According to Agence France Presse (AFP) Vancouver is firmly positioned as the favourite to become the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. AFP says Vancouver is the name that comes to the fore when the talk goes to Wednesday’s vote.
But if one can believe all the rumours being circulated IOC members see it going to a second round in a close run battle against Salzburg.
Vancouver 2010 head Jack Poole was quick to dismiss talk of favourites saying Vancouver officials didn’t know where they stood.
Meanwhile Igor Winkler, head of Salzburg 2010 said, “I’m hearing the talk. I’m well aware it will be very close”.
AFP reports that Winkler knows he has the backing of former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch who has been working the phones for the last week to move votes towards Austria. When Samaranch was head of the IOC he favoured Beijing which ultimately won the 2008 bid over Toronto.
Winkler said, “I am quietly confident but I know we have to work up to the last moment”.
The strategies of the two bid cities are quite different. AFP reports that Winkler is rarely out of the hotel lobby, grasping any fleeting chance to push the bid, while Vancouver officials are keeping a low profile, limiting their time in the lobby.
As for Pyeongchang, downtown Prague is bedecked in flags carrying the name of Korean electronic giant Samsung, one of the IOC’s top sponsors. AFP says its part of a move to try and raise the profile of the little-known Pyeongchang. This has prompted one senior European IOC member to say, “I’m not sure how ethical it is”.
Kim Jin-sun, the executive president of Pyeongchang 2010, said the strategy for Wednesday’s presentation is simply doing the best, as he and his bid committee have done in the past, without plotting any last-stage tactics.
“We don’t have a hidden card, but will focus on presenting what we have in a sincere manner. We will try to appeal for votes with logical and emotional messages, displaying our will and devotion to host the Olympics as well as the overall support from the people and the government”, he said.
Some critics say the fact that Pyeongchang’s presentation is last is advantageous, since the IOC members might have fresher memories of its bid.
Gerhard Heiberg, head of the IOC Evaluation Commission which inspected all three bid cities said, “yes, it may be positive (for Pyeongchang) since the last one will sit best in the heads of the IOC members. But in principle it shouldn’t play any role”.
He added, “I think presentations are very important. If they are not good enough, they will lose votes. If they are good enough, they will win some votes”.
