Eight cities are pursuing the opportunity of hosting the 13th IOC Olympic Congress in 2009, an event that will contain two high profile elections and meetings that could reshape the world of sports. Among them is Copenhagen, a city that has been working hard to attract major events, both sporting and non-sporting, to the city.
Copenhagen last bid for an Olympic event two years ago – the 2007 IOC Session that was eventually won by Guatemala City. But this time the stakes are higher and it is clear the City has bumped up its efforts making a serious run at the prize. The Danish Ministry of Culture and Sport as well as the City of Copenhagen have retained bid marketing experts TSE Consulting to pursue sporting events for the city, and the Congress bid is one of them.
Mayor Martin Geertsen told GamesBids.com that the bid is solidly backed by organizations within government and sport – it’s a joint effort by the City of Copenhagen and the country of Denmark.
The budget of just over USD 3 million is fully guaranteed and split equally among the Federal government, the City of Copenhagen and the National Olympic Committee.
When asked about a possible future Olympic bid, the President of Denmark’s National Olympic Committee and IOC Member Kai Holm told GamesBids.com that his organization was instead focused on winning the Congress bid and using that victory to contribute to the international Olympic movement.
“We hope this will be an opportunity for us to be part of the future of the Olympics.”
TSE Consulting has also been commissioned to produce a feasibility study of hosting major sporting events with the objective of bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
As far as hosting the 2009 Congress, the Copenhagen committee can easily fulfill all of the technical requirements and will only need to convince voting IOC members to embrace their city.
The bid has been very thorough in providing information for the IOC by creating a detailed bid book that has been modeled against a similar document used to bid for an Olympic Games. From motivation to transportation and accommodation – every detail has been considered.
The Bella Center has been identified as the main meeting facility, a venue that may already be known to many IOC and sports federation members for hosting the 2003 World Anti-Doping Conference. The facility is large and modern and has already booked conferences with more than 20,000 people – well in excess of the 7,500 expected at the IOC Congress.
Organizers have mapped out the planned use of every square meter for the Congress including what would be IOC President Jacques Rogge’s on-site office, a room that has reportedly been a favorite spot for Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. The large facility is also well equipped for the media with a modern communications infrastructure.
The Bella Center is a ten minute drive to the Copenhagen airport and just minutes from the City Center and several hotels. All points are connected by the Metro rail system as well. Last month the bid committee announced the planned construction of a hotel attached to the Congress centre that will be used to accommodate the Olympic family.
To top it off, the planned venue for the opening ceremonies is the famed Tivoli Gardens in the center of the city, and the Copenhagen Opera House.
The vote will take place in Torino on February 8th.
