International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said that because of timing New Zealand would not host a Winter Olympics.
Rogge was in Wellington Wednesday when he said while there would be no problem in splitting the Winter Games between say Aukland (for indoor events) and the South Island for alpine and other outdoor competitions, timing was the real issue.
He said, “while a July-August time frame would be feasible for the athletes, it would be impossible to stage the Games at that time because of the clash with FIFA’s World Cup soccer tournament.
“In most instances, the Winter Games are held in February – about six months before the World Cup. That allows broadcasters to cover both. Simply it is not feasible. That is a fact of life”, he said.
