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FYI

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Everything posted by FYI

  1. Maybe the “want” poll could the second poll instead of the when (year) poll? Cause we can always say what year we think the “award” will be in a post. But I guess since a couple of people already voted (including myself) I guess it may not be possible anymore. I would ‘want’ Germany, too. And yes, I agree that the Rhine-Ruhr option would be a good one. Would give us a different section/flavor of Germany for a Games. In second place (if we can do that, I was hoping that we were able to vote for more than one, like I’ve seen in other polls here) for me in the want-category would be Rome. I’ve always been enamored by the Italian capital. And finally to round off my top-three, would either be Madrid or Istanbul as a tie. The latter would definitely fill in the “exotic” locale in my book. If you would’ve made this poll last week, I would’ve voted totally differently (the 2036 is Europe’s to lose was my philosophy before). But since that intriguing (to say the least) piece that you posted the other day, I have to be inclined to re-evaluate everything now. Bach really seems to be a toxic pill for the Olympic movement, & it doesn’t seem like he’s working for the betterment of the IOC at all, only for himself it seems. That’s why I’m now inclined to say that either India or Qatar, in that order, will be hosting 2036. I guess ITG isn’t that far off when they say that Doh-a is the “clear favorite” for ‘36. What inside juicy scoop could they possibly have? And the climate/calendar issue? Since NBC only has the Olympic rights ‘til 2036, who knows what other kind of deals Bach could be making underneath-the-radar in order to offset any negative impact from a Summer Games in the fall. And in distant third in my THINK category would be Istanbul. The autocrat-ness of Erdogan might appeal to Bach, but I’d have to say that he would personally have more to gain with either India or Qatar hosting in 2036. And who knows, could we even see a Bach-“double” in order to appease both his “friends” at the same time?! “We’ll see”!!
  2. Now, just to clarify. Is this poll what we would “want” to see, or who we THINK will get 2036 (based on the whims of one (or two) particular IOC member[s])? Or both? If the former, I may have to think about that one a little more. If the latter, I know exactly where I’d vote for.
  3. Right (with pun)? If Bach wants to go fascist-leaning for 2036, surely Rome would still be a much better setting than any of those other Asian despots.
  4. Yeah, sure. I can get that. But it was reported back in mid-June, that a decision about possible relocation of the white water venue was "close" & that it would be announced "very soon". Well, 9-1/2 months later (& still counting) is not 'close' nor 'very soon'. And while four years is still quite a ways away, I would think that the logistics of moving such a large Olympic event so far away from the Host City would still require as much time & planning as possible. No sense of urgency on my part, but still curious nonetheless since it was mentioned last summer.
  5. So the latest IOC EB meeting came & went, & still nothing on whether the L.A.'28 canoe slalom venue is going to be moved to OKC (or not).
  6. Apparently Bachy is all about me, me, ME (& of course the bone he threw to Coates). I'm really starting to think that Germany shouldn't even bother anymore, not while Bach is still in office anyway.
  7. Exactly, it's just another senseless post from the green/brown you-know-who. I initially thought that Paris 2024 would've hindered Nice 2030, but evidently not. And Paris 2024 to Nice 2030 is only 5-1/2 years apart. A Milan 2026 to Rome 2036 would be 10-1/2 years apart (nearly double that of Paris/Nice), so quite doable for the Italians.
  8. Probably, cause on the iPhone it's still the old emojis. I'll miss the active one for this one 🙄 if I'm not on my iPhone at any given time & would like to use it. lol I don't like using my iPhone that much if I'm gonna be typing quite a bit (for a quick text message, though, it's fine).
  9. Yeah, it's not what you know, but WHO you know over at B&C's IOC these days.
  10. Regardless of which of those cities though, the notion that Brisbane 2032 will still somehow "present a low-risk proposition to the IOC" after the mess that it has now become (& still nowhere to be solved as of yet) is also "wildly inaccurate". That idea has been thrown out the window now, & gets further left behind in the rear-view mirror the longer this Olympic circus side-show continues. So in comparison to the previous two Aussie Games, I'd agree that Sydney 2000 was a miracle then. Not knowing where, or whether you're going to rebuild or build new elsewhere, or just refurbish a rickety old stadium for Olympic-size purposes. And then, it's not just the stadium issue either. You have all that other big infrastructure work still left to do to get to & from said stadium & throughout the region for the Games, with also no conclusive plans as of yet. So not ideal at this stage is more than likely putting it lightly.
