Will a Munich 2022 bid be favourite?

[Olympian2004]

Then they must be bonkers. If any, the IOC will do only one thing: Discard Germany as serious contender for future Olympic Games and therefore also as a potential powerful voice for change within the IOC.

I mean, already the opposition against the Berchtesgaden 1986, Berlin 2000 and Munich 2018 bids didn't leave the best impression in the IOC - and now that the population in the whole (and not only parts of) the only potential Winter Games area in Germany has voted with a resounding "no" or "we simply don't care about the Olympics and therefore abstain", the impression certainly does not get better, quite the contrary.

I think that this is a serious blow to Germany's reputation in the Olympic Movement, instead of a warning sign towards the IOC grandees. The sheer number of bids for the 2022 Games shows the IOC that there'll probably always be enough cities and countries ready to bid and host, even for the Winter Games - especially the autocratic countries and dictatorships. So as long as there'll be enough alternate bid cities that accept the IOC's conditions and either have a supportive population or ignore their population's opinion, there won't be any change regarding the contracts between the IOC and the host cities.

What I also find interesting is that the strongest opposition came not from one of the proposed host cities for Munich 2018, but from the "new kid on the block", Traunstein county. One would have thought that they are the most enthusiastic about such a bid, after they were left out for 2018. Probably this result shows that the bid committee had difficulties to make its point, to create interest in and enthusiasm for a bid among people who didn't have to deal with such a bid before. Instead, they could only rely on people from the original 2018 bid regions who already knew what they had to expect from such a bid. And that was too little. Instead, the bid committee would have been better advised to combine the referendums with the regional or federal elections in September in order to force more people to think about the bid and to make a statement.

Sorry, it's "Berchtesgaden 1992", of course.

[StefanMUC]

A bit more on the psyche behind yesterday's result - quite a good article which again triggered angry comments by NO voters...

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/grossprojekte-in-deutschland-nicht-in-meinem-hinterhof-1.1816053

translation page 1: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sueddeutsche.de%2Fkultur%2Fgrossprojekte-in-deutschland-nicht-in-meinem-hinterhof-1.1816053&act=url

translation page 2: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=de&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sueddeutsche.de%2Fkultur%2Fgrossprojekte-in-deutschland-nicht-in-meinem-hinterhof-1.1816053-2

[Citius Altius Fortius]

I had the impression that the "no-voters" thought like "we have put the IOC in its place now finally" - I have high doubts that they will be right - some of the sufferers of these no-voters will be the young boys and girls and their families in the traditional Wintersport regions of Germany, who would have get more financial support to become Olympic Games 2022 participants, if it had been in Munich....

[zekekelso]

Let's face it.... the IOC is full of corrupt weaseals. There requirements are meglomanicial.

Munich's rejection won't be enough to change the IOC. But if they are the first with more to come...

[Rob2012]

Munich could easily have met the requirements for these Games. They don't require every Games to be like Sochi and Beijing, though it sounds like the NO campaign managed to convince a lot of Germans otherwise.

Out of interest Zeke, what requirements would you like to see the IOC alter?

Edited November 11, 2013 by Rob.

[StefanMUC]

Let's face it.... the IOC is full of corrupt weaseals. There requirements are meglomanicial.

Munich's rejection won't be enough to change the IOC. But if they are the first with more to come...

Munich's not the first. Bern and Graubünden also did it recently. And Vienna voted no to a 2028 summer bid some months ago.

But as long as the IOC gets six applicants like it seems now, with Stockholm joining the race (despite so far the lack of government support), they won't see a need for change.

[Citius Altius Fortius]

But as long as the IOC gets six applicants like it seems now, with Stockholm joining the race (despite so far the lack of government support), they won't see a need for change.

Exactly and therefore the reasoning by the "No-campaign" is just ridiculous...

[Athensfan]

I am very sad...

Nothing more nothing less to say....

Me too.

