(ATR) Max Bishop, head of the evaluation commission for the 2021 World Games, tellsAround the Rings he is impressed so far with the bid committee fromBirmingham, Alabama.
"We’ve been received in an extremely hospitable way," Bishop told ATR during a reception at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday."Representatives from several sports federations are all here, senators are here, and members from the city’s bid committee are here.
"So the impression that I get is that it’s going to be a strong bid."
Evaluation commission members from the International World Games Association are touring a list of venues in Birmingham this week that includes Samford University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Regions Field, Railroad Park, theBirmingham Crossplex, and Birmingham-Southern College.
Birmingham is bidding for the World Games alongside Lima, Peru and Ufa, Russia. If selected, Birmingham would be the first U.S. city to host the event since the inaugural World Games in 1981.
The IWGA started its on-site visits to the three candidate cities in Ufa at the beginning of this month. Following its stop in Birmingham, the evaluation commission will visit Lima Oct. 27-31.
Bishop would not yet comment on how the candidate cities compare. "We have three strong bids," he told ATR.
When asked whether hosting the World Games in Birmingham could enhance a U.S. bid for the 2024 Olympics, Bishop said the two events do not necessarily correlate.
"The IWGA works very closely with the IOC, and it’s difficult to say what goes into their decision-making."
Bishop added, "It’s certainly true that the media coverage that could potentially be obtained for an event like ours is infinitely greater in the U.S.
"A World Games held in the U.S. would be different than elsewhere, but whether it would be better or worse, I can’t really say."
Former IWGA president Ron Froehlich, who oversaw six World Games, has lived in Birmingham for 39 years.
"Of all the cities in my position as IWGA president, I think Birmingham has the most to offer in terms of the closeness [of its venues] and the facilities they have.
"Birmingham is more than capable of running this event, no doubt about it."
Froehlich told ATR that Birmingham's bid committee is also relying on support from local universities.
"For the first time, they're talking about using three universities as villages which to me is a very important aspect if you want to enlarge the life of the World Games."
The only obstacle for Birmingham, according to Froehlich, is transportation.
"They’re going to bring in a private contractor for that," he explained.
Froehlich said hosting the World Games in a U.S. city would have a positive affect on several international federations.
"I think it would be great," he told ATR. "International federations want exposure for their sports, and they are looking for more exposure in the U.S."
Following its tour of venues on Friday, the IWGA evaluation commission and Birmingham's bid committeewill hold a joint press conference at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Written byNicole Bennett
For general comments or questions,click here.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics isAroundTheRings.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.
