gromit Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 With the demise of the Swiss 2022 bid, could Barcelona be an exciting option for the IOC in 2022? If successful, the citizens of Madrid may be disappointed that their Catalan rival had held the Olympic games twice, but awarding the games would be considered a national reward for the multiple summer (Madrid) and winter (Jaca) bids that Spain has as a nation made. Whilst the Spanish economy is in trouble, Catalonia is the strongest performing part of the country, and Barcelona has a number of major venues already in place. The city also has the infrastructure in place including transportation and hotel rooms. Here is a proposed bid plan: The World Trade Centre - global media centre Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys - ceremonies (55,000seats) Palau Sant Jordi - Figure Skating (16,000 seats) new FC Barcelona arena - Ice Hockey1 (12,000 seats) - already planned for the basketball team Palau Olimpic, Badaluna - Ice Hockey2 (8,000seats?) - home of Club Joventut multiple options for a temporary curling arena including Palau del Esports de Barcelona (3,500 seats), Palau d'Esports de Granollers (5,600 seats) or Estacio del Nord Sports Hall Speed Skating could be held at a temporary facility at the Fira de Barcelona, the 2nd largest exhibition centre in Europe As for the outdoor sports, alpine events can be held at the Alp2500 resort which has two appropriately sized mountains at La Molina (745m) and Masella (935m) which have already held FIS events. La Molina also has an active small ski jumping hill, but an alternative site might be the Vall de Nuria which had one of the earliest ski jumping hills in Spain. As with most bids a new bobsleigh run would need to be built but this is the case of most bids. Both locations are under 100miles from Barcelona and have existing road and rail links. Barcelona already has a number of venues in place or the ability to convert existing sites. The victory of Carolina Ruiz Castillo at Meribel this season may spark interest in winter sports in Spain as well as the Winter Universiade at Granada in 2015. Barcelona offers an intriguing possibility for the IOC without the baggage of other bids. A new location in an old continent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I don’t want to like this idea but I sort of do. It looks about as far as Whistler/Vancouver...is that right? How long to drive up? The resorts aren't really amazingly large or interesting looking but I don't know the area at all. Is the mountain region well developed and important or would it just be upstaged by a big traditionally summer city, that would be bad? That's what sound arrogant, is this just a big summer city that wants to hog the games from more traditional winter cities/regions? Is Barcelona a winter city?? Is the mountain area fantastic and worth skipping other world rebound alpine areas for just to have a games in Barcelona? Whistler BC 5000+vertical / 8000+acres ParkCity Utah 3100+vertical/3300+acres Snowbasin Utah 2900 vertical / 2800+acres (considered smallish in Utah). ..Meant to type “renound” up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gromit Posted April 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I don’t want to like this idea but I sort of do. It looks about as far as Whistler/Vancouver...is that right? How long to drive up? The resorts aren't really amazingly large or interesting looking but I don't know the area at all. Is the mountain region well developed and important or would it just be upstaged by a big traditionally summer city, that would be bad? That's what sound arrogant, is this just a big summer city that wants to hog the games from more traditional winter cities/regions? Is Barcelona a winter city?? Is the mountain area fantastic and worth skipping other world rebound alpine areas for just to have a games in Barcelona? Whistler BC 5000+vertical / 8000+acres ParkCity Utah 3100+vertical/3300+acres Snowbasin Utah 2900 vertical / 2800+acres (considered smallish in Utah). ..Meant to type “renound” up there. A Winter City? With the cost of the games and the size of the games ever increasing, traditional winter cities may be of a bygone age. La Molina with a vertical of 745m and Masella with a vertical of 935m have held FIS events. The total skiable area for the combined Alp2500 resort is 133km (length of runs) Barcelona is no further from La Molina than Denver is from Vail by road and there is also a REFEE rail link. Alp2500 is one of the largest resorts in the Pyrenees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 The strongest card a Barcelona 2022 has in its vest are the 3 recent losses of Madrid. If the Spanish NOC has the guts to go for a 4th try, and Barcelona can present a fairly viable bid, then Barcelona could win on the sympathy card. So the victory of Albertville 1992 (due to Paris losing the summer prize) could very well be played on Barcelona as well. And if Javier Fernandez does well in Sochi, he could very well be the poster boy for a Barcelona 2022 run. But the Madrilenos could say "Over their dead body!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofan Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 And if Javier Fernandez does well in Sochi, he could very well be the poster boy for a Barcelona 2022 run. Interesting considering Fernandez is from MADRID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 But the Madrilenos could say "Over their dead body!" Lmfao, exactly! Cuz those Castillians are so stubborn & so jealous of the Catalonian neighbors that they couldn't dream of them having yet another Olympics. Little do they realize though, due to their blind jealousy, that Spain could make a better case for the Winter Olympics than for another Summer Olympics still too soon. Is Barcelona a winter city??. How "wintery" is Vancouver or especially Sochi, with its subtropical climate & palm trees. Don't see why Barcelona couldn't join them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofan Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 How "wintery" is Vancouver or especially Sochi, with its subtropical climate & palm trees. Don't see why Barcelona couldn't join them. Exactly. As long as there are are mountains nearby and a place that is cold enough to host cross country, sliding, etc, the city does not need to be "wintery" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intoronto Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Interesting considering Fernandez is from MADRID. LOL! But one would think figure skating would reach heights in Spain if it hosts, something more important for