plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 *NOTE: The actual voting has, of course, concluded...but just like during the 2012 bid comp, this blog is to provide a fitting finish to the competition! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19:06: Welcome to the GamesBids coverage of the 127th Session of the International Olympic Committee in Vienna! The most important point on the agenda of the Olympic Movement today: Selecting the Candidate City hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics. It seems like an eternity ago since this contest was announced, with the immediate entry of the joint bid of Cairo/Alexandria and the subsequent declarations of intent by cities like Cape Town, Copenhagen/Malmo, Melbourne, New York City, Paris, Sapporo and Toronto. Alas, Cairo withdrew its candidacy shortly prior to the selection of Candidate Cities by the IOC. The Paris 2028 Committee found itself disqualified and was unable to redeem itself after the defeat of the city's effort to win the 2012 Olympic Games. Finally, one by one, despite qualifying for the Candidate City phase, Copenhagen/Malmo, Cape Town and Toronto saw themselves unable to continue and withdrew their candidacies. But now, after almost three months, we find ourselves at this milestone in Olympic history. The election will be about to begin shortly. 19:16: As we wait for the arrival of the IOC Executive Board, let us explain the precise mode of election. The IOC members will vote by casting their ballots for their favoured city until there is a majority of votes assembled behind one city. The city with the lowest number of votes in a given round will be eliminated and its votes redistributed according to the single transferable voting system. The cities vying to win the grand prize of hosting the Olympic Games are: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA New York City, UNITED STATES and Sapporo, JAPAN 19:20: By the way, the Session is taking place in Schönnbrunn Palace in Vienna - a breathtaking backdrop to this vote. 19:22: It appears that there is finally some activity on the podium! And there we can see the IOC President, Plus Brilliants, walking into the conference centre after a meeting with the Austrian Chancellor that has clearly overrun - then again, hospitality always needs to be recognized. 19:27: Plus Brilliants: "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to the session. It has been a great pleasure to be hosted by the City of Vienna, and on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, may I just how grateful all IOC members are for the hospitality provided by the City of Vienna and the Republic of Austria on this occasion. This proves, once more, the deep attachment Austria has for the Olympic Movement - and, Mr Chancellor, I would particularly like to thank you for the warm conversation we just had" (Applause). Mesdames et messieurs, we have all assembled in this beautiful city in the centre of Europe to select the host of the 2028 Olympic Games. The procedure has been explained to you in the delegate packs, and by Sir Rols and myself earlier this morning. So, without further ado, I officially reconvene the 127th Session and would like to ask the Chief Scrutineer of the IOC, Sir Rols, to start taking the roll call for members to cast their ballots in the first round of voting." 19:31: As the IOC members start making their way towards the ballot boxes with their votes scribbled down in a ranking order of 1, 2 and 3, let us remind ourselves that just like in 2012, when Berlin won the right to host the 2024 Olympic Games against six other cities, this competition has been no less tense. 19:32: The three Candidate Cities tout different strengths in this contest. Melbourne is building its plan on the idea of sustainable Olympic Games, and proposes a comprehensive regeneration of disused land, not unlike the last successful bid from Australia: Sydney 2000. New York City's calling card is its cosmopolitan nature, whilst Sapporo has presented a proposal that appears to use the Agenda 2020 reforms passed by the IOC to maximum effect. All three cities offer good reasons to vote for them. 19:36: Of course, Twitter is running amok with rumours about the IOC's intentions. Will it plump for sustainability? Or opt for a big international metropolis? Or award the Games to Australia for the first time in 28 years? Whichever decision is taken tonight, it is clear that the winner won't be from Europe, South America or Africa. 19:38: Of course, media patriarch Rupert Murdoch, an Australian and an American citizen couldn't resist weighing in on tonight's decision: "New York is the smart choice, Melbourne is the heart's choice". Nothing is known about his preferences regarding Sapporo. 19:43: Talking of Sapporo. I think many people in Japan are stunned by the seamless and organizationally creative manner in which the northern Japanese city manoeuvred itself from an outsider in a crowded field into one of the plausible candidates for an Olympic Games in 2028, just eight years after Japan will host the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 19:45: New York City had entered the race early, and the experts are saying that they are in with a realistic chance to make it much further than its unsuccessful attempt at winning the 2012 Olympic Games. For now, though, the answer is only known by the IOC members. 