Dubai government officials have revealed plans to expand the emirate’s sporting facilities with an eye to bidding for a future Olympic Games.
The National Olympic Committee of the United Arab Emirates previously opted out of a bid for the 2020 Olympic Games with the intention of placing a bid for the 2024 or 2028 Games instead.
Ali Omar, Director of Dubai Sports Council sports development department, recently revealed that those intentions are still in place. “Hosting the Olympics is a dream,” said Omar. “We hope to submit such a bid within the next eight years, God willing.”
Their Gulf Arab neighbours Qatar have been rumoured to also be considering a bid for the 2024 Games, for the city of Doha, following their success in securing the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Omar cited Qatar’s success as an important factor that could help Dubai bring another major global event to the region. “Qatar’s move has brought the world’s attention to professional sports in the whole Gulf Arab region,” said Omar.
Dubai already has a prestigious history in hosting global sports events including the Sevens World Series, the Dubai World Cup thoroughbred horse race, the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament, the Dubai Tennis Championships and a number of international cricket matches due to political unrest in Pakistan. Dubai will also host Expo 2020, a universal exposition taking place over six months which could set the stage for hosting an Olympic Games shortly afterwards.
The Dubai Sports City, a 50 million square feet purpose-built sports hub, would also add considerable weight to the bid with a 60,000 seated multi-purpose outdoor stadium, a 10,000 seated indoor arena, rugby and hockey stadiums and a golf course all situated within the colossal development.
The National Olympic Committee of the United Arab Emirates estimated in 2011 that 70 percent of the infrastructure needed for a Games in Dubai was already in place. But despite this Dr Ahmed Al Sharif, Dubai Sports Council secretary general, recently told media that more stadiums and facilities would be needed in order to host an Olympic Games in the city.
Tag: 2024 Olympic Games
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Qatar inspires Dubai to bid for Olympics
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Berlin to hold Olympic 2024 referendum as Mayor confirms exit plan
Berlin and Hamburg are interested in bringing the Summer Olympics to Germany for the first time since Munich hosted the 1972 Games, and the former has confirmed that it will submit its answers to a questionnaire sent out by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) by the end of this week.
“We will answer the questionnaire of the DOSB and will then unveil our concept on September 1,” Wowereit told a press conference. “I am confident that we will answer those questions well. After that there will be a vote for all Berliners to decide. We want the widest possible support for this.”
The DOSB questionnaire contains 13 questions covering aspects such as venue locations, event goals, finances and transport infrastructure.
However, Wowereit will not oversee the possible realisation of Berlin’s Olympic ambitions after confirming at the press conference that he will step down as Mayor on December 11 after 13 years in office.
Wowereit, who has been widely criticised for delays and the spiralling cost of developing the unfinished Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, added: “I am leaving voluntarily and I’m proud to have made my contribution to the positive development of this city.”
It is unclear whether the departure of Wowereit may influence Berlin’s potential bid for the Games, but a spokesperson for his office told HOST CITY: “It was unexpected. We are all very surprised here.”
Berlin previously staged the summer Olympics in 1936, but failed in a bid for the 2000 Games after being eliminated in the second round of voting, with Sydney in Australia ultimately emerging victorious. The DOSB also opted to support Leipzig rather than Berlin for a tilt at the 2012 Olympics, although London in Britain eventually secured the hosting rights.
Other potential bidders for the 2024 Games include Baku (Azerbaijan), Doha (Qatar), Dubai (UAE), Istanbul (Turkey), Paris (France) and Rome (Italy) with South Africa also mulling over a possible bid and the US set to select an applicant city from a shortlist comprising Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC. -
Budapest mayor shoots down talk of Olympic bid
Tarlós is running for re-election on October 12 and was responding to a question regarding a potential Olympic bid from his main rival, opposition centre-left candidate Ferenc Falus. Tarlós said, according to the Budapest Business Journal, that although the summer Games would have a major impact on tourism and sport in the Hungarian capital, now is not the right time to proceed with such a plan.
