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Sports / Olympics

Madrid have momentum in tight 2020 Games race

Published: 05 Jul 2013 - 09:11 am | Last Updated: 31 Jan 2022 - 10:59 am


Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe (centre) and members of the delegation of Madrid 2020 Candidate City give a press conference after their bid presentation before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Lausanne. The three cities bidding for the right to host the 2020 Summer Olympics have concluded their two presentations to the electorate who will decide their fate.

LAUSANNE: Madrid may not have quite landed the killer blow Rio de Janeiro did four years ago in the race to host the 2016 Olympic Games, but the Spanish bid team will leave Lausanne having convinced many they can be entrusted with the 2020 Summer Games.

Their technical presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members - who will vote on the host city in Buenos Aires on September 7 - received universal praise.

Neither Istanbul, running their most impressive bid after four previous failures, nor Tokyo, the only one of the three to have previously hosted the Games in 1964, performed disastrously and remain in contention but it was Madrid that has the momentum.

The general consensus was Madrid had done more to help their chances of winning and for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy - who flew to Lausanne to meet with IOC President Jacques Rogge after attending a meeting in Berlin on Wednesday - the crucial question of the economy has now been laid to rest.

“Spain and Europe in general are going through difficult times in 2013 but next year the Spanish economy and unemployment will improve and I say this as the Spanish Prime Minister,” the 58-year-old said yesterday.

“It is not just, however, me saying this. It is also the OECD, the IMF and European Commission indexes that the Spanish economy will be back on track in 2014/15.

“Doubts about the economy do not exist anymore.”

His finance minister Luis de Guindos also produced the type of fighting talk that will have left a good impression.

“As in the past Spain has overcome crises and been stronger for it so we will now,” he said.

The question now for Madrid, though, is having produced the Crown Prince Felipe, the heir to the throne and who was described as the star of the show, and then the prime minister, is to maintain the momentum. However, judging by remarks from their International Chief Executive and two-time Olympic yachting gold medallist Theresa Zabell, Madrid will not be taking their eye off the prize after coming third for 2012 and second for the 2016 edition.

“As an athlete I timed my training to be in peak condition for when I reached competition and this is exactly the same tactic,” said the 48-year-old.

For Istanbul and Tokyo there is ground to be made up.

Several IOC members spoke of the enormous passion that shone through Istanbul’s presentation, and in Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, who is responsible for Economic and Financial Affairs, they had an assured performer with the qualities necessary to woo the members.

However, despite impressive growth figures and a vibrant economy some members could hesitate to entrust a second successive Summer Games to another rising power, but which is still in the process of developing.

IOC presidential candidate Richard Carrion, while not specifically highlighting Istanbul, said that worldwide demands for more accountability from their governments should be taken into account especially in mind of recent events in Brazil.

People there protested against rampant corruption and the billions of dollars invested in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro rather than in health, education and public transport.

“We are living in an age of great economic pressures, an age dictated by austerity,” the 60-year-old Puerto Rican said.

“As a result there is less money for investment in sports projects. We would have to be tone deaf to not hear what the people on the streets are saying.”

Tokyo has perhaps the most to do after producing what many said was a flat presentation. Having long been considered the front runner, as there is no doubt in anyone’s minds they could host the Games, it appears they are yet to convince the members why deep down they really want them.

“They lacked passion and feeling in their presentation, they need to really come out fighting in the final presentation in Buenos Aires and tug on people’s emotions as to what it means to them,” said one member under condition of anonymity. REUTERS
 

IOC says Buenos Aires to host 2018 Youth Olympic Games 

LAUSANNE: Buenos Aires won the right to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games after a vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday. The Argentinian capital - which will also host the prestigious IOC Session in September where a new president and the 2020 Summer Games host will be elected - beat Colombian city Medellin in a second round of voting.
The seriousness of Medellin’s campaign was summed up by the presence of Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos appearing at the presentation and giving a powerful speech about what hosting the Games would mean to the country. 
Scottish city Glasgow - who will host next year’s Commonwealth Games - went out in the first round of voting.Singapore hosted the first Summer Youth Games in 2010, bringing to fruition the brainchild of present IOC president Jacques Rogge, while Chinese city Nanjing will host the next one in 2014. 
A total of 3,531 athletes between 14 and 18 years of age from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 201 events in 26 sports in the first Youth Olympics. REUTERS