For the first time since Jacques Rogge took over as President of the International Olympic Committee, a group of hopeful bids will anxiously wait for him to announce the name of their City. On Wednesday, August 28 an IOC evaluation committee will publicize their impressions of the applicant questionnaires for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and reveal which Cities they have chosen as candidate bids. Our best sources say the announcement will occur at 1:30pm local Swiss time – but the IOC has been known to act on impulse and change things around a bit. This is the first in a series of articles on how the eight bids stack up.
Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Andorra is a tiny country with lofty goals. With a population of about 67,000 and a total area of about 2.5 times that of Washington, D.C., it’s hard to imagine something the scope of the Olympics taking place there. The Andorra 2010 Technical Committee told GamesBids.com that their biggest challenge was to make the short-list which would be “an excellent result” considering they are such a small nation and this is their first Olympic bid. It has been clear from the start that Andorra la Vella is looking ahead to 2014 and beyond for their opportunity to host the Olympic Winter Games, but in the past many candidates have learned that it takes experience to win the final vote. Experience is what Andorra hopes to gain from their 2010 effort.
Andorra announced its intent to bid right at the IOC deadline, but ran into trouble shortly after when there were public doubts that the bid was feasible. A study that was commissioned to determine if the bid would continue or if Andorra would withdraw and try again for 2014 showed positive results and the technical committee submitted their IOC questionnaire response in time for the deadline.
But the trouble was just beginning. A public opinion poll was released that showed more than 50% of its citizens believed that the Olympics were too big of a project for Andorra. Another report said that the Games would be too costly and would end up in debt. Environmental groups claimed that the downhill ski venue at Soldeu was an environmental threat to this small country. Conrad Blanch, Executive Director of Andorra la Vella 2010 tried to alleviate fears by revealing some of the plans and their questionnaire response. He told citizens that many of the infrastructure improvements needed for the Games were required locally anyway and had already been planned and budgeted.
Andorra is strongly influenced by its two neighbors, France and Spain. In fact, some of the planned venues, including bobsleigh, would be located in France. Jaca, Spain is also bidding for 2010 and is a fierce rival located close to Andorra. Early in the campaign, GamesBids.com BidIndex showed Andorra with a better score than Jaca prompting a local newspaper to respond with a headline proclaiming that Andorra was ahead of its rival.
The Andorra la Vella Technical Committee believes it has the right formula for the Games, including a central venue plan and Olympic Village, plenty of accommodation and guaranteed snow. The small scale fits in with Jacques Rogge’s desire to “downsize” the Games which would be in the Pyrenees, a place where the Games have never been held.
Whether they make the short-list or not, the Technical Committee will likely have made an impression on the IOC which may help them run a successful campaign sometime in the future. On election day, Andorra 2010 will hold a press conference followed by an official reception and “celebration in the streets”.
Berne, Switzerland
Switzerland last bid for the Winter Olympic Games in the 2006 campaign. Sion was heavily favored but lost to Turin, Italy because of what many believe was payback to Salt Lake scandal whistle-blower Marc Hodler, IOC member from Switzerland.
Switzerland has a strong history in Winter Olympic sports and hosted the Games previously in St. Moritz. There is ample infrastructure already in place for sports venues and transportation, the only major venues required to be constructed are ice rinks. The bid will focus on sports, not infrastructure, according to Dres von Weissenfluh, Committee Director General. He believes that if the IOC is serious about their plans to reduce the size of the Games, then his bid has a good chance – but if they really want bigger Games, then Berne will not win.
But the Swiss bid will have to jump some major hurdles ahead if it hopes to fulfill its Olympic dreams. If it is included on the IOC short-list, its first challenge will be a September referendum in the State of Berne and City of Berne on the question of hosting the Games. Clearly a negative outcome would sink Berne’s bid but von Weissenfluh told GamesBids.com that “…we are optimistic to win these votes”. The parliament has already voted 137 to 32 in favor of the Olympic bid. The bid committee disclosed in its mini bid-book that local public support is at 67%, a number that is lower than the IOC would normal accept from a successful candidate.
Berne’s close proximity in Europe to Turin, Italy where the Games will have been held four year earlier will present a geographical weakness that cannot be overcome. However it is also believed that because the IOC is a largely Euro-centric organization, a disproportional amount of Olympic hosts will be on that continent in the future.
Berne has a budget of US$7.5 million for its candidacy, second only to Vancouver among the 2010 bids, but there have already been public complaints that the bid has run into debt. The committee raised funds from corporate sponsors and donations to stay in the black but opponents still doubt that Berne has the money or the venues to beat Vancouver. Von Weissenfluh said that being on the short-list will help his organization find additional sponsors for the remainder of the campaign.
Berne has the basics to qualify for the short list, but will need to provide the IOC with answers to very important questions in order to win the bid. The bid committee plans to inform the very interested local media of the short-list results after the announcement – but no other events are scheduled to take place. Von Weissenfluh tells us that a successful result next week is just another step; “If we are on the short-list, we are proud. But there is no reason to celebrate.”
Part 2 of the series will be published Saturday, August 24
