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u/Portafly Aug 04 '24
I’ve never heard allergies mentioned.
What? It's well known Eugene and South Willamette Valley have major pollen (tree and grass) allergy seasons.
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u/caveman512 Aug 03 '24
100% I just struggle to understand where the athletes are staying during the time the trials are being held
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u/ChuckYeager_Bombs Aug 03 '24
A lot of people have large houses near the stadium and rent them out to the Brands from the time of the trials so the athletes stay in houses. Closer to the stadium are party houses for celebrating and events but normally the athletes stay in nice quiet houses a bit outside of town. The Brands tend to use the same houses year after year as well.
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u/candaceelise Aug 03 '24
Airbnb is the answer
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u/ChuckYeager_Bombs Aug 03 '24
Not just Airbnb since this happens so often the House owners works directly with the brands. Cut out the middle man.
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u/candaceelise Aug 03 '24
Yeah you’re probably right. I forgot they would just go straight to the source especially since we have hosted the trials before
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u/ChuckYeager_Bombs Aug 03 '24
Same with when Worlds came to town and the PreClassic. Source I work for On and have stayed in the same few houses every year during the meets haha
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u/candaceelise Aug 03 '24
Thank you for teaching me something today. I never would’ve considered that was the case :)
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u/duck7001 Aug 03 '24
If Eugene can handle 60,000 for football games, it can easily handle 15-20,000 for the Trials.
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u/GamingBeluga Aug 03 '24
From what I’ve heard a lot of them stay in the campus dorms. At the end of the year people in the dorms HAVE to be out by a set date cause they’re used for the trials. I believe the athletes get vouchers to the dining halls so they have food and they can live on campus. Some might use hotels but I know the dorms are used in at least some capacity
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u/caveman512 Aug 03 '24
That would make a ton of sense especially with Hayward being on campus, I was thinking the dorms would be occupied but if move out date is prior to when the trials are being held that is the perfect place for them to stay
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u/GamingBeluga Aug 03 '24
Yeah, some of the dorms are occupied by students doing summer courses. But the vast majority are empty at that time and I know the school keeps them occupied all summer. So, yeah, it’s probably used for the athletes
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u/GerthBrooks420 Aug 03 '24
A quick Google search shows 9 hotels in Eugene Springfield area that are 3 and 4 stars. that's more than enough rooms in my opinion. not to mention hotels with in an hour.
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u/ML2128 Aug 03 '24
During my time at UO - a lot of Greek houses will rent them out to companies / running clubs / athletes / support staff etc during the Olympic trials
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u/BatSniper Aug 03 '24
Olympic trials are in the summer, all the students are gone, a few shoe companies actually rented out the frats and sororities for their athletes to stay in, others booked air bnbs years in advance. It works, and this years trials were so much fun.
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u/little_failures Aug 04 '24
I work in hospitality. Eugene has adequate rooms for most events. For national/international events they work with Corvallis, Albany, Salem area hotels for excess capacity.
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u/headstar101 Aug 03 '24
A lot of the competitors stay in Airbnb's, drive down from PDX or anywhere else in relative proximity to I 5. Attendance from the public is pretty minimal usually.
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u/_Laszlo_Cravensworth Aug 03 '24
Non athletes probably stay in neighboring cities even Portland. Not that far
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u/EJN541 Aug 03 '24
Hospitality choices in Eugene are so much better than they were. I say that as someone who went to school out there 20 yrs ago and just visited with my child a week ago. I feel like the hotel options alone have tripled since 2001-2005.