Durban IOC Schedule
IOC President Jacques Rogge will announce the winner of the race for the 2018 Winter Olympics at 5 p.m. on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.
The timing of the announcement and the IOC Session set for the week of July 4 was released today by the IOC.
The host city announcement will come at the same time of day for candidates Annecy and Munich. For PyeongChang, the word will come at midnight on July 7.
The vote will occupy the first day of the 123rd IOC Session, the meeting taking place at the International Convention Centre.
Munich will present first at 8:45 to 9:55, followed by Annecy at 10:25 to 11:35 and Pyeongchang from 12:05 to 1:15.
The cities will each hold a press conference following their presentations.
After lunch, the IOC members will reconvene to cast their votes, a process that is slotted for just 15 minutes, from 3:35 to 3:50. With just three candidates and the IOC’s lightning-fast electronic voting system, the balloting could go even quicker, especially if there is a first-round victory. No more than two rounds of voting will be needed in any case.
About 100 IOC members are expected to be voting in the first round, making it possible for just 50 votes to decide the contest.
The IOC Session will continue July 7 to 9, ending early in the afternoon on the 9th.
The IOC Executive Board meetings will precede the IOC Session, scheduled for 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 4, with the IOC president’s press conference set for 9:30 p.m.
The unusual timing of the EB meeting is a result of travel complications created by the July 2 wedding of IOC member and Monaco head of state Prince Albert. Rogge, as well as all his IOC colleagues, are invited to the celebration in the principality. The trip from the south of France to Durban takes about 20 hours by commercial routes.
2018 Bids Prepare for Pivotal Week in May
The three 2018 bid cities confirmed their participation in a seminar on Olympic Games organization in Lausanne on the eve of the IOC's bid cities briefing.
The annual event run by the World Union of Olympic Cities (UMVO) is scheduled for May 16 and 17.
The bid cities briefing at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne follows over the next two days. Annecy, Munich and PyeongChang will present their bids to the IOC membership gathered at the venue and then have the opportunity for a tete-a-tete with members as they lobby for support ahead of the July 6 IOC vote in Durban.
Past Olympic hosts and organizers of the next three Games - in London, Sochi and Rio de Janeiro - are attending the UMVO seminar.
Officials from Amsterdam and Rotterdam are among those attendingfrom cities with Olympic ambitions. The Netherlands is planning a bid to stage the 2028 Olympics, 100 years after its last summer games.
More than 20 cities will be represented.
The seminar on the theme: "How to plan for the legacy of a major sport event" is supported by the IOC, which will be represented by President Jacques Rogge and a number of other IOC officials.
"In order to provide an opportunity for participants to better understand the concept of legacy and how to integrate it into the planning process, several Olympic cities and organizing committees will share their knowledge and experience about legacy planning," says a UMVO release.
Rogge will take part in a press conference at the end of the event.
Munich Touts Revenue Surplus, Tourist Figures
Munich 2018 leaders say their campaign is building momentum ahead of the bid cities briefing nextmonth that will be a pivotal moment in the bidding race.
Bid chair Katarina Witt pointed to the revenue success of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Munich's latest tourist figures as a reminder of its 2018 hosting credentials.
Organizers of the world champs at the Bavarian town, the proposed venue for Olympic alpine events, announced that the two-week event generated more than a $7.3 million surplus. The championships attracted a record total of 190,000 fans; sales were 20 percent higher than forecast.
Additionally, the city of Munich welcomed 105 million visitors in 2010, breaking the record amount of overnight stays in the process (11 million). The bid said the figures support Munich’s promise to the Olympic family that it will exceed the IOC’s minimum hotel requirement.
"These figures have added to our momentum going into the all-important technical presentation in Lausanne in May," Witt said.
"They have helped to remind the IOC of our pledge to create a sustainable Festival of Friendship with potentially millions of visitors joining the already large number of knowledgeable and passionate winter sports fans whom we guarantee will fill all Munich 2018 venues as well as the public places and live sites across Germany," Witt said.
Superstar Backs Annecy
French NBA superstar Tony Parker announced his support for Annecy 2018.
"Like nearly 600 athletes who are supporting the bid, I say YES to Annecy 2018," said the three-time NBA champion in a statement.
The comments came from the sidelines of the NBA playoffs, where his San Antonio Spurs are battling the Memphis Grizzlies.
Written by Ed Hula, Mark Bisson, Ed Hula III.