On the Scene -- Denmark Plans Olympic Gathering to 'Get in Touch' with Sport World

(ATR) Copenhagen’s sports and civic leaders promise to stage a spectacular 121st IOC Session and 13th Olympic Congress in the Danish capital in October 2009.

“It’s extremely important for us,” IOC member for Denmark Kai Holm tells Around the Rings.

“It’s very hard for us to get anything bigger than this. We are not going to have the Olympic Games ever, at least in the form they are having right now,” he said, adding that the city was capable of holding a Youth Olympic Games.

“This is a way for us to get in touch with the world and to get some of our people known.”

Holm’s comments came after an event held in Copenhagen Monday to mark one year to the Olympic gathering.

Prior to the IOC Session and Olympic Congress, the Danish organizers are scheduling an opening reception in Tivoli Garden on Sept. 27, 2009. This will be followed by a series of sports events and cultural activities in Copenhagen designed to generate a buzz around the city.

Up to 3,000 delegates are expected in Copenhagen for the session and congress as well as 1,000 members of the international media. The Danish budget for hosting the IOC gathering is around $3.3 million. The IOC is contributing $3.7 to $5.5 million to help run the event.

The official opening ceremony will be held in the Copenhagen Opera House on the waterside with Danish Queen Margrethe in attendance.

The business of the session and congress will be conducted in the Bella Center, the convention complex on the outskirts of the city. It’s here that IOC members will decide on the host city for the 2016 Olympics on Oct. 2 next year. The closing ceremony takes place in Tivoli Garden on Oct. 9.

Functional rather than flash, the Bella Center is a 10-minute Metro ride from the heart of Copenhagen and a similar journey time by car. Transport will be laid on for delegates based in city centre hotels. The Hilton and Marriott are two of the Olympic Family hotels.

The four 2016 Olympic bid cities – Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo - are busy scoping out Copenhagen ahead of next year’s Olympic gathering. Members of the Tokyo bid were in town this week along with several Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials.

ATR has learnt that Rio de Janeiro has taken all 13 suites at Copenhagen’s most expensive hotel. Room rates range from $715 to $1550 at Hotel Nimb, which has views over Tivoli Gardens and boasts its own chocolate factory and wine merchant.

Copenhagen’s compact centre, its blend of new and old architecture and clean waterways make it an attractive setting for the session and congress.

But delegates will have to be prepared for all weathers. They can expect temperatures around 54°F and no guarantee of sun; October can be a wet month in the city. Such conditions are in stark contrast to the heat and humidity experienced during last year’s IOC Session in Guatemala and the previous one in Singapore in 2005.

Whatever the weather, a warm welcome is promised by the organizers.

Niels Nygaard, president of the Danish National Olympic Committee, told 750 guests at the event launch Monday that he was looking forward to visitors descending on the city “from all parts of international sports”, adding that the Olympic summit would benefit Danish sport.

“The Danish national federations will be able to nurse their international networks on home ground and make new connections,” he said. “The goal is to gain influence on international sport and continue working towards hosting more international sport events in Denmark.”

In 2009, more than 40 international sports events will be staged all over Denmark in the Danish Year of Sport.

The city hopes to further its sporting reputation by securing the 2011 Men’s World Handball Championships. Handball has a huge following in Denmark, which faces competition for the event from Hungary, Spain and Sweden. The International Handball Federation decides the host Oct. 18.

Speaking to ATR at the ceremony Monday, IOC president Jacques Rogge suggested that Copenhagen was capable of hosting a Youth Olympic Games in the future.

Nygaard said the NOC has not yet discussed any bid as its focus was on staging a successful session and congress along with the slew of sports events in 2009.

The NOC may explore the idea in the coming year, he said. But he admits Copenhagen still lacks some infrastructure to bid for a summer YOG, in particular a mid-size multipurpose sports arena. The city is currently being asked to back a public-private plan to build such a venue.

Mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard and Minister of Culture Carina Christensen also spoke at the event launch, underlining their support for next year’s big event.

Addressing the audience of sports and business leaders, Bjerregaard declared: “I can assure you the city will be buzzing with various sports and cultural events during the session and congress.”

“We hope that the ‘Year of sport’ will place Denmark among the leading event countries in the world,” said Christensen.

Written by Mark Bisson in Copenhagen

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