2016 Summer Olympics
From Freepedia
The 2016 Summer Olympics, formally called the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, will be an international athletic event that has yet to be organized by the International Olympic Committee. The organization under the leadership of Jacques Rogge is currently preparing to mount calls for cities to bid for the honor of hosting the event. All applications are expected to be officially submitted in 2007. The winning bid will be announced in the summer of 2009.
Some expect that in 2016 the Games will return to the United States, due to an unwritten convention that every 20 years the IOC reciprocate for the vast payments by the NBC media group for Olympic coverage—funds that largely bankroll the IOC. However, the U.S. is considering not nominating any city, due to poor world reception for the New York City 2012 bid and in hopes of putting pressure on politicians especially to be more enthusiastic in support of a possible 2020 bid. However, the poor reception given to the 1996 Atlanta Games, which was perceived by many as overly commercialized and poorly organized in terms of logistics, and the bribery scandal that plagued the award of the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City, may count against the U.S.
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Cities considering bids
United States
Baltimore-Washington D.C.
On July 7 2005, Dan Knise, president of "Baltimore-Washington D.C. 2012", said that there was a definite possibility that the cities might get back into the bidding for 2016. Knise stated in a Baltimore Sun article [1] that "we should remain interested and engaged in the process." Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, added that "we will have to see what the details are, get together with our partners in D.C. and go from there."
Chicago
Chicago had previously decided against bidding for the 2016 Games as a result of financial guarantees required by the IOC. However, the IOC has since announced a new philosophy under which the Olympics would become a smaller event in terms of construction and costs, and apparently as a result of this, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has reversed his opinion and now intends to bid to host the 2016 Games. After the formation of the Chicago Metropolitan Organizing Committee in the 1990s, the city had previously shown some initial interest in hosting the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Also, in 1904 it was at first awarded the Games that were eventually held in St. Louis.
Chicago's presumed entry is considered to be among the strongest of the U.S. bids; the city benefits from many existing high-profile sporting venues, such as Soldier Field, United Center, Wrigley Field, and U.S. Cellular Field, and universities such as UIC and Northwestern could also contribute. The city also scores well in terms of infrastructure: the main points in the city and suburbs are easily accessible by "L" lines, Amtrak, and Metra commuter rail, and the construction of a new Metra line, the Star Line, will further facilitate movement between possible venues. Chicago O'Hare International Airport, one of the United States' most important transportation hubs, will have completed a major expansion by 2016.
Chicago also benefits from the strong sports culture in the city. Chicagoans are infamously known for their rabid fandom of their hometeams- the Bears, the Cubs, the White-Sox, and the Bulls. Chicago also has the support of Michael Jordan, arguably the most recognized basketball player in the world.
The Chicago bid's geographic location also counts in its favor: its central position within the U.S. means that its time zone is very suitable for American television coverage. The city's reputation as a major convention center, as well as its great international diversity, are also seen as positives. Finally, it is expected that a bid would be strongly supported by a majority of Chicago residents, avoiding one of the problems that blighted New York City's failed bid for the 2012 Games.
Denver
Denver is reportedly thinking of entering a bid for either the 2018 Winter Olympics, or possibly a Summer Games, but given the fact that Denver declined the opportunity to host the 1976 Winter Olympics without giving a compelling reason for doing so, it seems that they may be out before the race even begins.
Detroit
Detroit has been mentioned in local media reports as considering a bid for either a Winter or a Summer Games.
Los Angeles
A Los Angeles bid was first announced on October 7 2004, and this was eventually confirmed on 7 September 2005 at the Amateur Athletic Foundation, an organization created with surplus funds from the 1984 Olympics. The announcement was made jointly by Barry Sanders, chairman of the Southern California Olympic Committee, and City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Villaraigosa told a gathering including Olympians Janet Evans and Rafer Johnson that "We're a community built for the Olympic Games. We have world-class sporting venues and we have a history of success."
Los Angeles has hosted two previous Summer Olympic Games, in 1932 and 1984, but Sanders said that the 2016 bid would be "distinctive in its approach". The city has a number of available sports venues, including the Coliseum used in both previous Olympics, the downtown Staples Center, the soccer fields at the Home Depot Center in suburban Carson and the Arrowhead Pond arena in Anaheim.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul
A possible bid from Minnesota by Minneapolis-Saint Paul was reported on August 7 2003.
New York City
City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that a decision on whether to bid again for the Olympics will be taken if he wins re-election in November 2005. Any New York City bid would have to convince the IOC that the stadium problems which contributed to the failure of the city's 2012 bid would not be repeated.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia has been rumored in the local media to be making a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic games, after its success with massive large-scale events such as the 2000 Republican National Convention and Live 8 in July 2005. Philadelphia has the advantage of a large centralized sports complex, as well as several other venues at area universities, an abundance of hotel rooms, and a site for the olympic village located within close proximety to the sports complex and transportation, including Philadelphia International Airport and SEPTA subway lines to Center City. The city's historic sites and its location at the center of the Northeastern United States (approximately equidistant from New York and Washington) are also major advantages.
San Diego-Tijuana
A report of January 24 2005 suggests that a binational U.S.-Mexican bid involving the geographically close cities of San Diego and Tijuana is under consideration.
Other North American bids
Havana
José Ramón Fernández, president of the Cuban Olympic Committee, announced on July 7 2005 that his country would bid. Potential problems with a Havana bid center on required improvements to infrastructure and poor relations between Cuba and the United States.
Montreal
GamesBids.com reported on July 27 2005 that Montreal was considering a bid for the 2016 Games. Its advantages include a highly multicultural population, its position as a major economic center and past experience at hosting global events, such as the 1976 Summer Olympics and the Canadian Grand Prix in Formula One auto racing. However, Toronto's more recent experience in bidding for the Olympics may well count against Montreal.
