(ATR) Gerhard Heiberg has minimized concerns from Norwegian politicians about the IOC’s demands on potential Olympic host cities.
With applicant files from the 2022 bids due to the IOC on March 14, debate is raging among politicians in the IOC member’s native Norway about the set of requirements in the host city contract that the successful 2022 bidder will be obliged to sign.
Politicians have scoffed at the IOC’s VIP demands for the Games, including accommodation in five-star hotels and chauffeur-driven cars for IOC members during the Games, in comments made to national radio station NRK1.
The row was sparked by the release of the IOC’s host city requirements last week by the Oslo 2022 bid after officials said there was no reason to keep them secret. Stian Berger Røsland, the head of Oslo’s city government, told NRK: "The goal was to remove the uncertainty that their secrecy created."
Heiberg insisted the debate was a normal part of the democratic process and similar discussions had taken place before Lillehammer successfully bid for the 1994 Winter Games.
"People have been worried about what the IOC would like to see happening in the host country. People are sceptical about the IOC, so there are always discussions… should we apply for 2022?," he said.
He denied that the row marked a distinct lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Norwegian Parliament to back the bid.
"Absolutely not. This is part of Norwegian democracy. People have different opinions… some people like the IOC and some people hate the IOC," he told ATR.
The outgoing IOC marketing commission chairman added: "This debate will go on for quite some time until Norway decides whether to go for 2022 or not."
While government support hangs in the balance, Oslo 2022 also currently lacks public backing. A new opinion poll in the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang on Thursday revealed that 56 percent of Norwegians were opposed to Oslo’s Olympic ambitions; 77.8 percent of residents of Northern Norway were not in favor of the city staging the Winter Games.
Oslo 2022 had hoped the 26 medals won by Norway at the Sochi 2014 Games would have increased public support.
Heiberg said Oslo 2022 is on track to deliver its applicant file to the IOC on March 14. The city’s mayor is set to travel to Lausanne to hand over the bid documents.
"In the meantime the debate will go on until parliament makes a decision," Heiberg said, adding that be believed the government would green light the bid in the autumn.
Written by Mark Bisson.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Recent Articles
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
