Philippe Baudillon, the leader of Paris's bid for the 2012 Olympics, is reported to have said that France needs the games to boost morale; after the French rejected of the EU constitution.
Quote:
"If Paris gets the games, it will be a fantastic moment for France to imagine the future very positively, and we need that,".
Adding:
"The people who said 'no' are frightened by the future...Getting the games would be a very positive moment for the country."
What utter nonsense.
The French rejected the EU constitution because their economy has been wrecked by the straight jacket of the Euro, and by the restrictive labour laws imposed by their own government.
Winning the Olympics will only put further strains on their already recession bound economy.
Thursday, 9 June 2005
Tuesday, 7 June 2005
IOC Evaluation Report
Paris is still front runner, one month before the vote for the 2012 Olympic Games host.
In an evaluation report issued by the IOC Paris received the best overall review; London, New York and Madrid also got positive ratings, while Moscow was criticised.
The report focused on technical issues including; venues, financing, transportation, accommodation, security and public/government support.
The report acts a guide for the 117 IOC voting members, who vote in Singapore on July 6.
The report noted Paris's sports concept, "excellent accommodation," "high capacity and quality" transportation systems and "well-documented" budget.
It also noted that Paris had "fully taken into account" the IOC's framework for controlling the cost and size of the Olympics.
London was praised for the "significant sports and environmental legacies" involved in its plans for regenerating the city's rundown east side.
However, the IOC noted that "careful planning would be required to ensure that all facilities are completed on time." It also said that London's improved transportation plans were workable if "fully delivered" before 2012.
In reality, the transport system in London is unlikely to be upgraded in time for the Olympics; there is no way that the IOC can take that risk.
The report noted the uncertainty in New York over its proposed $2BN stadium on Manhattan's West Side.
Madrid was criticised for having hotels too far out of town.
Moscow was criticised the most:
"A lack of detailed planning in the candidature file and background information made it difficult for the commission to evaluate the project,".
In an evaluation report issued by the IOC Paris received the best overall review; London, New York and Madrid also got positive ratings, while Moscow was criticised.
The report focused on technical issues including; venues, financing, transportation, accommodation, security and public/government support.
The report acts a guide for the 117 IOC voting members, who vote in Singapore on July 6.
The report noted Paris's sports concept, "excellent accommodation," "high capacity and quality" transportation systems and "well-documented" budget.
It also noted that Paris had "fully taken into account" the IOC's framework for controlling the cost and size of the Olympics.
London was praised for the "significant sports and environmental legacies" involved in its plans for regenerating the city's rundown east side.
However, the IOC noted that "careful planning would be required to ensure that all facilities are completed on time." It also said that London's improved transportation plans were workable if "fully delivered" before 2012.
In reality, the transport system in London is unlikely to be upgraded in time for the Olympics; there is no way that the IOC can take that risk.
The report noted the uncertainty in New York over its proposed $2BN stadium on Manhattan's West Side.
Madrid was criticised for having hotels too far out of town.
Moscow was criticised the most:
"A lack of detailed planning in the candidature file and background information made it difficult for the commission to evaluate the project,".
Monday, 6 June 2005
Paris's Final Push
Paris went for broke yesterday in the race to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
The Champs-Elysees was transformed into a sports arena lined with wrestling mats, a running track and a swimming pool.
Thirty-eight Olympic sports were on display in Paris, one day before the International Olympic Committee issues its key report evaluating the five candidate cities.
The contest for the 2012 Games enters a final stretch Monday, there will then be 30 days left until the IOC's decision about which city will be the host.
Paris is confident that it will win.
Madrid also held a party.
However, not everything went according to plan. A flag measuring 1 1/2 miles long and 21 feet wide, claimed to be the world's largest, ripped in two when 1,500 volunteers unfurled it along the boulevard.
Castellana Boulevard was closed to traffic as athletes demonstrated their sporting prowess among children, alongside musical performances, clown shows and other festival events to show the city's "Olympic Passion."
The city also staged a round of the Triathlon World Cup in the morning, and hosted an exhibition handball match in the afternoon to raise funds for victims of the Asian tsunami.
Three of Madrid's landmark buildings also have been illuminated with the colors of the five Olympic rings for the celebrations.
The Champs-Elysees was transformed into a sports arena lined with wrestling mats, a running track and a swimming pool.
Thirty-eight Olympic sports were on display in Paris, one day before the International Olympic Committee issues its key report evaluating the five candidate cities.
The contest for the 2012 Games enters a final stretch Monday, there will then be 30 days left until the IOC's decision about which city will be the host.
Paris is confident that it will win.
Madrid also held a party.
However, not everything went according to plan. A flag measuring 1 1/2 miles long and 21 feet wide, claimed to be the world's largest, ripped in two when 1,500 volunteers unfurled it along the boulevard.
Castellana Boulevard was closed to traffic as athletes demonstrated their sporting prowess among children, alongside musical performances, clown shows and other festival events to show the city's "Olympic Passion."
The city also staged a round of the Triathlon World Cup in the morning, and hosted an exhibition handball match in the afternoon to raise funds for victims of the Asian tsunami.
Three of Madrid's landmark buildings also have been illuminated with the colors of the five Olympic rings for the celebrations.
