Oslo City Council voted Wednesday to fund efforts to apply for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Oslo successfully hosted the Nordic skiing world championships last year and now wants to bid for 2022. That’s when Gerhard Heiberg, Norwegian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), reportedly planted the idea that Norway should host another Olympics and it should be in Oslo.
Many don’t consider an Olympic bid a priority at a time when it’s still a challenge to approve budgets for new nursing homes, schools, and massive investment in infrastructure as Oslo’s population grows.
A recent public opinion poll showed that nearly 40 per cent of Norwegians questioned said they don’t want the government to back an Olympics.
Norway’s athletics associations still need to make a formal ruling on an Olympic bid and will vote at a meeting this weekend.
Aftenposten reported Wednesday that a majority of the sports organizations favour a bid, although swimmers and bandy players are opposed, as are others who cite too many unknown factors.
The City of Oslo will now apply for a state funding guarantee, and Oslo City Council must then, during the first half of 2013, decide whether to submit a formal application to the IOC. The deadline for applying is the spring of 2014. A formal economic guarantee from the government, if there is one, would be sent in early 2015 and the IOC will announce the host city for the 2022 Winter Games in July of 2015.