Tarlós’ comments come after MOB president Zsolt Borkai last week lent his backing to a possible Budapest bid for the 2024 Games, stating that “concrete steps” could be taken in the near future towards formalising an offer.
While acknowledging that the Committee still has a long road to travel before a formal bid, Borkai had added that “our intentions are unequivocal – we would like to host the best athletes in the world in Budapest”. Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, head of BOM, a non-profit group of corporations and individuals backing an Olympic bid, said that while a bid for the 2028 Games would be “realistic,” the possibility of trying for 2024 “would not be surprising”.
Budapest has previously bid for five editions of the Games, but Hungary has never been awarded the Olympics.
Formal bidding for the 2024 Olympics will begin in 2015, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to select a host city in 2017.
To find out more about bidding for major events, register for HOST CITY Bid to Win at www.bidtowin-hostcity.net. -
Hungary moves closer to 2024 Budapest Olympics bid
Borkai told the MOB’s official website that the Committee still has a long road to travel before a formal bid, but added that “our intentions are unequivocal – we would like to host the best athletes in the world in Budapest”.
The Associated Press news agency added that Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, head of BOM, a non-profit group of corporations and individuals backing an Olympic bid, said that while a bid for the 2028 Games would be “realistic,” the possibility of trying for 2024 “would not be surprising”.
The Hungarian city of Gy?r is due to host the summer edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2017 and Borkai believes the event can aid the country’s claims for the 2024 Olympics.
He added: “Gy?r’s 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival can prove that our country can successfully conduct a major multi-sport Olympic event, even if its size does not compare to an Olympics. We are confident that Gy?r can provide a positive impression on international public opinion, and make everyone aware that they should invest their trust in us.”
Budapest has previously bid for five editions of the Games, but Hungary has never been awarded the Olympics.
Paris, Rome, Baku, Doha, Dubai and Istanbul, along with a South African bid, are among those that could enter the race for the 2024 Games.
Germany is weighing up whether to put forward Berlin or Hamburg, while the US Olympic Committee has identified Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. as candidate cities.
Formal bidding for the 2024 Olympics will begin in 2015, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to select a host city in 2017.
To find out more about bidding for major events, register for HOST CITY Bid to Win at www.bidtowin-hostcity.net. -
French officials make case for Olympic Games and World Expo bids
Prime Minister Manuel Valls has offered public support for bringing the World Expo to France’s capital, prompting reports earlier this week that such a move would end the city’s chances of staging the Olympics exactly 100 years on from its previous hosting in 1924.
However, Nathalie Iannetta, the sports advisor to French President Francois Hollande, told the Associated Press news agency that it could be financially viable for both events to be pursued. “The investments that will be made will benefit both projects,” she said.
A feasibility study is due to be completed by the French Olympic Committtee early next year in collaboration with influential figures from sport, politics and business, with Iannetta stating that the findings will be central to deciding Paris’ next course of action.
“If it shows that a Paris bid is pertinent and that we have good chances to win, then the World Expo bid won’t be an obstacle,” Iannetta added.
The United States, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Qatar, South Africa and Turkey have joined France in expressing an interest in hosting the 2024 Olympics.
Bids for the Games must be submitted by next year and the International Olympic Committee will select the winner in 2017. Bids for the hosting rights to the 2025 World Expo straddle this process, with submissions due in 2016 and a decision set to be made two years later.
Bernard Lapasset, the head of the French Committee for International Sport, called upon experience from his other role as the president of the International Rugby Board to state that hosting the Olympic Games and the World Expo in consecutive years would be possible.
“We’ll obviously need to be careful with the finances, but look what happened with Japan,” Lapasset said. “They won the rights to host the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the 2020 Olympics.”
In other news, Germany will delay its decision over whether to put forward either Berlin or Hamburg as a candidate city for the 2024 Olympics until next year.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) was expected to make its choice at a December 6 strategy meeting, but president Alfons Hörman is keen for his organisation to see the results of the IOC’s ‘Agenda 2020’ initiative and further assess the levels of support for Olympic hosting in both cities.
