baron-pierreIV

I think we will have an inkling of Paris 2024's thinking for Ceremonies with whomever they pick for the Preview at the Handover section next year at the Tokyo 2020 Closing. I have a feeling Marco Ballich could be in the strong running for it. Haven't heard anymore from David Atkins' crew or Five Currents.

Until Sweden does a Beijing-Sochi and spends oodles of kroner to build bullet train service between Stockholm and the mountains PLUS, have their own sliding track, they will NEVER get it if the Games are just rotated between the following, MORE COMPACT settings (I don't mean combined; just showing them as representative of that region): 1. Salt Lake, maybe Denver/Aspen/Colorado Springs 2. Vancouver/Calgary, 3. Sapporo/Nagano, 4. Milano/Cortina/Torino, 5. Oslo/Lillehammer - Amsterdam, 6. Grenoble/Annecy, 7. Albertville/Geneva, 8. PyeongChang, 9. a possible NE North American bid of Lake Placid-Montreal-Boston-Killington. 10. Almaty 11. dark horse Ulan Bator 12. an Iberian bid; Andorra, Barcelona, Jaca, Zaragoza When all is forgiven with Russia and Putin is overthrown, I am sure the IOC would love to go back to Sochi and use those facilities again! The IOC, if it also wanted a Nobel Peace Prize, could afford to resurrect and rebuild Sarajevo. So Sweden must really have a COMPELLING story to tell; none of this "Agenda 2020" window dressing which I know, in its heart of hearts, the IOC doesn't really care for. It's just lip service.

To Monitors: could you move this thread to the Same-titled thread under the Paris 2024 folder? Thanks.

So what? There is NO ATHLETES' VILLAGE in Verona. The main villages are in Milano and Cortina.

Well, blame those two Valkyrie-harpies then for Stockholm-Are 2026's loss.

Izmir is NOT a Tier A that will stand up against the like of (capital) cities London, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Madrid, etc. By itself, it won't stand a chance.

Doing Closing in Verona is insane. They will think this through and Verona's not going to happen.

India just put in a bid. IOC Session 2022 will be in Beijing (Asia); 2024 will be in Paris. 2023 is the election year for Winter 2030 -- so normally, it would be either in Africa, So. America or Oceania (if Salt Lake, Sapporo and Lillehammer are the candidates, as they most certainly will be). So wrong timing for India again!

A Pan-Turkey bid might work but unless they demolish ENTIRE neighborhoods in Istanbul proper, there is very little chance that Istanbul can work as an anchor city. Maybe Weightlifting in the Blue Mosque? Or Judo in the Haga Sophia? They'll have to share the prize with their other more spacious cities like boring Ankara or the more beautiful Izmir and Antalya. Then they might have a credible bid.

Off to the petanque venue!

Not so. When I was there in February, I felt no signs WHATSOEVER of, like the Sikhs being persecuted or harrassed. Like the so-called Christian far-right inthe US, there is always a zealous, die-hard minority who will politicize their religion above everyone else's. The more educated Hindis that I came across seemed to be prouder of the fact that they are a functioning democracy. India certainly looks more inclusive than Turkey under Erdogen (sp?).

Sweden should just stick to their Nobel prizes. With all their wealth, they could't even manage a decent Olympic bid.

Especially in (my) and the IOC voter's mind -- comparing her to the other "Anne" mayor -- Hidalgo of Paris; who was heaping praise and adulation on the IOC voters' egos, this Anne (with a bad hair tint job no less (the roots were showing), didn't even correct her fatal faux pas of the non-signing of the all-important Host City contract.

How do you know it would be a film director? Sochi used a TV producer and opera designer (Tsypin) and came up with a far, far superior show than London's. For Albertville, they got Decouffle, a choreographer, like Papaioannou. It could be anyone, even a stage director. Pointless guessing.

Why would they single out Vietnam . . . or . . . Algeria, Morocco, Napoleon's rape of Egypt. Of course, that's NOT going to be touched! I doubt they would even include the Reign of Terror of their own Revolution.