Mayor Ilsur Metshin of Kazan, the Russian city hosting the World University Games, vowed Wednesday to hold a city-wide opinion poll on whether Kazan should bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Russian Olympic Committee chief Alexander Zhukov put forward the idea in the run-up to the student Games earlier this month with the close confidant of President Vladimir Putin noting that the scale and format of the events were very similar, reports rsport.
The Mayor said, “it is the most serious of issues and requires a thorough work-through by the leaders of the country and the (Tatarstan) republic. We also need to ask the advice of the people. I want to conduct a survey to find out what our citizens want, what kind of party they want to see.
“Only having worked with them can we find a solution. If such a decision (to bid for the Games) is taken, we will be ready to push for this too”, he said.
Kazan has been praised for how it hosted the logistical side of the July 6-17 student Games, which attracted in excess of 10,000 athletes taking part in about 27 sports.
The Mayor added, “by the quantity of sports and of participants and the burden on hotels and the airport, our Universiade differs in no way from the London Olympics for us, the organizers. Time will tell”.