Friday, 3 June 2005
Beijing To Make A Profit
It seems that Beijing may host the most profitable Olympics ever, by exceeding the $224M profit by Los Angeles in 1984.
That at least is the view of Hein Verbruggen, the International Olympic Committee official overseeing preparations for the 2008 games.
Quote:
"I would not be surprised if Beijing makes more money than any Olympics".
Eight sponsors are on board so far. The IOC also has 11 international sponsors paying $866M in total for the four years to 2008.
The IOC claim that every Olympic Games since 1976 has made a profit, with Athens having a surplus of 7 million euros.
However, what these guys don't tell is that the numbers exclude the costs of the worthless infrastructure that is left behind.
To claim that Greece made a profit, after squandering $13BN, is an insult to people's intelligence.
Verbruggen is quoted a saying:
"It's perhaps hard to believe but there's nothing negative to say."
LOL!
That at least is the view of Hein Verbruggen, the International Olympic Committee official overseeing preparations for the 2008 games.
Quote:
"I would not be surprised if Beijing makes more money than any Olympics".
Eight sponsors are on board so far. The IOC also has 11 international sponsors paying $866M in total for the four years to 2008.
The IOC claim that every Olympic Games since 1976 has made a profit, with Athens having a surplus of 7 million euros.
However, what these guys don't tell is that the numbers exclude the costs of the worthless infrastructure that is left behind.
To claim that Greece made a profit, after squandering $13BN, is an insult to people's intelligence.
Verbruggen is quoted a saying:
"It's perhaps hard to believe but there's nothing negative to say."
LOL!
Wednesday, 1 June 2005
Beijing Will Be Ready
The IOC say that the facilities for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be ready on time, thereby avoiding the delays that befouled the preparations for the Athens Games last year.
Kevan Gosper, part of the International Olympic Committee's team tracking Beijing's progress, said that the IOC had Beijing to slow preparations.
Quote:
"We are completely confident that the venues will be completed on time..I have no doubt."
Beijing will spend $30BN to stage the games.
Beijing's National Olympic Stadium, which is shaped like a bird's nest, will be completed before the end of 2007. It will be able to stage test events a year before the games open.
The Aquatic Center, known as the "Water Cube", will be ready in October 2007. It will be the world's largest swimming centre.
Kevan Gosper, part of the International Olympic Committee's team tracking Beijing's progress, said that the IOC had Beijing to slow preparations.
Quote:
"We are completely confident that the venues will be completed on time..I have no doubt."
Beijing will spend $30BN to stage the games.
Beijing's National Olympic Stadium, which is shaped like a bird's nest, will be completed before the end of 2007. It will be able to stage test events a year before the games open.
The Aquatic Center, known as the "Water Cube", will be ready in October 2007. It will be the world's largest swimming centre.
Tuesday, 31 May 2005
Japan Not To Boycott The Olympics
There have been concerns about whether Japan would boycott the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The IOC have confirmed that Japan will not boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics, despite security concerns following massive anti-Japan demonstrations in China last month.
Boycotts are now a thing of the past, according to IOC Coordination Commission Vice President Kevan Gosper.
Gosper said that the two countries can settle their differences through political channels.
On April 18, after a string of anti-Japan demonstrations in Beijing and other Chinese cities, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan asked Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura about rumors that Japanese athletes would shun the Games.
Machimura told Tang there was no boycott plan, but that vandalism during the April demonstrations "prompts worries" about whether the Olympics can be held in an orderly manner.
Concerns also surfaced after Chinese people broke a Japanese diplomat's car window and struck journalists, after China lost to Japan last August in the Asian Football Confederation final in Beijing.
The IOC have confirmed that Japan will not boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics, despite security concerns following massive anti-Japan demonstrations in China last month.
Boycotts are now a thing of the past, according to IOC Coordination Commission Vice President Kevan Gosper.
Gosper said that the two countries can settle their differences through political channels.
On April 18, after a string of anti-Japan demonstrations in Beijing and other Chinese cities, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan asked Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura about rumors that Japanese athletes would shun the Games.
Machimura told Tang there was no boycott plan, but that vandalism during the April demonstrations "prompts worries" about whether the Olympics can be held in an orderly manner.
Concerns also surfaced after Chinese people broke a Japanese diplomat's car window and struck journalists, after China lost to Japan last August in the Asian Football Confederation final in Beijing.
Saturday, 28 May 2005
New York Moves Up
New York is reported to have moved up on a list of cities competing to host the 2012 summer Olympics.
That is at least according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg who said:
"The report will be very complimentary on New York, but the one caveat is a question about the stadium,"
The stadium is the proposed $1.9 billion football stadium on Manhattan's West Side.
The mayor is counting on the stadium for the National Football League's Jets as a centerpiece in New York's bid to win the Olympics, but the project has met strong opposition from some politicians who say it would leave other needs neglected.
A key vote on the stadium could be held as early as next week by a state board.
That is at least according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg who said:
"The report will be very complimentary on New York, but the one caveat is a question about the stadium,"
The stadium is the proposed $1.9 billion football stadium on Manhattan's West Side.
The mayor is counting on the stadium for the National Football League's Jets as a centerpiece in New York's bid to win the Olympics, but the project has met strong opposition from some politicians who say it would leave other needs neglected.
A key vote on the stadium could be held as early as next week by a state board.
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