19:46: CNN is reporting that "sources close to the IOC indicate that this Olympic Election will go into Round 2". These are obviously unconfirmed reports that we're passing on to our readers right now. 19:47: What will be more interesting will be the identity of the city being eliminated from contention. Given that there are only three Candidate Cities anyway, only a maximum of two rounds are currently expected. The President of the IOC has studiously avoided to add his voice to the proceedings, but retains the right to activate his right to vote in the event of a tie, even if he hasn't cast an official ballot in the first instance - essentially, as a tie-breaker. 19:49: Much lobbying has been going on in Vienna, not the least from the heads of government - with Prime Minister Tony Abbott having hopped on a plane two days ago to lobby on behalf of Melbourne. This obviously comes on the heels of difficulties he's faced back home in Australia. Winning the Olympics for Melbourne may very well be a feather in his political cap. 19:52: Ah, it seems that the President of the IOC is walking to the podium to announce the first-round result. 19:53: Plus Brilliants: "Ladies and gentlemen, the first round of voting has been concluded. The result has been verified by the Vice President, Sir Rols, whom I thank once again for taking on this important task. After the counting of all ballots, I can hereby confirm..." 19:54: "...that by virtue of having received the fewest votes, the city of Melbourne has been eliminated from this contest. The IOC shall now proceed to the second round". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 (edited) ......I don't know who will win? ...here was my experiment what Vienna Session Catalog might look like. I hope to try a whole bid book one of these times...all the candidates books looked really cool. Edited April 5, 2015 by paul 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 (cont.) 19:57: Well, folks, there we have our first result...Melbourne, an early favourite and winner of the IOC's Evaluation Phase, has been discarded from the contest. This leaves us with a contest between New York City and Sapporo. It appears quite evident that this contest will be over much more swiftly than the one two and a half years ago. 20:00: There are no reactions from the Melbourne 2028 Committee, which put in a lot of hard work into its bid. However, the Sydney Morning Herald, in an uncharacteristic display of intra-Australian chivalry, has headlined its page with the words: "The world's loss". Rupert Murdoch has remained silent as well. Prime Minister Abbott had already left Vienna prior to the vote and is reportedly airborne for Sydney International Airport. We'll be sure to bring any reaction from his office to you, as it becomes available. 20:01: Apparently, the nerves are also frayed in New York City and Sapporo. Both cities are at the cusp of a historic success: New York City would be hosting the Olympic Games for the first time in its history, whilst Sapporo would accomplish the unique feat of being selected to host both the Winter Olympics (in 1972) and the Summer Olympics. However, we have to wait for a few more minutes before the official result becomes available. 20:06: The White House in Washington DC has been surprisingly low-key during this campaign. Then again, we all remember President Obama's vigorous campaigning on behalf of Chicago on the last day of the 2009 IOC Session in Copenhagen - unfortunately, the newly-minted president couldn't prevent Chicago being unceremoniously booted by the Lord of the Rings on that occasion. This time around, the President has restricted himself to phone diplomacy - working on IOC members until the last minute. Ah, and here's a picture tweeted by Josh Earnest, his press secretary - shortly after Melbourne was eliminated. 20:07: We are receiving reports that the announcement of the second-round result will take a bit more time. The reason is currently unknown. 20:11: This delay clearly demonstrates just how close this race is and that there is little room for error. 20:14: Right, it appears that the Chief Scrutineer and the IOC President insisted on a formal recount of all the votes concerned. That's what we're being told by our sources. 20:17: The atmosphere in the Conference Centre can be cut with a knife. Surely, a delay is quite unprecedented. But now, we see the IOC President...and he does look a bit nonplussed. He is speaking to Sir Rols, who nods to him pats him on the back and apparently says (if my lip-reading doesn't fail me): "Go on, mate...we've counted it twice". Twice? 20:18: Plus Brilliants: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. I'm reconvening this session for the announcement of the second-round result. I would like to add that the result I'm about to announce has been counted twice. The results of the second round are such that an equal number of votes had been cast for the two Candidate Cities, New York City and Sapporo. This was virtually unprecedented in IOC history in a final round. As announced in the early stages of this contest, I had pledged that I would refrain from casting a vote, unless the vote was very close and my vote was required to clarify the situation. Additionally, I pledged that I would not cast it early in order to enable an unprejudiced voting process by all IOC members. Bearing this in mind..." 20:23: Plus Brilliants: "...I'm now in a position to officially announce the decision". 