While the athletes are competing for medals in Sydney, the 2008 candidate cities are competing for votes, including the two frontrunners Beijing and Toronto.
Beijing’s brochures have been called slick and attractive while Toronto’s brochures are “forgettable”. John Bitove, CEO of Toronto’s bid calls fancy literature “junk mail” that IOC members don’t read.
China held a posh party for IOC delegates in Sydney, something the Canadian Olympic Association has not matched.
Beijing bidders claim they are “born-again” environmentalists, an IOC criteria for staging the Games. The Chinese government pledges $18 billion (Can.) in environmental cleanup, an amount four times what it says it will spend on staging the Games.
As for public support, another IOC criteria, Beijing is covered with flags and pennants declaring support for the 2008 bid.
Meanwhile, Toronto’s objectives were to meet as many of the 127 voting IOC members as possible, establish the city as the “sports and athletes bid” and “re-establish Toronto in people’s minds as fun and exciting”.
An example of “fun city” are the moose that have been very popular and are attracting local and international media coverage.
