Glasgow 2018 Confident of Winning IOC Hearts, Minds

(ATR) Bid director Paul Bush tells Around the Rings the Scottish city will present a "very strong case" to IOC members in Lausanne next week.

"We are in good shape and excited and look forward to the 4th of July," he told ATR.

In the 15-minute presentation slot allotted, Bush said the Glasgow bid would seek to convince voters that the city deserves the 2018 Youth Olympic Games based on its strong candidature file.

"It’s not long to get your message across," said the CEO of Event Scotland, adding: "We have had huge momentum right through the [bidding] process, certainly from a Scottish and U.K. perspective.

"This is really important to everybody, not just in sport but also for young people. We want to make sure we educate around Olympic values and the culture and education program can give something back to the world."

Glasgow 2018, which has received nearly 640,000 clicks on its "back the bid" website button, claims it has engaged with over 1.5 million young people across the U.K. during the year-long campaign to win hosting rights.

So just what are Glasgow’s 10-member presentation team, including IOC member Craig Reedie and former London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, going to tell IOC members?

Bush told ATR that bid messaging would emphasize how Glasgow and Scotland would provide something very different "to anything they have ever experienced in any other Games environment".

"We will demonstrate our huge capacity and capabilities around delivery," he added.

"We will develop what Singapore did and what Nanjing will do next year with a very young product, delivering sustainability and legacy for the [Olympic] Movement."

He added: "We are confident that we can provide a global impact and reach for the youth of the world."

Glasgow’s campaign was aided by a positive report from the YOG 2018 Evaluation Commission released earlier this month. Members said the bid presented "minimal risk" to the IOC, the same verdict they delivered for rival candidates Buenos Aires and Medellin.

The report highlighted Glasgow’s "compact project which makes good use of existing venues" and the fact work has already started on the Youth Olympic Village.

The IOC also noted the city’s ability to deliver "innovative" and "classic cultural events" appealing to "all athletes and young people across the globe" as part of the culture and education program.

Reported by Mark Bisson.

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