From IOC Executive Board Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland – According to an evaluation report released by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Monday, Oslo clearly has the most technically viable bid. Across 14 scored categories, Oslo has sole lead in 10 and shares the lead in 2 more.
But if unsuccessful, Oslo’s demise would likely be related to the one category where it was ranked last of the three bids: Government and Public Support. It is public indifference and the high probability that a ruling coalition party could reject the bid entirely in a November parliamentary vote that would make all the other categories irrelevant.
An IOC poll released with the report shows only 36% support across Norway with 50% against. That compares with 65% in Kazakhstan and 92% in China.
Almaty’s scores were lowest across all categories except Transportation and Government and Public Support where they were second. Beijing scored highest in Finance and Government and Public Support.
Bjørn Dæhlie, the Norwegian cross-country ski champion who was in Lausanne for the shortlist announcement recognizes the challenges faced by Oslo’s bid.
“It’s two big fights, of course,” he said referring to the work required to win domestic public support and the competition against Almaty and Beijing.
“I hope the biggest competition is internal, in Norway, and that way if we go forward we will win. That’s what I believe in as a Norwegian.”
For the 2020 Olympic Games, eventual winner Tokyo had been plagued with sub-50% public support but managed to turn that around to produce poll results showing 77% before the election. Though Oslo’s numbers are direr, the bid team still has an opportunity to correct the problem.
So it seems the 2022 Olympic Winter Games host could be determined not at the IOC session in Kuala Lumpur next year, but instead at Norwegian parliament in Oslo in November.