Fernandez. Besides Fernandez I believe trains and lives in Toronto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 I suspect that internal politics will stop any thought of Winter Games in Barcelona. The idea is intriguing (if somewhat Sochi-esque), but there seems to be very strong political desire for Madrid to have their day. Another Barcelona Games would probably put too many noses out of joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Exactly. As long as there are are mountains nearby and a place that is cold enough to host cross country, sliding, etc, the city does not need to be "wintery" What's next...LA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 I dunno. Personally and subjectively, I'd just feel Munich would be better suited as the first SOG-WOG dual host (I suppose my German heritage also maks me lean towards that as well). And I also agree I think the internal Spanish rivalries would make it difficult for the Catalans to get everyone on board for a bid - wasn't that what already scotched their previous musings about going for 2022? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intoronto Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Off course Munich is the obvious candidate, but if Barcelona were to bid off Madrid's 3 loses that would be a selling card. We have seen 3 straight winter games (before Pyeongchang) was awarded to countries coming of summer loses. Its not a far fetched idea. However if Munich and Oslo bid then Idk it might be hard to win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 What's next...LA? If the weather was a bit more conducive in February, then why not. Especially with Big Bear Mountain nearby. L.A. could certainly then make a better case for the Winter Olympics than a third run at the Summer Games. Again, what makes Vancouver & Sochi such "winter cities". Vancouver has the potential of getting more rain than snow in February. And the little snow that they do get is hardly enough to call it a "winter wonderland". It's the mildest of major Canadian cities in the winter time. And Sochi has PALM TREES! What's so wintery about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningrings Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 If appropriate mountains were close enough to LA- why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intoronto Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 If appropriate mountains were close enough to LA- why not? Agree it would be better then going for a 3rd summer games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 What's next...LA? One answer: the crown jewel of the High Desert - R E N O!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gromit Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Off course Munich is the obvious candidate, but if Barcelona were to bid off Madrid's 3 loses that would be a selling card. We have seen 3 straight winter games (before Pyeongchang) was awarded to countries coming of summer loses. Its not a far fetched idea. However if Munich and Oslo bid then Idk it might be hard to win Jaca also bid for the Winter Olympics in 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 It’s rather amazing that people would seriously suggest LA host winter games. None of the resort clusters in Big Bear (Snow Summit / Bear Mountain), Wrightwood (Mountain High) or Mount Baldy above Ontario have the vertical needed, and unlike Québec building a mountain wouldn’t fly here. And even more odd is why anyone would want to go to LA for a winter games. Mammoth would be the closest serious resort area to LA and it’s a 5 hour drive. So I’d be totally again WOG in typically summer cities and especially a city like LA…that’s like….totally insane for athletes at that level of their winter sport. If you were a skier you would likely consider Vancouver a winter city in winter due to it being the gateway to Whistler and way up north in Canada….and it often is snowy there in winter (just not during their Olympics…bummer). Sochi is a special case of a Winter power who never hosted with a unique resort community adjacent to AMAZING alpine and willing to build the most expensive winter (or summer) games in the history of the event……now that you cant pass up! Palm trees be damned. GOT to return to Tahoe, if that mean Reno is a hub then SO BE IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Qatar World Cup and Barcelona Winter Olympics. That'd be a weird year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 What's actually rather amazing is that we're not the ones that went off on a tangent & brought up L.A. to begin with. And as was also said, if things were more "conducive" for L.A. to host a Winter Games, then why not. This thread was about Barcelona hosting a Winter Olympics, which in their case, it would be much more feasible for them to do so. They have the resorts much closer to Barcelona & the accessibilty to get to them. And much like Vancouver & Sochi, would also provide a unique setting & reason in going there unlike L.A. Barcelona would provide a new mountain range (the Pyrenees) that the Winter Olympics have never gone to before, & certainly Spain could make a much better case in trying to get a Winter Olympics (by bulding up their winter sports tradition, much like South Korea's sell) than incessantly trying to get another Summer Olympics so soon after 1992. I really don't see why it would be an 'oddball' in that sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 One answer: the crown jewel of the High Desert - R E N O!! Eww. It's NO jewel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quaker2001 Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 One answer: the crown jewel of the High Desert - R E N O!! Crown jewel? More like cubic zirconia of the High Desert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athensfan Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 One answer: the crown jewel of the High Desert - R E N O!! Perhaps a cast-off, old sequin..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Crown jewel? More like cubic zirconia of the High Desert! That'll do also!! Perhaps a cast-off, old sequin..... Well, they do have those Follies shows ya know... And better than a rejected, dejected, self-hating, NIMBY Rockies city... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulsa Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Barcelone 2022 ? Are you serious ? Why not Paris 2022, Sydney 2022 or Atlanta 2022 ? Barcelone isn't a winter city, Pyrenees are very far from Barcelona... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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