Oslo Reactions Range from "Foolish" to Understandable

(ATR) Oslo’s decision was motivated by "fear" says one IOC member. Another says local issues are at play in 2022 race.

Alex Gilady tells Around the Rings the reason only two cities remain in the 2022 race - Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan - is due to erroneous media reports.

He says the highly-touted price tag of $51 billion for the Games was an inaccurate portrayal of the Games. The closer figure was $2 billion.

"The international media was not telling the truth," Gilady said. "People read papers, they get scared.That money was not to develop Sochi, but to run the Games."

Canadian IOC member Richard Pound tells Around the Rings he can’t understand why Oslo felt that figure is reflective of how much a Winter Olympics cost.

"Oslo’s decision is really foolish and disappointing," Pound said.

"For a country that has hosted a Winter Olympics, they would have known that’s not even remotely close."

When making Sochi 2014’s pitch at the 2007 IOC Session, Russia President Vladimir Putin was upfront that Sochi’s Games would cost more than its rivals, PyeongChang and Salzburg, as the city had no winter sport facilities.

Pound added that "in hindsight it might have been better" to wait for the Agenda 2020 to determine the new bidding guidelines and then open up the bidding with new procedures in place.

IOC member from Sweden Gunilla Lindberg shared in the disappointment of Oslo. Voters in Stockholm also rejected a 2022 bid.

Without any hint of surprise, she said of Oslo’s decision, "This was not unexpected, was it?"

"With a vote in 2015, there’s plenty of time," she said.

Despite Oslo’s decision, Gilady said, "We have two very good candidates, and we’ll have great games in 2022."

On Wednesday, Norway’s ruling conservative party declined to offer financial guarantees for Oslo 2022, ending the campaign. Oslo was only the latest bid to be skuppered. Earlier in the process, voters rejected bids from Switzerland, Munich, Stockholm and Krakow, Poland. Lviv, Ukraine launched a bid but it was canceled due to ongoing political unrest in the country.

Nawal El Moutawakel, who chaired the Evaluation Commissions for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, says each city had its own unique issues to overcome.

"If some countries are withdrawing, we’ve seen that in the past," the Moroccan said."Locally and politically, there is a certain reticence."

El Moutawakel found encouragement for future bids by looking at the list of interested cities for the 2024 race, which is yet to officially begin.

"Everyday, we see the list becoming longer and longer."

IOC member and International Ski Federation president Gian-Franco Kasper said both Almaty and Beijing were capable of hosting the Olympics.

"It is quality, not quantity, that matters," he told Around the Rings.

Written by Ed Hula III

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