On the Scene - Prince Felipe A Charm for Madrid 2020

(ATR) IOC member Richard Pound says Prince Felipe was the star of the 2020 bid cities briefing in Lausanne and has elevated Madrid’s chances of securing the Olympics at its third attempt.

Speaking to reporters after Madrid’s presentation to IOC members in Lausanne, he said: "Probably Madrid did the best. I think they gave a very fine performance

"They have learned [from previous bids] and tried to respond. They were saying we don’t have to worry about whether will we get it done, we have got it done," he said referring to the way Madrid has delivered on its promises to deliver venues and infrastructure in previous bids.

"The prince was the star of the whole day. I would say those [IOC members] who might have put them in third would now be rethinking that."

Pound said Prince Felipe’s appeal to IOC members as part of the bid presentation which also included remarks from Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr had been highly effective.

Coming from an Olympic family, the crown prince, flagbearer of the 1992 Barcelona Games, had turned on the charm offensive.

"He is an Olympian and from an Olympic family. He was very modest about things, saying it [the presentation] was more a pleasure than a duty," Pound said.

Four years ago, Rio de Janeiro’s pitch to IOC members, which showed a map of the world where all the Olympics had been held with a zero on South America, is credited as a game-changer in the 2016 bid race.

Pound claimed there were no such big moments to deliver an obvious frontrunner from the 2020 pack: "I didn’t get the same sense of the same movement as four years ago."

"I think it is still a three-horse race," he added. "I think this would be one of the hardest [bid races] to call. The cases are all quite different."

IOC presidential candidate Thomas Bach concurred, suggesting none of the three had emerged as favorite from the briefing.

"No I don’t think so. All three were excellent. I think the race will go on. I don’t think the decision is made [by IOC members]."

At the Madrid 2020 press conference, bid president Alejandro Blanco and city mayor Ana Botella declared themselves very happy with the presentation.

Asked by ATR about the impact Prince Felipe had made, Blanco said: "For us the presence of the prince is extremely important.

"He has been an Olympian. He carried the Olympic flag in Barcelona. He follows sport and is a relevant person in everything connected with Spanish life. It is very important to have him on our side… which shows the involvement of Royal family with sport and the Olympic Movement."

Blanco said Madrid’s presentations at SportAccord in St Petersburg and the ANOC extraordinary general assembly two weeks ago had "demonstrated there are no real doubts".

"We have to be realistic and continue to believe in our project. We will continue to work to the moment of the vote in September."

Despite Spain’s struggling economy, which was addressed in the pitch, there were no questions about the financial crisis that has cast a cloud over the bid for the past two years.

IOC members were offered reassurances about Spain’s economic plight and how growth forecasts point the way out of trouble.

Bid CEO Victor Sanchez cited the "excellent" report of the IOC Evaluation Commission which raised few concerns about the economy and highlighted the city’s campaign as a "responsible bid".

Samaranch said Madrid had made good on the city’s pledges in its 2012 and 2016 campaigns. "It’s a good improvement on two very good previous plans. We reviewed all new venues needed and tried to use existing ones instead."

Asked about Spain’s recently introduced anti-doping law, Blanco insisted Madrid had given a "good structured answer" to concerns that have lingered around the country’s attitude to drug cheats.

IOC Members React

Jean-Claude Killy of France (comparing all three presentations)

"They were very professional and well put together – and constructive for the Olympic Movement. It is a pleasure to see powerful bids like this for our future."

Alexander Popov of Russia (comparing all three presentations)

"They were all good, unique. They were very clear with the answers." Any one a frontrunner now? "To me they were all absolutely fantastic. We all need to think hard about where we go [with the Games]."

Reported in Lausanne by Mark Bisson

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