On the Scene: Madrid Impresses with Late Show to IOC

Spain’s IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr was happy with Madrid’s presentation. (ATR / Panasonic:Lumix)(ATR) Despite appearing last in the 2016 bid city briefings Wednesday, the Madrid 2016 bid captivated the IOC members gathered in Lausanne, says Spanish IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.

“We were prepared and we were able to deliver a spell I hope. I am very happy,” he tells Around the Rings after the 90-minute session at the Olympic Museum.

“We are pleased, we are so confident with the product that we always have this huge desire to communicate it, so this was a good opportunity,” he said.

Madrid was the fourth bid city to pitch its case for the 2016 Olympics to the 93 IOC members present, following Chicago, Tokyo and Rio.

“What impressed me more throughout the day, and with us especially, was whatever we said did interest them,” Samaranch said. “They had very well thought out questions. It was a serious exercise and I think it gave us again a further opportunity to continue answering [enquiries on the bid concept].”

Bid CEO Mercedes Coghen also insisted the bid had kept up the interest of the IOC members. “It could be tiring for them because we were the last but they are really committed to the bids and it’s a great opportunity for them.”

Nicole Hoevertsz, IOC member from Aruba, told ATR the time slot did not hurt Madrid’s attempts to convey its message as the safest choice; the pitch made mention of the bid’s strong public support and the 77 percent of venues and infrastructure in use or under construction.

Bid CEO Mercedes Coghen tells reporters there were no questions on finance issues. (ATR / Panasonic:Lumix)“They were well prepared and did an excellent job,” she said. “I think if you look at the questions that were asked, the IOC members were very interested. They were following the detail of all the presentations, so I don’t think it [the later afternoon time slot] was a disadvantage.”

The line-up of speakers included Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, minister of sport Jaime Lissavetsky, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee Alejandro Blanco and bid managing director Antonio Fernandez Arimany.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero appeared in a short video message in which he guaranteed the security and the necessary investments to organize the Games. He also announced he would be accompanying King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain to the IOC Session in Copenhagen.

The Madrid team received 14 questions on different components of its 2016 plans.

In spite of the problems facing the Spanish economy – one of the hardest hit in the worldwide recession – none of the questions focused on the country’s ability to commit finance to the Games.

“Financial guarantees for us is not a tough question,” Samaranch said, adding that three levels of government had offered all funding commitments necessary.

“There were no difficult questions,” he added.

Coghen said questions came on the Olympic Village plan, sport, venues and the World Anti-Doping Agency’s The Madrid 2016 bid team with hugs and smiles as they come out of auditorium. (ATR / Panasonic:Lumix)new code. One IOC member asked if Madrid needed to buy any land to build venues “and the answer was no because they are all the property of the municipality.”

The Olympic gold medalist in field hockey at the 1992 Olympics gave a cautious reply when asked by Dutch IOC member Prince Willem Alexander to say which two of the seven sports bidding for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics Madrid favored.

“The decision is for them [IOC members]. We said we are already well prepared [for any of them],” she said.

Speaking at the press conference later, Gallardon insisted Madrid had learned the lessons of its failed campaign to stage the 2012 Olympics. “I think the 2012 bid has made us stronger,” he said, stressing the new venues and infrastructure now in place such as the Magic Box tennis center.

“We think this has been very good for us all. We know we have used this opportunity the best we possibly could,” he told reporters.

Hoevertsz of Aruba praised the IOC for allowing the bid cities to meet with its membership.

“I think it was a good initiative to have this, because we're not allowed to have too much contact with the cities. It offered us an opportunity to ask questions, in a very candid manner,” she told ATR.

With reporting from Mark Bisson.

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