20:25: "Ladies and gentlemen, Sir Rols, the Vice President and Chief Scrutineer of the IOC will now hand the envelope containing the officially certified result to the President of the International Olympic Committee, Plus Brilliants" (the assembled IOC members are standing, with the two bid teams from New York City and Sapporo looking on nervously). 20:26: As Sir Rols walks over to the lectern with the envelope, the Olympic Hymn starts playing, in an interpretation by the renowned Vienna Philharmonic. 20:27: Plus Brilliants receives the envelope, thanks Sir Rols and then nervously looks onto the envelope. It will be quite the decision. 20:28: He opens the envelope, with the delegations looking on...and then, he starts speaking: 20:28: Plus Brilliants: "Ladies and gentlemen, before I announce the decision, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the cities that expressed an interest in bidding for these Olympic Games. They are: Cairo, Copenhagen/Malmo, Cape Town, Melbourne, New York City, Paris, Sapporo and Toronto. Through their bidding, passion and well-considered plans, they have done a great credit to the ideas of our founder, Pierre de Coubertin, and the best values of the Olympic Movement: Fair play, embracing diversity and a passion for sport. Unfortunately, as in any competition, there can only be one winner." 20:32: Plus Brilliants: "The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, in the year 2028, are awarded to the city of SAPPORO" 20:34: The Japanese delegation, along them Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, erupts in jubilation, with the New York City delegates applauding. 20:37: Japan has quite evidently done what no one thought possible, securing a second Olympic Games within 8 years. The shortest time so far between a country hosting two editions of the Olympic Games was when Atlanta won the hosting rights for the 1996 Summer Olympics a mere 6 years after Los Angeles 1984. 20:40: The result was a narrow one. Sapporo defeated New York City by a margin of 7-6. This is evidently the closest outcome in Olympic history, unmatched even by the dramatic finale of the contest for the 2000 Summer Olympics, which Sydney only won by a margin of 2 votes against Beijing. 20:45: As we watch the Japanese delegation cheering their bid leader TNMP and Prime Minister Abe, we here at Gamesbids bid you farewell. Good night and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 21:15: The final voting figures are as follows: Round 1: Sapporo 5 votes, New York City 4 votes, Melbourne 3 votes (result: Melbourne eliminated and its second preferences redistributed) Round 2: Sapporo 6 votes, New York City 6 votes Tie-Breaking Vote by IOC President: SAPPORO WINS 7-6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woohooitsme83 Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 I really appreciate the effort and authenticity that the president put into the comp and this session Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 So, this is the end of the contest. I just wanted to express my gratitude to everyone involved with this process at one point or another. Bear with me, especially as I'd like to thank as many people as possible. I'd like to thank my fellow IOC Exec members who spent time and effort examining the bids in the Applicant and Candidate City Phases, offered advice to get this contest off the ground and also provided some perspective on some of the tougher calls that had to be made. Sir Rols, you were particularly encouraging with advice regarding setting up the competition, whilst being available for any questions I had. Scotguy, the competition benefited from your experience in previous contests in years past, and I was glad to have you on board. Intoronto, I was always able to rely on your suggestions, including an effective method of communication during the Applicant City phase. ofan, thanks for your honest opinions throughout the process, as well as the tough (and good) questions you asked during the Applicant City phase. Baron, your humour and knowledge about the Olympic Games are much appreciated! MissEurasia, your enthusiasm for the competition shone through the same day I announced it - and the fantasy bid library you're compiling is a great initiative! phandrosis, you might have been an advisory member, but you came through with good work as an Exec member, so I thank you for that. zigzag, thanks for your questions during the Evaluation Round. Now for the contestants themselves, starting with the Candidate Cities: TNMP, you crafted a visually awesome bid book, full of detail and pleasing to the eye. You arguably had a much more difficult case than your two other competitors and you came through with great results. USAOlympics2028, I hope you're not too disappointed by the close outcome of this vote. Losing by one vote is never fun, and it wasn't an easy decision at all: That said, you demonstrated that with little time, you have the ability to make a great case for your chosen city - and I'd definitely encourage you to enter the next bid contest on here as well. I have a lot of respect for your achievement. DamC, your Melbourne plan