Hörmann told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper: “The worst option would be that we decide firmly on a city only for its citizens to then say the project will not be supported.”
The latest polls suggest Hamburg has significant public weight behind a bid, while Berlin – host of the 1936 Olympics – is more lukewarm overall.
Munich failed in a bid to stage the 2018 winter Olympic Games and Hörmann added: “A second Munich must not happen to us.” -
Germany commits to pursuing 2024 Olympic Games
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the 2024 summer Olympic Games by confirming that either Berlin or Hamburg will bid for the event.
The DOSB had been expected to make a solid decision on its Olympic bid strategy at a meeting on December 6.
However, president Alfons Hörmann told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper earlier this month that the organisation had wanted to determine the results of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) ‘Agenda 2020’ initiative as well as gain a stronger insight into the strength of local support in the two cities, before proceeding.
This was expected to delay any formal announcement on a German bid for the 2024 Games until next year, but the DOSB has now committed to pursuing the Games with a final decision over its candidate city due on March 21.
The DOSB has added that it is likely to re-enter the bidding for the 2028 Olympics should its attempt at 2024 fail in what is expected to be a strong field.
“Olympic and Paralympic Games are the most important events for German sports,” Hoermann said.
“Sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games are a chance for the entire country and especially for the city hosting the Games and its region. From Munich 1972 to London 2012 it becomes clear what they can trigger in the economy and society if well conceived and executed.
“We are confident that it will be a big opportunity for one of the cities and a big opportunity for the entire sport. We are also confident that an Olympic project can be – and will be – good for our country. We have two excellent candidates in Berlin and Hamburg.”
Germany last hosted the summer Olympics when Munich staged the 1972 Games, while Berlin was the setting for the 1936 Games. Berlin failed to land the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney and Leipzig was defeated in the race for the 2012 Games in London.
The latest bid process comes with Munich’s failed effort to land the 2018 winter Olympics still fresh in the memory. The bid was rejected in a local referendum and the DOSB insists it has learned lessons from this experience.
Both Berlin and Hamburg plan referendums once it is known which of the two will be the candidate for the 2024 Games. The DOSB said that its latest polls indicate a narrow majority is against the Games in Berlin, while the project has the support of 53 per cent of the Hamburg population.
“We have to promote the product and convince the citizens,” Hoermann added. -
US to choose 2024 Olympic candidate in January
The US has officially confirmed that it is bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games but will not reveal its preferred candidate until January 2015.
Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC all presented their plans to the US Olympic Committee (USOC) board of directors on Monday, after a six months consultation programme.
“At our request, and because of the preliminary nature of our discussions, the cities have not spoken about their bids publicly in great detail,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun.
Panos Protopsaltis – speaker at HOST CITY Bid to Win and Olympic transport expert – is advising the USOC throughout the candidate city selection process.
Asked to discuss the relative merits of the candidates, Protopsaltis began by talking enthusiastically about Washington DC. “It is the capital city and all central infrastructures are there – not only transport but technology infrastructures, integrated command and control structures.
“Then you have a city like Boston with an economy which is doing very well in a city that is very small – geographically it is the smallest of the four.
“San Francisco is completely different, and then you have LA which is biggest of them all. They are in the middle of a multi-billion dollar transportation programme, upgrading and expanding urban rail systems – that is a programme they have irrespective of the Games.”
City development plans will form an important part of the evaluation of the candidate cities, Protopsaltis said. “Starting as a foundation, what is your plan for the next five to ten years for the city? What changes in infrastructure are you going to make and why are you going to do it?”
“All four cities have presented plans that are part of the long-term visions for their communities,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun.
“At our request, and because of the preliminary nature of our discussions, the cities have not spoken about their bids publicly in great detail. That will be an important part of the process after we make our selection in January.”
The USOC will continue discussion the technical elements required to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games with the candidates in the coming weeks.