Hmmm. I've got no beef with China itself getting a WOGs. I'd be happy if it was Harbin, for example. But Beijing to me just seems overkill and unsuited for the WOGs. The idea just leaves me totally cold.

Agreed.

Then they must be bonkers. If any, the IOC will do only one thing: Discard Germany as serious contender for future Olympic Games and therefore also as a potential powerful voice for change within the IOC.

I mean, already the opposition against the Berchtesgaden 1986, Berlin 2000 and Munich 2018 bids didn't leave the best impression in the IOC - and now that the population in the whole (and not only parts of) the only potential Winter Games area in Germany has voted with a resounding "no" or "we simply don't care about the Olympics and therefore abstain", the impression certainly does not get better, quite the contrary.

I think that this is a serious blow to Germany's reputation in the Olympic Movement, instead of a warning sign towards the IOC grandees. The sheer number of bids for the 2022 Games shows the IOC that there'll probably always be enough cities and countries ready to bid and host, even for the Winter Games - especially the autocratic countries and dictatorships. So as long as there'll be enough alternate bid cities that accept the IOC's conditions and either have a supportive population or ignore their population's opinion, there won't be any change regarding the contracts between the IOC and the host cities.

What I also find interesting is that the strongest opposition came not from one of the proposed host cities for Munich 2018, but from the "new kid on the block", Traunstein county. One would have thought that they are the most enthusiastic about such a bid, after they were left out for 2018. Probably this result shows that the bid committee had difficulties to make its point, to create interest in and enthusiasm for a bid among people who didn't have to deal with such a bid before. Instead, they could only rely on people from the original 2018 bid regions who already knew what they had to expect from such a bid. And that was too little. Instead, the bid committee would have been better advised to combine the referendums with the regional or federal elections in September in order to force more people to think about the bid and to make a statement.

Sorry, it's "Berchtesgaden 1992", of course.

I don't know about Germany losing its voice. They're an economic and sporting powerhouse and a German is president of the IOC. They won't be totally dismissed and the IOC will take note of this vote.

[Pixie_Victoria]

Munich could easily have met the requirements for these Games. They don't require every Games to be like Sochi and Beijing, though it sounds like the NO campaign managed to convince a lot of Germans otherwise.

Yeah...I don't get why they got so obsessed with Sochi. The referendum was about whether they wanted they wog or not, not about Sochi, or whether they approved Sochi & their spending or whatever ? I remember you saying, already before the Munich vote, that no one expected them to spend as much as Sochi, and yes, therefore Sochi had no relation with them.

It's like there had never been any wog before & after Sochi...

[olympiaki-agones]

I don't know why many here are quite "sad" about what Bavarians decided. I definitely congratulate societies that have already wide-opened their eyes in environmental or social issues in their countries and learn how to invest that huge amount of money in sustainable and long term projects. Most of us know that the OG work as a political or social propaganda to state the host nation is capable, trustful and "well-developed" in all ways.

I admit I was excited with the idea of seeing a summer "Olympic City" to host WOG, but now it seems this new election will leave history breaking some paradigms about new capable regions and far from the west. After all that is why Asia and its people are being trusted right now and are more prepared and adapted to the XXI century revolutionary whirls.

Anyway people from now to 2022 will get used to mega-events being hosted in Asia, I'm not skeptical about Almaty being chosen. But Beijing, no way.

[Sir Rols]

Let's face it.... the IOC is full of corrupt weaseals. There requirements are meglomanicial.

Yeah, I'll echo Rob's question. You're always banging on about the corrupt IOC and they need to change requirements.

What corruption have you actually been aware of since 1998, when the SLC scandal broke, the IOC was forced to clean house and the world media have been scrutinising them closely ever since? I'm not saying they're squeakly clean (few organisations in any field are) but i do think they're a far more transparent organisation with a close eye on their image these days.

And, yeah, as Rob asked. What requirements need changing?

