Olympic athletes may one day compete in Minneapolis.

Mayor R.T. Rybak asked a city organization Wednesday to look into a possible bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The city has never hosted the Olympic Games.

Meet Minneapolis, which helped bring the Republican National Convention to St. Paul in 2008, is making preliminary explorations into the possibility, spokeswoman Kristen Montag said.

But several questions still need to be answered, she said.

“What would it take? What would we add to our infrastructure?”

Minneapolis’ bid is still “no more than an idea,” said John Stiles, a spokesman for Rybak.

The mayor believes Minneapolis is a world-class city capable of holding such an event, Stiles said. He charged Meet Minneapolis, which is partially city-funded, to evaluate whether a bid is possible.

City Councilman Don Samuels said Minneapolis has the sports facilities necessary to host such an event.

“I think it’s a great thing to explore,” Samuels said.

Other U.S. cities, including Dallas and Los Angeles, have also considered bidding for the Summer Olympics, according to local news outlets.

Minneapolis is “as equipped as anyone else,” said Kacey Guenther, a genetics, cell biology and development junior.

She added she thought a bid for the Winter Olympics may be better suited to the Minneapolis climate.

Candidate cities are evaluated on a number of criteria, including safety, transport and medical services and doping control, according to the International Olympic Committee website.

Cities must brief the committee on the technical aspects of their bid and answer any questions committee members have.

Montag said the organization would consult members of the Minneapolis business and hospitality industries when considering the feasibility of a bid.

The city will have to analyze the potential costs and benefits of making the bid, said Carly Vaagen, a neuroscience sophomore, to ensure the cost wouldn’t upset people.

“If I was in Minneapolis then, I’d definitely come,” she said.