“We are excited to announce our plans to put forth a bid for the 2024 Games and look forward to taking the next step of selecting from a group of four world-class cities to present a compelling and successful bid,” said USOC Chairman Larry Probst.
“We’re grateful to the civic and political leaders in each of the four cities for the partnership that’s been demonstrated thus far, and confident that the deliberative process we’ve put in place is going to result in a strong U.S. bid that can truly serve the athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic movements.”
The deadline for submitting a bid to the IOC is 15 September 2015 and the host city will be elected in 2017.
The US last hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1996 (Altanta). Los Angeles has hosted the Games twice before, in 1932 and 1984, and win for 2024 would make it only the second city after London to host the Games three times.
Earlier in the week, Rome officially announced that it will bid for the 2024 Games. Germany is also expected to enter the race, with Berlin the more widely preferred candidate over the alternative, Hamburg.
Several other cities worldwide have expressed an interest, including Baku, Budapest, Doha, Istanbul and Paris. South Africa is also expected to put forward an applicant city. -
Boston’s modest proposal wins US Olympic 2024 bid race
The US Olympic Committee chose Boston on Thursday as the city that will bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, over competing offers from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Boston has proposed a low-cost, regional and sustainable Games in keeping with the ideals of Olympic Agenda 2020, the new framework adopted by the IOC in December within which the bidding procedure for 2024 will operate.
The engagement of public and private stakeholders in Boston’s proposal is said to have outshone its rivals.
“One of the great things about the Boston bid was that the bid leadership and the political leadership were on the same page,” Scott Blackmun, chief executive of the US Olympic Committee told the Boston Globe.
The White House gave a statement of presidential support for Boston, saying “The city has taught all of us what it means to be Boston Strong” – a reference to the slogan adopted by the city in the wake of the 2013 marathon bombings.
The decision was also welcomed by IOC president Thomas Bach, who said “The Boston bid will be a strong one.”
A major driver behind Agenda 2020 is change perceptions about the cost and benefit of hosting the Olympic Games. Boston proposes to spend just USD4.5bn on hosting the Games, which the bid committee says will be generated from broadcasting, sponsorship and ticketing revenues.
This figure does not include publicly funded investments in civic infrastructure, which the bid committee says the city has already committed to regardless of the Games bid.
The cost of hosting the Games would be kept down by using existing facilities, including the multi-purpose TD Garden and a number of venues operated by colleges, such as Harvard Stadium, Boston College’s Conte Forum and Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
In a proposal reminiscent of London 2012, Boston’s Olympic stadium would be temporary, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies as well as track and field events.
The US last hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1996 at Atlanta. Since then the world’s biggest multisport event has been awarded to Asia/Oceania three times, Europe twice and South America once.
The IOC does not, however, operate a policy of continental rotation and a number of factors will determine which city is selected in 2017 as the host of the 2024 Olympic Games.
While current round of bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games has suffered from a crisis in appetite for hosting the Olympic Games, particulary in Europe, the race for 2024 is shaping up to be extremely competitive.
Rome is the only other city so far to have confirmed it will bid for the 2024 Games, but a long list of other cities and regions are in various stages of evaluating and preparing bids.
Baku, Budapest, Doha, Germany, Hamburg, Istanbul, Paris and South Africa are among the possible contenders.
The selection of Boston will perhaps be something of a surprise to anyone outside the US Olympic Committee. Los Angeles, which has hosted the Olympics twice before, was the highest profile contender. Advisors to the IOC had indicated that Washington, D.C. had the strongest technical infrastructure. San Francisco is already established as one of the world’s most popular destinations for sports, business and leisure.
Yet this is another factor behind Boston’s success: the city is new to Olympism, having never hosted or bid for an Olympic Games before. As such, it is less likely to show complacency in its bid, offering fresh pastures in an old city.
One of Boston’s biggest challenges will be garnering public support for the Games. A public meeting has been planned for Tuesday to gather feedback as the first stage of planning for the bid.
