TORONTO

Mayor John Tory met with the head of the Canadian Olympic Committee Tuesday for a briefing on the 2024 bid process, the Sun has learned.

Tory met privately at City Hall with COC president Marcel Aubut and Bob Richardson, the chief operating officer of Toronto’s 2008 Olympic bid. But Tory’s office says he still hasn’t made up his mind on whether Toronto should bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Last month, Aubut publicly vowed to push for a Toronto Olympic bid and said he was “confident” Tory would be able to get councillors on side.

As the clock ticks toward the Sept. 15 deadline for cities to express an interest to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in bidding on the 2024 games, Tory’s office confirmed the mayor is still doing his homework.

“The mayor was getting briefed on the changes to the bid process recently announced by the IOC as well as background on previous bid processes,” Tory’s spokesman Amanda Galbraith said Tuesday. “This is part of the consultation and due diligence the mayor committed to undertake.”

Galbraith stressed Tory has not made a decision on whether or not Toronto should bid on the Olympics for the third time.

“Toronto is in the midst of hosting the Parapan Am Games — part of the largest sporting event in Canadian history — he is focused on their success,” she said. “Any further discussion about a possible Olympic bid would take place after the close of these games.”

Richardson — who served as co-chair of Tory’s successful 2014 mayoral election campaign — described the meeting as a straightforward, informational meeting about how the bid process works now and how it worked during the 2008 bid.

Despite his involvement in the failed 2008 Olympic bid, Richardson said he hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll be involved in a possible 2024 bid.

“If it make sense to (bid), I would obviously be supportive, but there is still a lot of homework to do before you come up with making those sort of decisions,” he said.

COC spokesman Carl Vallee said Aubut is making good on his pledge to “use the full power of his office to lead and advocate Toronto’s candidacy to host the 2024 Olympic Games.”

“Toronto could truly benefit from this new era for bidding and hosting the Olympic Games,” Vallee said.

“The new IOC model under Olympic Agenda 2020 encourages — in a financially sustainable way — the use of existing facilities in communities surrounding the host city.”

don.peat@sunmedia.ca