was world-class (especially in the venues section), but I think the choice of dates somewhat handicapped your bid from the get-go. Yes, Melbourne did excellently overall in the Applicant City phase, but you will note in the scores that other cities were favoured in the dates department. You three delivered bid documents that I enjoyed reading, and it was definitely not an easy one to decide a winner. As for the other contestants: Hans, I really liked your Copenhagen plan and hope you'll return to a new competition in the future. I also hope your friend feels better now, and wish you much strength. WHIM83, Cape Town was a great idea and you delivered a good intro with the Applicant File. I would have been intrigued to see how you would have developed a Cape Town Olympics and think that with some care, you can craft a great plan in a future contest. MissEurasia: A Cairo Olympics sounds quite exotic, but then again so was Sapporo - and given your enthusiasm, I will definitely recommend you make another bid book plunge next time around. BR2028, Toronto was an idea worth pursuing - maybe you'll have an opportunity to flesh that out some more. An honourable mention goes to paul, who designed one hell of a session logo: I hope to see you in the next bid book comp as well! Lord David, thanks for voting, and since you're the maestro of bid books, it goes without saying that a future bid comp will always welcome you! To all others who voted: Thanks for taking the time! I'm now aware first-hand that hosting a comp like this is no piece of cake and can only express my respect for all those organizers like TNMP, Sir Rols and the other Paul who've done it before this iteration. Feel free to let me know what you thought! Merci, danke and good night! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissEurasia Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Congratulations Sapporo! Also, a well done to Melbourne and NYC. This was one of the best competitions I've been able to witness during my time here, also, a MASSIVE thank you to PBE for making this comp as fun as he possibly could and again thanks for putting your time into this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usa2024olympics Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Congratulations TNMP you put an amazing bid together for the city of Sapporo. Thank you PBE for putting this competition together and creating so much authenticity in the process and devoting your time into this for the past three months. Yes although I am a bit disappointed I didnt win, I fully respect your decision. I most likely will be back next comp maybe with NYC or I might try somewhere else, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Congratulations TNMP you put an amazing bid together for the city of Sapporo. Thank you PBE for putting this competition together and creating so much authenticity in the process and devoting your time into this for the past three months. Yes although I am a bit disappointed I didnt win, I fully respect your decision. I most likely will be back next comp maybe with NYC or I might try somewhere else, thank you! You have every reason to hold your head high!! On a different note, I was tempted on two separate occasions to become a bidder during my own competition: once before the Applicant City deadline when I considered entering with Delhi, and the time when Hans withdrew, when I seriously thought about taking over his Copenhagen bid. So, my question to all of you guys, especially the Candidate Cities: Would that have been ok with you, given that I organized the comp as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usa2024olympics Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 You have every reason to hold your head high!! On a different note, I was tempted on two separate occasions to become a bidder during my own competition: once before the Applicant City deadline when I considered entering with Delhi, and the time when Hans withdrew, when I seriously thought about taking over his Copenhagen bid. So, my question to all of you guys, especially the Candidate Cities: Would that have been ok with you, given that I organized the comp as well? It would've been fine with me but in a case like this where we have a tie I wouldn't like you go participate in the voting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 Congratulations to all 3 bids and to tnmp and his Sapporo bid for rising to the top. It was so fun to see all the bid books, you guys did amazing work. ...also congrats to the host, it was a very cool process and super organized (amazing job). Congratulations SAPPORO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 It would've been fine with me but in a case like this where we have a tie I wouldn't like you go participate in the voting. Makes perfect sense - I'm sure another way would have been found to ensure strict neutrality and fairness in the voting process, for instance by handing the tie-breaker over to another Exec Committee member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR2028 Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Boo! NYC was the better choice. Melbourne was where my heart laid, but NYC was who I would support if Melbourne failed...I'm a little sad. Makes perfect sense - I'm sure another way would have been found to ensure strict