(ATR) Mayor Ana Botella takes joy in announcing high levels of public support behind Madrid’s bid for the 2020 Olympics on Tuesday, citing the results of recent polls conducted by the IOC.
The IOC estimates support for Madrid to hold the Games to be at 76 percent in the capital and 81 percent throughout the rest of Spain.
Botella produced the IOC figures when questioned about public protests in Spain. Very small groups of protesters have been spotted outside the IOC hotel and during the venue visits.
"In democratic countries everyone has the right to protest. With my maximum respect for the protesters, we have seen the vast majority of Spaniards want the Olympic Games.
"These are important results that back up our figures and prove that we are serious. The level of support is very strong, like our bid that is very compact and based on 80 percent of the venues being already built.
"We know that unemployment figures are high also and we are working to improve that as well," she said.
Spanish Olympic Committee and Madrid 2020 president Alejandro Blanco added that the levels of support almost match those of four years ago when the economic situation was very different.
"We should be very proud of this. The Spanish people are understanding the bid. We always try to explain to them that a Games in 2020 will improve Spain’s image abroad, which will bring in investment and create jobs, " he said.
Day two of the IOC inspection in Madrid began with presentations on finance and marketing by personalities including IOC Executive Board member Juan Antonio Samaranch and bid CEO Victor Sanchez.
Samaranch spoke to journalists from Around the Ringsand elsewhere in an informal session afterwards and told them "Madrid cannot afford not to continue. "
In the afternoon, IOC members and press were taken on a tour of the Olympic Park area including the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Village and venues in the IFEMA cluster.
The Olympic Stadium site was undergoing a huge amount of building work ahead of a proposed plan for local La Liga club Atletico Madrid to begin playing there in 2014.
Other facilities included Real Madrid’s impressive modern training complex at Valdebebas a short distance away from where rugby sevens and hockey would be contested only seven minutes away from the Olympic Village.
Asked if Madrid were a day closer to holding the Games, Blanco issued a note of caution.
"We’d be committing an error if we thought that before the 7th of September. We depend on ourselves, we can’t sleep until then, it’s the one major objective of this country and we have to continue working towards that every day," he said.
"Until then, it's work, work, work, show our passion and how marvelous our country is."
Click here for the Around the RingsPodcast from day two of the IOC Evaluation Commission.
Written and reported in Madrid by Dermot Ledwithand Ed Hula
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