[olympikfan]

The people of Munich have spoken. We at Gamesbid like or not have to accept it. I have always posted let the people decide. Bern said no to 2010. It is situations such as Munich that governments fear. They say one thing, the people say another. The IOC will have to face this in the 21^st Century. The Sports world is different place. The Olympics and other international sporting events are subject to greater public scrutiny.

[baron-pierreIV]

Well, if Denver had held the vote that Munich just did, before they threw their hat in..in 1970, they wouldn't have that albatross of a "tainted bidder" hanging on their neck now.

[Fox334]

Well, if Denver had held the vote that Munich just did, before they threw their hat in..in 1970, they wouldn't have that albatross of a "tainted bidder" hanging on their neck now.

Exactly. I don't think a Munich bid in 8 years would suffer from this referendum the same way a Denver bid will always suffer. Voting to not bid is one thing. Voting to not host after winning the bid is quite another thing.

From our point of view it is regrettable that Munich will not run, as it would have been the strongest technical choice and a sentimental favourite for plenty of us, but the IOC still has six bids to chose from, including very strong bids from Oslo and Almaty. The sky is not falling.

[Athensfan]

I think the concern is that the Germans may not vote in favor of an Olympic bid for some time. 2022 was tailor-made for them and they said no. Under what conditions would they say yes?

[Citius Altius Fortius]

A discussion has started in Hamburg - about a Summer Olympics bid...

The trend in the discussion is that Hamburg is interested, but the referendum of Munich has to be analyzed and the situation in the IOC is important, too.

Die Welt - Neue Chance auf Olympia?

Hamburger Abendblatt - Neue Chance für Hamburger Olympia-Bewerbung

[Citius Altius Fortius]

An interesting interview with Michael Groß (Olympic Champion from Los Angeles and Seoul)

"Bavaria doesn't need Olympic Games, but the IOC needs regions like Bavaria"

[JMarkSnow2012]

I think the concern is that the Germans may not vote in favor of an Olympic bid for some time. 2022 was tailor-made for them and they said no. Under what conditions would they say yes?

Provided the Olympic movement survives, there will come a point where it just becomes embarrassing for Germany, one of the planet's richest nations, not to have a go at hosting. If post-2014 hosts can keep their budgets under reasonable control, the "Scrooge" label will be awarded to the Germans sooner rather than later.

[StefanMUC]

Uhm, given the things Germans are usually called, I guess we'd survive being the crooges of the Olympic movement.

Uhm, given the things Germans are usually called, I guess we'd survive being the crooges of the Olympic movement.

*scrooges*

[olympiaki-agones]

Actually I liked their decision! I also expect the same from Oslo. In 2007, when I visited Norway, I remember some posters announcing Tromso's intention to bid for the 2018 WOG. When I started to ask people how eager they were to see the OG back to their country, their answers were negative! They were more concerned about environmental and economical issues than hosting. That is why Norway withdrew before starting.

[FYI]

Tromso was such an illogical choice, though. I mean really, what was a tiny village, north of the article circle thinking. So I could see why there would've been many there that weren't onboard on the idea. That decision was mainly based on internal Norwegian politics than anything else. Much like Leipzig 2012 was.

[StefanMUC]

Urgh, don't remind me of the terrible farce the German NOC made of their selection for the 2012 candidate. If at the time that one had been done properly (i.e. among the bidders picking Hamburg, or rather trying again, this time professionally, with Berlin), we might have had a chance. But it was totally ridiculous.

[baron-pierreIV]

I want a NEW Leipzig bid!!

[olympikfan]

The IOC takes on other issues such as doping, the environment, and limit the number of athletes. But the true issue will be cost. Sochi is now the most expenses winter games, I guess the German did not want that financial burden. Cost will be the cancer of the Olympics.

[Fox334]

The IOC takes on other issues such as doping, the environment, and limit the number of athletes. But the true issue will be cost. Sochi is now the most expenses winter games, I guess the German did not want that financial burden. Cost will be the cancer of the Olympics.

Lets be honest: Sochi is so expensive because because the Russian government wanted it to be this expensive. The IOC had nothing to do with it.