There will be extra homework for leadership teams of Bids for the 2020 Olympic Games if they hope to qualify for the shortlist that will be determined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in May.
A revised bid schedule circulating within the IOC describes a written exam that bid CEO’s and Presidents will need to complete that will be graded and account for 10% of the overall evaluation score used to accept bids into the candidacy phase.
An IOC source, on condition of anonymity, told GamesBids.com that questions on the so-called “leadership test” will be asked primarily about bid-related topics.
She asked “How many bids did Detroit unsuccessfully pursue? How should you properly address Prince Albert of Monaco? What restaurant in Buenos Aires has the highest Michelin rating?
“You know, things like that – things that bid leaders really need to know to be serious contenders in this race, and to know what they are getting into.
“There will also be questions derived from the contents of their own application files that were submitted to the IOC in January so they really better know their stuff.”
The timed, online test will be open-book, and study guides will be provided by the IOC in advance. Barcelona based Iocus Consultants, an executive assessment firm, has been contracted to manage the testing and technology.
Iocus spokesperson Sofia Proll told GamesBids.com “we’re really excited to get involved with this project and to work with the Olympics.”
“We’ll be able to add significant value to the site selection process.”
OlympLogic, the proprietary “fuzzy logic” algorithm that the IOC uses to score applicant cities has already been modified to incorporate the test scores in a meaningful way. Along with these scores, applicants will be evaluated across several categories including Games concept, venue plans, accommodations, transportation and security.
“Some of us [at the IOC] thought we needed to get a better idea of who, personally, we were going to invite to this high-stakes competition,” the source said.
“We want to know how involved and committed they really are.”
The IOC will announce what cities have qualified for the short list at a meeting in Quebec City, Canada on May 23. Leadership tests are expected to be completed during the first week of May.
Applications to host the Games have been submitted by Baku in Azerbaijan, Doha in Qatar, Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo – the winner will be announced September 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
[Editor’s note: Did you pass the test? Following our annual GamesBids.com tradition, this article was an April Fool’s Day joke. We hope you enjoyed it!]
