baron-pierreIV

1. We now know that one Paris landmark will NOT host the 2024 Olympic flame, even for one night. 2. If breakdancing will be a regular Olympic sport for 2024, should Bell-ringing, open only to h___backs, be the new Paralympic event for 2024?

I would think they would want to put some skylights (and sprinklers) in there and therefore make the famous Rose windows shine even more brilliantly whether viewed from the inside or out. They should ask Dan Brown. He might set his THE DA VINCI CODE 2 in the new Notre Dame.

I got Manny's number. We are on the same wavelength. I think putting up a new roof WITH sprinklers I guess, should be easy enough to set up. And they will have to find ingenious ways to hide little reservoirs/water tanks in the upper parts of the structure to hold reserve water. And then they will have to water- and fireproof everything below that now. NO MORE CANDLES in Notre Dame and ALL THE CHURCHES in Chirstendom.

Nope, two of France's richest men (Pinault and Arnault) have pledged already like $330 million for ND's reconstruction). That's way more than enough. Maybe the newly reconstructed ND can also double as the Handball venue before it permanently becomes a house of worship again?? I guess they will have to rush its completion before 2024.

Wow - 87% both in Milan regions and Utah. HOW COINCIDENTAL! How did the IOC canvassers arrive at the same number?

I think Stockholm-Are 2022 should now do a Swexit from the IOC!

Well, the junior partner is doing everything it can, albeit very limited, to save the bid.

It does, doesn't it? The Arena at Verona, while a stunning backdrop for such Ceremonies, would require MOVING everybody about another 2-3 hours to a more central location -- but where they would stay AFTER the show, is NUTS! Logistically, I don't know how they're going to do it. I think the IOC will have to tame these rich, crazy Italians.

And a 20-year gap between two Italian games is perfectly acceptable. It was only 12 years between Innsbruck 1964 and 1976 (of course the latter was due to Denver's recusing itself.) But the US Games gaps are in that 20-year range. I'm just not crazy about having sliding events a sea and another country away from Stockholm. Crashing into the Baltic in February is not a nice way to go.

Well, the other thing with such an Andorra-Barcelona bid -- what if Catalunya separates and becomes an independent state from the time the bid was chosen to execution? Catalunya would first have to have its own NOC; then they would renegotiate the Cities contract with, instead of Spain, a newly independent Catalonia. So, all in all, too MANY IMPONDERABLES. That alone would scuttle the bid, esp. if up against less troubled bids like USOC-Salt Lake, or JOC-Sapporo, or even NOC-Lillehammner if Sweden fails once again to get 2026. But if 2026 goes to Sweden, that pretty much makes the 2030 race between SLC and Sapporo.

What would the French component be, though? Pau? Not exactly the center of French winter sport -- which is more centered in the French alps. Annecy might want to be the next Winter candidate. Also, I don't think Andorra really has the infrastructure right now to stage a WOG. Besides, 2030 will probably favor Salt Lake or Sapporo, especially if Tokyo turns out to be a resounding success, never mind that it's back to East Asia again. However, continental rotation would favor SLC since 2026 will be in Europe, then North America, and maybe Asia again for 2030??

Was just looking at the current TOP (The Olympic Global Partners), and it looks more international these days: there are 3 Japanese companies (Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota), one each from China, Germany, Korea and Switzerland; and just two from the US (Visa and Intel). Gone are the times when there were as many as six US companies, at least as of July 2010 (Coke, Dow, GE, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, and VISA). Am really surprised that Coca-Cola has dropped out, it being the oldest sponsor of the Olympics. I guess association with the Olympic rings doesn't align with their needs for a solvent bottom line anymore. Well, the IOC, like Apple, has billions stashed in their bank account. Other Chinese companies, other than Alibaba will probably be taking up the slack in the next few decades.

It's really not a far-fetched, pie-in-the-sky scheme. I mean Seoul's venues (which were all nearly brand-new in 1988) are still there and probably need some sprucing up. Since then, they got a new giant football stadium. It's PyeongChang that might have to spend for a few new stadia. The only major facility Seoul would need to build is a new Olympic Village. But the long-term benefits are worth the seeming outlandishness of the idea IMHO. ANd if Salt Lake gets Winter 2030 over Sapporo, then a joint Korean bid (if it is still such) would be very attractive for 2032.

I guess the assault on the NoKor Embassy in Madrid has had its repercussions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/revolutionary-group-that-raided-north-korean-embassy-establishes-contact-with-fbi/2019/03/21/e8905beb-40de-4bc3-a0d5-b8319d5e91bc_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c5ba4c5baf35

And considering this would be Japan's 4th Olympic torch design opportunity, they botched it again. Olympic design has regressed a few steps back.