The publication Whistler Today reports that Vancouver and Whistler could be up against strong competition in their bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Although Vancouver-Whistler was the first to officially acknowledge it was bidding, there are now challenges from Switzerland and Germany. Chur, the major city in the central Swiss state of Graubunden with a population of around 100,000 people, says it will be bidding for the 2010 Games.
And a Munich-Garmisch alliance is also reported to be preparing a 2010 bid.
But other European centres now preparing bids for the 2006 Games may recycle their bids for the 2010 Games. Also rumoured to be entering Olympic bids for 2010 are Japan and Korea.
If Toronto wins the right to host the 2008 Summer Games, the Whistler-Vancouver bid could be in trouble, since the International Olympic Committee may not give the 2010 Winter Olympics to another Canadian city. Whistler-Vancouver has agreed not to aggressively publicize it’s 2010 bid until a decision is made on the 2008 host city in Moscow on July 13.
The Whistler Municipal Council plans to conduct independent surveys to determine if there is support for the 2010 bid, and it’s involvement in the bid will continue if survey results indicate substantial support by residents surveyed.
