Well, today was a big day. Not for me personally, but in Copenhagen, a bunch of grey people sat around and then decided either based on totally altruistic reasons, or through some self-serving purpose, voted on who would be the next city after London to host the Olympics.
A lot of people wonder if all the hoopla is worth it. Can the Olympics really bring all these benefits that they speak of?
Speaking as someone who was a volunteer at the Commonwealth games in Manchester in 2002, I can personally testify that yes, they can! After the IRA bomb in 1996, Manchester was wondering what it was going to do. However, in true northern style, Manchester rolled up its shirt-sleeves, dusted off all the plans, and focused on the upcoming games, and began to drive through all the plans.
The city centre was rebuilt, many new facilities that before where just a pipe dream got finished due to the games hoving into view. By the time the games rolled around, the city centre boasted a totally new vibe, and a city determined to put on a show. And by God we did! Even when it rained!
Next up, is London. During the bidding process the British government stepped up with a lot of taxpayers money, justifying spending Manchester taxpayers money in London by saying that a London games will bring real benefits to the rest of the nation.
We are still waiting to really see these "benefits."
However, the Olympic project is already delivering benefits to London. One of the big examples is the new Javelin train service being introduced (ironically, being developed by Hitachi Heavy Industries and based on Shinkansen technology!). The main stadium is ahead of schedule, the sailing venue is finished, the velodrome and swimming centre are all going up.
It is a massively expensive project that will totally regenerate an area of London famous for decades of neglect, and return a horribly polluted desolate area of scrubland back to useful life. Will it inspire a generation to take up sports? We will see. Will it bring all the other benefits? We will see.
But it promises to be a party.
As long as Lord Coe manages to keep politicians well out of the planning loop!
Well, moving on.
Today saw the Olympic convention in Copenhagen to pick a host city for 2016. However, first, a short paragraph on each city.
First up, Chicago.
Had the star power to make all the other cities to blush. Able to call on famed world sports stars, as well as some minor bloke called Barrack Obama, who does something for the US government. The bid itself made great use of social media, potraying itself as bringing the Olympics into the future. Also, Chicago's bid was by far the most compact of the bids, and had many facilities already. It was hurt, however, because the bid ranked lowest on its technical aspects, and there was doubt over financing.
Next, Madrid.
This bid was the most advanced in that had most of its venues ready to go. Madrid was also able to call on some pretty big names, including the whole Real Madrid squad! The bid was technically sound, and the strongest supported by the city populace out of all the bids. A bid full of emotion, it was a strong bid (including Samaranch who could campaign for them!), but there would have been an issue with awarding the games to Europe twice in a row, following on from London.
Now, Rio.
Rio de Janiero had to work hard on their bid. At the start of the process, it was technically weak, with big doubts over many aspects of it. However, they worked hard, and brought the standard of the bid up. Rio was able to bring in Pele to back their bid, as well as able to inject a lot of emotion. The "ace in the hole" so to speak, was that the bid was sound, and would be the first time for a South American city to host! Though doubts linger over Rios technical ability.
Finally, Tokyo.
Technical ability was not an issue for Tokyo's bid. A Japanese games would be loaded with techno stuff, and would blow the socks off the rest of the world. Tokyo's bid was rated as technically the strongest, and was a solid reliable bid. Tokyo would deliver an amazing games, no doubt. However, Tokyo was hurt because the bid suffered from the lowest levels of local support, and where just unable to inject the same passion and emotion into their bid that Rio and Madrid could.
So. Who won?
Well, in round one, the voting went as follows:-
Chicago 18
Madrid 28
Rio 26
Tokyo 22
A major shock, but Chicago was eliminated in round 1! Whilst Chicago was not a lock for winning the rights to host the games, there was no expectation that they would drop out in round 1.
Round 2.
Madrid 29
Rio 46
Tokyo 20
Tokyo out. Technically a solid bid, Tokyo was unable to generate so much passion for their bid like the other cities. However, it had a strong "dark horse" chance of keeping enough votes to slip through as a very popular second choice.
On to the finals.
Madrid 32
Rio 66
So, there you have it. Rio has won the rights to be the host of the Olympic Games in 2016. The other host cities put together amazing bids, and all of them stand an excellent chance of winning the games should they choose to go for 2020. And for each, the chances rise! Tokyo because the Beijing games will slip further into history, Chicago simply because the US is the biggest single market, and Madrid because There will have been a games splitting 2020 from Londons games!
So, it the last thing for me to say, is whilst I am personally disappointed that Tokyo did not get it, I hope Rio all the best. Organising the Olympics is a huge task. They will have to stay on top of it all the time, and if done right, it can deliver improvements to the city that will be felt for decades!
No comments:
Post a Comment