Now that the International Olympic Committee has selected the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, several cities are pondering their future bids.
Taiwan should be confident enough to bid for the right to host the 2020 Summer Games, said its Premier Frank Hsieh.
Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting prior to the 2012 vote Hsieh said that he feels Taiwan should have the courage to join the race for the 2020 Games. “Seeing five of the world’s most glamorous cities contest hotly for the 2012 Olympics, I have some special feelings.
“Although Taiwan is small in geographic terms, it has enormous development potential”.
Munich’s head Mayor Christian Ude said that after London won the 2012 Summer Games Munich has hopes of bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
He said Munich’s chances have greatly improved because a German bid for the 2016 Summer Games is now extremely unlikely, adding that if a city from the Alps region should win the 2014 Winter Games, Munich would be out of the race.
Meanwhile there’s another German city considering an Olympic bid. Hamburg’s Mayor Ole von Beust said the city wants to bid for a future Olympic Games – either 2016, 2020, 2024 or 2028.
Toronto lost its bid for the 2008 Summer Games, which were awarded to Beijing. Now there are rumblings that perhaps the city would consider another bid.
Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said Wednesday he’d be happy to sit down with anyone who wants to see Toronto go after the 2016 Games.
Toronto 2008 bid leader John Bitove said it’s not out of the question for the city to bid for 2016, perhaps with an eye for another bid in 2020, but said it was up to Toronto’s Mayor and Ontario’s Premier. But the Globe and Mail reports that Toronto’s Mayor was not interested.
Mayor David Miller said after Toronto unsuccessfully pursued the 1996 and 2008 Games he didn’t think it was Toronto’s time.
The big problem for Toronto is that Vancouver, another Canadian city, is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and it’s not clear if the federal government would have the funds to go for the larger summer Games six years later.
But some cities have changed their minds about bidding. The Secretary-General of Kenya’s Olympic Committee said after London’s 2012 victory that Kenya was not ready to host the Olympics and should first go for Games like the 2007 cross country which they are now bidding for.
In January sports minister Ochillo Ayacko said that Kenya planned to bid for the 2016 Games and bring the Games to Africa for the first time.
The Flemish government’s hopes of staging the 2016 Games were dashed after London was awarded the 2012 Games because the IOC will not award Olympic Games to another European city immediately after the London Olympics.
Despite the fact the Flemish government is officially investigating the possibility of staging the Games in Flanders, Flemish Sport Minister Bert Anciaux said it would be too expensive and not realistic enough. He told the ‘De Morgen’ newspaper if the Games ever came to Flanders the earliest date would be 2020 or 2024.
