Salzburg governor Gabi Burgstaller told reporters following Salzburg’s elimination in the first round of voting for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, “we had hoped to make the second round. I just can’t explain it. There was a discussion in the past days here about money. Salzburg cannot take part in that. We have to allow for the decision to sink in, but the disappointment is great”.
Reuters reports a tearful Salzburg Mayor Heinz Schaden hugged colleagues and struggled for words to describe the result. He said, “give me a few minutes. Not now”. Later Schaden said it’s unlikely that Salzburg will give it a third tray. “We will let others lead the way now”, he told The Korea Times.
When asked whether he thinks the Olympic bidding process has turned into a battle of money and politics Schaden said, “I don’t want to comment on the other candidates. We just hoped that a lot of IOC members would appreciate what we could bring to the Olympic Games and movement. But it wasn’t that day”.
While questioning the thinking behind the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to select Sochi, Austrian Prime Minister Alfred Gusenbauer said Salzburg did its best. He said, “I am convinced that the concept we presented was the absolute best. Other reasons came into play. We made Austria proud and it was a great advertisement for our country”.
Meanwhile AFP reports Austria’s media reacted bitterly and with disappointment Thursday. One newspaper headline read “Putin snatched the Olympics from us”, while another said, “Putin bought the 2014 Olympics”, adding that “Salzburg’s bid of the hearts”, had no chance against its rivals’ Olympic billions”. Another said “the best candidate did not win”, adding that the International Olympic Committee had forgotten its ideals and now only looked up to “money, money, money and television, i.e. money again”.
Salzburg 2014 issued a press release which said “during its two-year campaign Salzburg 2014 was working hard and diligently towards one sole date: 4 July – that day, on which the IOC would make its decision of which city would have the honour to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2014”.
The statement quotes President and Chairman Heinz Schaden saying “we would like to congratulate the team of Sochi on being awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2014. The IOC members have made their choice and we have to accept it”.
Schaden thanked the Salzburg 2014 team and all its supporters in the statement, adding “we have to realize that the IOC members have chosen a completely different Games concept, but, we can fly home from Guatemala with pride into our campaign and with our heads held high”.
