According to Nordlys, Tromso’s bid to host the 2012 Winter Olympic Games does not have much political support at the parliamentary level.
A government spokesman told the Tromso newspaper, “it will take a lot for the government to say yes to Tromso’s Olympic bid. There is no reason to believe that one will see such a mood shift in the course of the next two weeks that this will end in a yes”.
A source told the newspaper a final decision is expected on October 25, but Minister of Culture Valgerd Svarstad Haugland refused to confirm a deadline, saying that early November was a possibility.
Tromso 2014’s bid committee admits having had trouble getting national media coverage for the bid, a factor that can convince politicians that there will be no negative feedback for failing to support it’s bid.
Election researcher Marcus Buck from the University of Tromso believes the political cost of saying no could be lost votes and regional dissatisfaction. He said, “I think it is correct to say that voting yes will not win many votes but saying no could cost a lot of votes”.
