Oslo 2022 Begins Bid Promotion

(ATR) A mayoral visit to London marks the first international promotion of an Oslo bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Director of bid preparations Eli Grimsby tells Around the Ringsshe and Mayor Stian Berger Røslandis are in the British capitalto meet business and tourism leaders.

"I think it is important for me to meet them and also to start talking about what the Olympics can do for tourism," she said.

"I’m going to talk about this white capital," she said in reference to the Norwegian capital.

She said a successful visit to London would be marked by thorough networking and an introduction of the bid.

"We need to start showing up," she told ATR.

This is Grimsby’s third trip to London this year. She came twice for the Olympics and Paralympics.

She said the two aspects she wanted to copy from London 2012 were the "kindness" of the volunteers and the strength of the Paralympics.

"It stands well with our values of equality," she noted.

The visit to London is not by accident. A London tradition is the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, donated to the city every year by the mayor.

Røsland is also beginning his promotion of Oslo 2022.

Grimsby said his speeches in London this week mark the first time he has mentioned the bid in formal remarks.

"He will say that [the bid] is happening and then why it is a good idea," she said. "He is going to mention that we held the Olympic Games in 1952 in Oslo and 1994 in Lillehammer. It will be exactly 70 years, so there’s a tradition there."

She added that Røslandwill tout a unique feature among world capitals. "We have this amazing nature but just half an hour from downtown," she said. Grimsby claims no other capital city is situated as close to the mountains needed for alpine events as Oslo.

When asked why Oslo deserved to win the Olympics, she mentioned, among other factors: "it will be a huge party."

She also said the rapid population growth of Oslo means the city needs huge amounts of new infrastructure.

"The Olympics could act as a catalyst for that," she told ATR.

"For Norway and for Oslo, this is really the right time.

"We love Winter Games," she added. "I think it will be a success."

A referendum on the bid in Oslo is scheduled for May, which would formalize the city’s plans to bid for the Games. It's unclear at the moment how much government and public support there is for the bid, as many financial and logistical details are still being finalized.

"Oslo really wants to find a good concept, a winning concept," Grimsby said. "I am really happy where we are."

Currently, several dozen staff are working on the bid with a budget of $23 million.

Written by Ed Hula III

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