Representatives of all three cities bidding for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are in Madrid this week lobbying for their bids at a sports convention of winter and summer sports federation presidents. But it seems as if there’s more interest in the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports that Egon Winkler, head of the Salzburg bid, acknowledges that “everyone seems to be talking about 2012”.
And representatives from Vancouver and Pyeongchang are also being asked about the Summer Games.
A senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member told AFP, “although a summer bid always has some effect on a winter bid, this time it is close to dominating the winter campaign”.
The problem for the 2010 bidders is that the 2012 Summer race appears to be a battle between some of Europe’s biggest cities against New York. Paris is to officially announce its candidacy next week and it is rumoured that London will make an official bid by the end of the month. Madrid, Moscow and Leipzig have already announced they are bidding.
Vancouver 2010’s President and CEO Jack Poole is hoping that Vancouver can cash in on the strong number of European candidates. AFP says Poole argues that a vote for Vancouver in July would almost certainly destroy New York’s hopes and give 2012 to a European city. “A Vancouver win would clear the deck for Europe,” said Poole.
Senior IOC officials admit that it is virtually impossible for both the 2010 and 2012 Games to go to North America.
Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said that the only thing certain about the 2010 and 2012 battle was that one of them would go to North America. “The question is, which Games”, he said.
According to AFP there is a large anti-U.S. sentiment among IOC members, always voiced privately and never in public. And several senior members admit that the idea of sinking New York by voting for Vancouver has a certain appeal.
Toronto is waiting in the wings, should Vancouver somehow lose the 2010 race. Its anticipated Toronto would then jump into the fray just before the July 15 deadline for cities announcing a 2012 bid.