Toronto
The lack of European competition could also give Toronto an edge in trying to win the Games if it chooses to bid on them. The city was a close second to Beijing in the final round of bids for the 2008 Games and in the last two decades has achieved an "international" population diversity that almost rivals that of New York. Although as a Canadian city a Toronto Games would not technically fulfill the "unwritten convention" mentioned above with regard to NBC, it could be still be a very strong candidate in the mind of the IOC for 2016, especially since it lies in the same time zone as New York. Toronto pulled out of bidding for the 2012 Summer Games after the 2010 Winter Games were awarded to the Canadian city of Vancouver.
South America
Argentina
Buenos Aires was a candidate city for the 2004 Olympics, but lost hope of becoming an Olympic host after Argentina's economic crash in 2001. However, the country's economy has since rebounded to such an extent that some groups within the Argentine media now predict that Buenos Aires will announce a bid to host the 2016 Games, with an associated increase in investment in the city's infrastructure.
Brazil
Agency reports have mentioned Rio de Janeiro as a possible bidder for 2016.
Chile
In 2002, the president of the Chilean Olympic committeee, Fernando Eitel, announced that he wanted to see the 2016 Olympics hosted by Chile, adding that "much of the organization is already in place." Eitel also believes that Rogge wishes to see more developing countries playing a part in hosting the Games, and that this desire would work in Chile's favor.
Africa
Kenya
Kenya announced in early 2005 that it had the intention of bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympics; this would make it only the second African country (after South Africa) to launch a serious bid for the Games. However, Rogge has said that Kenya would have to make changes to its infrastructure if such a bid were to be taken seriously.
South Africa
According to agency reports, a South African city, most likely Cape Town, is considering a bid.
Asia
Dubai
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has announced an interest in bidding for the right to host what would be the Middle East's first Olympiad. Infrastructure is excellent, and the emirate's wealth means that it could easily afford to build any facilities deemed necessary. One potential problem is that of climate: the Dubai summer would be unacceptably hot for such an event, so a spring or fall date would probably be required.
India
The Indian capital of New Delhi has announced its wish to host the Olympics, and believes that a great source of strength will be the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in the same city. However, national opinion is deeply divided, with many saying that given the evidence that no country has ever won the Games with its first attempt, and the less than impressive national displays in Olympic medal tables, the bid would rely massively on the success of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Israel
The city of Tel Aviv is reportedly considering a bid, and is in the process of constructing a feasibility report into staging the Games. However, they admit that there are major challenges which would need be be overcome for an Israeli bid to succeed, not least in terms of security. There would also be the danger of politically-motivated boycotts or protests from some nations, although a Tel Aviv Olympics would probably suffer rather less from this than one held in Jerusalem. Other problems include relatively poor infrastructure and a possible lack of support from within the IOC itself.
Japan
Japan has announced that it wants to host the Summer Olympic Games in either 2016 or 2020; the most likely course of action is a "warm-up bid" for the 2016 Games, with the same city then bidding again (with a higher expectation of success) four years later. So far, the cities of Sapporo and Fukuoka have expressed their interest. Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Games, but neither city has previously bid for a Summer Olympiad. According to GamesBids.com in a report of August 5 2005, Tokyo has also expressed an interest in hosting the Games in a year from 2016 onward.
South Korea
South Korea's second city of Busan is intending to make a bid. The city's mayor announced in 2002, after its success in hosting that year's Asian Games and FIFA World Cup, that an Olympic bid was the next natural step to becoming a world-class city. South Korea has hosted the Olympics before, when the 1988 Games were held in Seoul, but there may be problems with Pyeongchang's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics, as the IOC would certainly not select the same country to host consecutive Olympiads. Pyeongchang is seen as a front-runner for 2014, having only narrowly lost to the Canadian bid in 2010, and this may damage Busan's chances.
Thailand
The Thai Prime Minister has said that his country intends to make a bid. No city has been formally selected as yet, although Bangkok would be considered a strong favorite. It is said that the idea of making a bid came under consideration as a result of the Thai Olympic team's strong showing at the Athens Games of 2004.
Europe
Given London's success in securing the 2012 Games, it is considered extremely unlikely that a European city will be selected for a second successive Olympiad. Nevetherless, a number of European cities are said to be considering bids.
Czech Repblic
A Czech bid from Prague is said to be under consideration.
Germany
Hamburg is likely to form the centerpiece of any German bid, as it is generally seen as a better candidate than Leipzig, the city that attempted to host the 2012 Games.
Italy
A possible Italian bid could be centered on Milan-Lombardy, and were it not for the great unlikelihood of there being two successive European Summer Games it might score highly. Other Italian cities to have been mentioned are Naples and Rome.
Netherlands
A Dutch bid centered on Rotterdam is said to be under consideration.
Portugal
The Portugese committee's president, Vicente Moura, announced on July 6 2005 that there would be a bid from Lisbon.
Russia
Moscow was a candidate city for 2012, and although knocked out in the first round of voting its bid was praised for its technical merit. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said, "We will bid for the right to become the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games." [2] The only other Russian city considered to have the ability to stage an Olympic Games is St. Petersburg, and the Vice Governor of that city mentioned the possibility on 29 December 2003.
Spain
Madrid came third in the race for 2012, despite having led the field on the second ballot. The 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona were generally considered a great success, and this may bode well for a successful Spanish bid in the future; Rogge said after their defeat for 2012 that "the IOC would be delighted with a new Madrid candidacy." [3]
Turkey
The Turkish government announced in 1992 that it would continue to bid for the Games until it was successful; this implies that there will be another bid from Istanbul this time around as well.
See also
External links
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