International Olympic Committee overhauls bidding process for Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) outlined plans to overhaul the bidding process for future Games, stating that cities interested in hosting the Games should hold referendums before submitting official tenders to avoid having to withdraw their candidacy at a later date.
The IOC has seen many cities in recent years drop out of bidding for the Olympics in mid-race, scared off by the size or cost of the Games or due to strong opposition from local populations.
For the 2026 Winter Olympics, which this week was awarded to Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo, four cities pulled out.
Only the winners and Stockholm were left in the race for potential host cities after Switzerland's Sion, Japan's Sapporo, Austria's Graz and 1988 hosts Calgary in Canada pulled out.
REFORMS
It was a similar situation for the 2022 and 2024 Games. Local referendums have also killed off many bids or planned candidacies, including in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Canada among others.
These reforms include the creation of future host commissions that will look at possible hosts well before any official candidacy is launched.
The seven-year period between awarding the Games and hosting the Olympics was also scrapped, with the IOC eager to be flexible to fit the timeline to the capabilities of each city. - REUTERS
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