  11. I've read all that on Melbourne 1956 before on wiki, but the fact still remains, the Olympic Games back then were only a fraction of what they are today (the timing I also don't see how it has that much bearing, other than actually giving them a few more extra months to prepare than normal). So lets at least compare apples to apples. As far as the New Delhi CWG's comparison goes, I didn't make that one, so can't really comment on that. But again, even AK did make the Montreal one before, which I can actually see not being that far off, since at the end of the day, the Olympics still cost an immense amount of money to stage regardless of how they're organized. And when national pride is at stake, just ask Milan 2026 with their sliding venue (which is now becoming a sticking point with Brisbane 2032, especially when QSAC is involved) a spending spree can ensue when things start falling behind schedule precisely due to all the in-house political bickering. If they now want to turn this into a political hot button issue cause of the upcoming October elections in Queensland, that's also another sore thumb, especially when the political support was considered a positive before Brisbane was 'awarded' the Games as a "safe pair of hands". It really does appear like things can be starting to unravel at the seams at this point after three years of doing almost literally nothing & then the state cabinet 'discussing' about possible cancellation (can't remember a [recent] previous host city ever doing that before). But the thing is, it's NOT just the stadium issue, either. If it was, then I'd agree it's still a little too early to be pressing that panic button just yet. Again, like I've mentioned before, but I have to agree with the Brisbane mayor (who else would know his city better) considering what all really still needs to be done (big infrastructure mega-projects take lots of time), that if things are still so unclear by this time next year, then Brisbane will begin to be running out of time. But that said, yes, as our other little friend on here likes to say, let's "wait & see".
  12. Comparing a Summer Games from over 3/4 of a century ago is really quite disingenuous. They were only 1/3 of the size of what they are now, with more than twice as many disciplines. And also considering how much inflation has only skyrocketed since Coronavirus, & with much of the key organizational parts of Brisbane 2032 still being up in the air, the notion that these Games are going to somehow be the "new-norm template" for other cities to follow as a 'cost-effective option' (which was always dubious to begin with) has really gone out the window now. So the comparison some have made that they can possibly turn into Montreal 2.0 (which even you yourself have also made before) or Athens 2004 (which also blew a lot of their lead time & the Greeks being stripped of the Games was also starting to become a talking point, which is why costs there then soared so they can be ready on time after so much time was wasted) is becoming quite real the longer this Brisbane (political) disorganization plays out.
  13. I noticed that too, sometime last week. It looks like it's something new, but it seems it's only when you're on a laptop or a chromebook. Cause on iPhone, it still the same ole emojis as before.
  14. The irony that it's an Airbus plane, from the 2024 host country, & not a Boeing plane, from the 2028 host country. I know business is business, but still find it ironic.
  15. Yeah, cities before had 7 years, but they also already had a plan ready to execute on day one of winning their respective bids. Brisbane, OTOH, is still fighting on what exactly to do. And for a smallish city slated to host the Olympics this century at a point when the Games themselves have only gotten bigger over the last 25 years, they also have the most work to do than any other recent Summer Olympic host, which calculates to no time whatsoever to be messing around still. They totally squandered their bonus years, & even other Aussies have admitted to that. It's good to be optimistic in life, but it's also very important to be realistic & not let clouded by certain blinders. And until Brisbane finally get their house in order, this is still going to be a roller coaster ride that will have all the parties involved in a dither. If things continue like this by next year at this time, like even the Brisbane mayor said "we'll be running out of time to get things done".
  16. IDK about that. As this stage, I think the IOC (well, more like B&C) have probably had enough of China for now. I really think now they'd move farther west & south in Asia in that case. It seems that they could be frothing at the mouth in trying some new despot flavors.
