Two Votes Could Swing 2016 Olympics Choice

(ATR) IOC President Jacques Rogge predictsjust two votes could decide the result of the race for the 2016 Olympics on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen.

“It’s probably going to be a couple of votes… two, three, four, but don’t judge me. You have only a change of mind of two or three [IOC members],” he told reporters in a conference call Thursday.

Rogge predicts the bid race will be closer than the 2012 contest which was decided by just four votes when London beat Paris 54-50.

The IOC chief also commented for the first time on what U.S. President Barack Obama had said in his personal phone call to Rogge last Friday.

“President Obama explained in a very clear way his very strong support for Chicago, and you know how charismatic he is at explaining his love for the city,” Rogge said.

“But he explained that the current political situation [in the U.S.] did not allow him to participate with the [Chicago] bid in Copenhagen. He said, with a sense of humor, he would send the best part of his couple, the First Lady [Michelle Obama], the best stand-in he could ever imagine.”

Asked whether the U.S Olympic Committee’s recent high-profile clashes with the IOC would impact Chicago’s bid, Rogge said: “I think it will not have a negative effect whatsoever.”

The IOC resolved its revenue-sharing differences with the USOC in meetings at Sportaccord in June but the NOC was later slammed for plans to launch an Olympic TV Network. Those plans are now on hold while the two parties hammer out a mutually beneficial solution that does not impact IOC revenues.

Rogge’s conference call with journalists on the aims of the IOC Session and Congress in the Danish capital was inevitably dominated by questions about the 2016 bid race. The Oct. 2 vote will generate global headlines. Rogge restated that all four finalists – Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo – were capable of hosting great Games.

Questions focused on some of the critical comments made in the IOC Evaluation Commission report on the bid cities which was published Sept. 2.

Listen to the full conference call here:

Asked to elaborate on the “challenge” posed by Rio’s staging of the 2014 football World Cup, he said hosting the FIFA showpiece was also an opportunity. He noted that a lot of the infrastructure would be left for a 2016 Games, while its legacy also provided expertise in venues, transportation and a huge pool of volunteers.

Rogge identified sponsorship as a challenge with the World Cup being staged at the midpoint between the London Olympics and a possible Rio 2016 Games. “In the four years, they have the very importantorganization of the World Cup that might complicate the seeking of sponsors, activating and bringing a return to sponsors,” he said.

Questions on the role of heads of state and heads of government at the Copenhagen vote were not confined to Obama. It emerged Thursday that Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to the Danish city on Sept. 29 to lobby for Rio.

But Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has yet to confirm his attendance. Hatoyama officially took office on Wednesday and there was no further word today from the Tokyo 2016 bid that he would make the trip.

Rogge said he was “absolutely not concerned about any change in government”, adding that the presence of heads of state and government at any host city vote was an honor but not a requirement of the IOC.

It offered “reassurance that public authorities are behind the bids”, but Rogge added, “I don’t even consider this is the most vital aspect of the bid. Members of the IOC will vote on their assessment of the candidates’ reports.”

Commenting on the influence of public support for the Olympics in the 2016 vote, Rogge said: “Public sentiment is one factor important for the IOC.” On public support, Tokyo ranked bottom of the four bids in the evaluation commission report.

Rogge revealed that the Bid Cities Briefing in Lausanne in June, the first ever summit allowing bids to present to IOC members, would be replicated for the 2018 Winter Olympic bid race. “That will continue in the future. All the members were very happy with it,” he said.

It means 2018 bids from Munich in Germany, PyeongChang, South Korea, Annecy, France and maybe Harbin, China would take part in a briefing to IOC members in the months before the vote in 2011.

In his brief opening remarks on the Copenhagen Session and Congress, Rogge also pointed to the Oct. 9 vote on golf and rugby as a significant moment. The sports will join the 2016 Olympic program with the majority support of IOC members.

On the congress itself, Rogge said no decisions would be made but he hoped 40-50 recommendations would emerge to be further scrutinized by stakeholders in the Olympic Movement.

Written by Mark Bisson.

This coverage is proudly presented by Chicago 2016