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Durban 2022 Commonwealth Games is our sole focus – SASCOC
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has confirmed that it is not yet considering a bid for the 2024 Olympic Games as it has committed its resources to winning the bid for Durban 2022 and would require further information from the IOC before considering an Olympic bid.
“The bidding process for the CWG requires enormous time, dedication and resources in order for one to put forward a successful bid,” said SASCOC in a statement on Wednesday.
“With our focus solely on delivering the games to the city of Durban, the Board of SASCOC will not be diverted from this mission.”
HOST CITY reported on Monday that a bid for the Olympic Games incorporating cities all over South Africa was being contemplated. This would be made possible through the IOC’s recent Agenda 2020 changes to bidding procedure.
SASCOC was not able to verify this when contacted by HOST CITY on Monday.
Shortly after the publication of this report, which was picked up on by various other media, SASCOC issued a statement saying that they were being inundated with queries from media on whether SASCOC is intending to bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
“An Olympic bid is not currently under consideration,” SASCOC confirmed.
“The Board of SASCOC is at this time fully committed to bidding for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The first step is to win the bid and then to deliver a successful Games,” said Tubby Reddy, CEO of SASCOC.
“The Board has not received any notification or correspondence from the International Olympic Committee with regard to the bidding process for the 2024 Olympic Games. Therefore, the issue of South Africa bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games does not arise.
“Once this communiqué is received, the SASCOC Board will engage with Honourable Minister Fikile Mbalula and National Government on whether one is going to consider an Olympic Games bid in 2024.”
In support of Durban’s bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, SASCOC exhibited at HOST CITY Bid to Win conference in October, which attracted an extremely high level of speakers and delegates including David Grevemberg, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
Durban faces strong competition from Edmonton in its bid to host the Commonwealth Games.
“Winning the bid for the CWG will be very significant for the City of Durban, especially as the other city is Edmonton, Canada,” said Reddy.
“Canada has already hosted the Games four times. We are seriously focused on the prize of winning the bid and we will not be distracted by other issues that have not been sanctioned by the SASCOC Board.”
The host city of the 2022 Commonwealth Games will be elected on 2 September 2015.
SASCOC has until 15 September 2015 to define its applicant for the 2024 Olympic Games. -
South Africa considers nationwide 2024 Olympic bid
The South African Olympic Committee is said to be contemplating a country-wide bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, inspired by the IOC’s recent Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms.
“The country now has taken a different view of it, taking more of a country approach than a provincial,” Ivor Hoff, head of sports at Gauteng Province told HOST CITY exclusively.
“Because of the new IOC bidding and hosting criteria, the country will take this into consideration.”
Gauteng Province had been mentioned as a potential contender for an Olympic bid. Durban and Pretoria have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
But now, the South African Olympic Committee is instead said to be reviewing its bid for the 2024 Olympic Games and putting forward a proposal that links a number of host destinations.
“When Sam Ramsamy came back from [the IOC Session in] Switzerland he reported he is going to make a presentation to the South African parliament.”
As South Africa’s parliament is in recess this week, Hoff expects Ramsamy to make the presentation next week.
“Sam will make the presentation and decisions will be taken from there.”
HOST CITY contacted SASCOC but Sam Ramsamy was unavailable for comment.
Agenda 2020 opened up the Olympic bidding process to allow for bids to be spread across more than one city.
“One city was quite a problematic approach, because it could potentially bankrupt that city,” said Hoff.
“A developmental country like South Africa could look at it more comprehensively with several cities – this would be much better for a developmental country like South Africa.”
South Africa has recent experience of hosting a nationwide mega event.
Ivor Hoff was a key figure in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with a particular focus on legacy benefits for health, education and housing.
“Based on a really positive 2010 FIFA World Cup, we’ve got a good understanding of how the country can benefit from hosting major events.”
South Africa has until 15 September 2015 to define its applicant for the 2024 Olympic Games.
So far, Rome and Boston have announced their intention to bid. The host city will be elected at the 130th IOC Session in Lima on 15 September 2017.