  17. Outta that trifecta, I think Istanbul would be in the back-burner. Just don't see Bach getting as enthused or much personally out of it as the other two, & that's what he's quite apparently after these days - what's in it for him. I remember several years ago, when Brisbane was doing a 'feasibility study' for 2028, that one of the Aussie's members then was quite adamant that Brisbane needed massive amounts of work to be ready for this. That it was nothing more than a bunch of politicians having a "wank". Yet, here we are, but for the Games 4-years later, they weren't that far off in their analysis. I also found a couple of recent reddit comments that I found interesting that pretty much sums up the same thing: A. "Regardless of what the QLD State government says, the Brisbane Olympics will be too costly, over budget and a mess for spectators and participants, not to mention the locals. It will be a total embarrassment for Australia. Eight years is not long enough to fix infrastructure, build new roads and transport links, and develop costly stadium and accommodation facilities unless the developers and unions (which will be involved) demand ridiculous payments to meet building schedules. And you can bet that when they miss a deadline, the poor old taxpayer will pay for it." B. "I'm personally on the fence about it. It's a fantastic opportunity as a local to get access to some of the best athletes in the world and attend the Olympics, something I probably wouldn't ever do when hosted elsewhere. However, it's almost at a point of whether Brisbane will even be ready, and because of that is there even a point? It's 8 years away at this point, I don't see any new infrastructure being ready in time, not without massive cost blowouts. It all just feels so rushed and unorganized. Parties back flipping on plans, changing direction and purpose, it just feels off to me." ---------- Those are so much on point, especially when Brisbane has totally wasted the first three years on an 11-year lead time & they still don't have a clear path to move forward. If they would've ran right outta the gate when first awarded, it could've been a different story. But as it stands now, forget the comparisons to Atlanta 1996. At this pace, & if the Games don't get cancelled by the local gov't or get taken away, Brisbane 2032 could very well be in danger of becoming the next Athens 2004 instead. Which would be totally ironic when the whole idea TBW was sold as a 'low-cost' Games within the "new-norm protocols".
  18. Even as not a replacement for Brisbane, last year I would've shrugged off any prospect of India or Doh-a (especially if we initially consider the IOC's own timeframe rule). But now, especially after that intriguing piece, to say the least, you posted yesterday, I can easily now see those two being part of the next 'new-norm' selection process. But to be fair, it's also about the transportation issues that would be involved in at least two of those options. Not to mention the amount of money required for the other two remaining new/rebuild options that have caused an uproar TBW, when Anna P. said at the very beginning that 2032 will cost Queenslanders "net zero". Trying to sort all that mess out is also a matter of capability, I'd say. Since I can't recall in any recent Olympic memory of a local gov't at least having the "discussion" in possibly just cancelling the Games altogether.
  19. ^Meh, if she hasn't worked on it by now, then I'd say no. Plus, it looks like Bach likes to cozy up to the real powers & shakers of society, like PM's, presidents, royalty & dictators (not lowers on the totem pole), so he can see what he can personally get out of the deal.
  20. Oh, the IOC (or more like B&C) would definitely consider blowing up their calendar rule if they absolutely had to. But not for Melbourne, that is. Plus, after they just gave up the 2026 CWG's, I don't see how any politicians & the public there would have any appetite whatsoever in taking over what is becoming a 2032 side-circus show. If Sydney doesn't want it, I'd say Melbourne at this point would want it even less.
  21. Correction: SLC got awarded 2002 at the IOC session in 1995 in Budapest. The Birmingham, England session was for the previous awarding of the 1998 Winter Olympics which were won by Nagano. So in other words, both Atlanta & SLC were won in non-U.S. IOC sessions, therefore not breaking any of the Olympic Charter rules at the time of their respective bid races, unlike what Nice is facing in Paris this summer. It's why the scheduled IOC session in Milan in 2019 had to be moved to Switzerland ultimately, cause Milan entered the 2026 race after it was already slated for the session. So interesting to see what B&C will in the end do with Nice & it's 'awarding'.
  22. But is she a Bachy crony? That's the KEY there! If you're not in his inner-circle, then forget about any Olympic ambitions/stubbornness. That is B&C's "new-norm" order now.
  23. Atlanta got awarded in 1990, at the session in Tokyo. SLC got awarded in 1995 at the session in Birmingham, England I think it was.
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