neutrality and fairness in the voting process, for instance by handing the tie-breaker over to another Exec Committee member. I think a public vote would have been best. We probably would have had the same results, but at least it would have been more accountable. Still... CONGRATULATIONS SAPPORO AND TNMP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Boo! NYC was the better choice. Melbourne was where my heart laid, but NYC was who I would support if Melbourne failed...I'm a little sad. How do you square that with your vote during the IOC Session, then? Given the close outcome of this election, if you had switched your second and third preferences around, my tiebreaker vote (which I publicized in advance, with the proviso that it is only to be used in the event of a tie) would have never come into play. New York City would have won 7-5, instead of losing 6-7... In other words, your second-preference vote for Sapporo ended up tying the contest, leading to the tie-breaker that handed victory to Sapporo 2028. Hey, it still made for a razor-thin finish - but I think it's important to underline if you had wanted New York City to win, you wouldn't have placed it last, but second. I think a public vote would have been best. We probably would have had the same results, but at least it would have been more accountable. To be fair, that was a hypothetical discussion about a scenario in which I had run the comp AND competed at the same time. In such a scenario, I think a tie-breaker being handed to an Exec member would have been the cleanest solution. There is something to be said for clear decisions, and against endless voting - which ends up in interest diminishing over time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympic Fan Darcy Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR2028 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Lol How do you square that with your vote during the IOC Session, then? Given the close outcome of this election, if you had switched your second and third preferences around, my tiebreaker vote (which I publicized in advance, with the proviso that it is only to be used in the event of a tie) would have never come into play. New York City would have won 7-5, instead of losing 6-7... In other words, your second-preference vote for Sapporo ended up tying the contest, leading to the tie-breaker that handed victory to Sapporo 2028. Hey, it still made for a razor-thin finish - but I think it's important to underline if you had wanted New York City to win, you wouldn't have placed it last, but second. In the vote I voted based on bid book design and presentation. In terms of cities actually hosting (thinking realistically here), I would prefer NYC over Sapporo any day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woohooitsme83 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Who says IOC members solely base their judgement on just bid book and presentation? There's bound to be some personal sway in there somewhere. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatsnotmypuppy Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Hey I finally won one of these! I feel like I'm krow or something! Thanks for all the votes - sorry I wasn't around to underhandedly secretly lobby. I am glad that the bid book was appreciated - those suckers take a bit of time but my mediocre Powerpoint skills did come in handy I am glad it was noted I was taking the Agenda 2020 framework as far as I could (apart from hosting kayaking in Siberia - that may have been a bridge too far, no?). I feel we may see bids like Sapporo's in the near future and I am glad that it was not dismissed out of hand by the armchair experts on here. Also thanks to the NYC and Melbourne teams. Great work lads. Finally (but not leastly...) plusbrilliantsexploits - these comps can be quite a balancing act - however you did very, very well - and along with Rols I would not hesitate in participating again in one of your competitions. Just not logos lol. Let's just leave that for Paul and the Malaysian twins shall we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympic Fan Darcy Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Lol I was only messing around I wanted the Simpsons it's all your fault gif but couldn't find it. So I had to settle for Kristin Stewart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plusbrilliantsexploits Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Who says IOC members solely base their judgement on just bid book and presentation? There's bound to be some personal sway in there somewhere. Precisely. You were supposed to vote for the best bid in your eyes...so, if NYC was the better city, you should have given it your second-preference vote, in lieu of Sapporo. Finally (but not leastly...) plusbrilliantsexploits - these comps can be quite a balancing act - however you did very, very well - and along with Rols I would not hesitate in participating again in one of your competitions. Just not logos lol. Let's just leave that for Paul and the Malaysian twins shall we? Thanks for the praise, TNMP! I'm definitely thinking about another bid comp sometime in spring 2016. In terms of the competition scope, I'm thinking about focusing once more on the 2020s for the Summer Olympics (that may include the 2020 contest, which in our timeline has been won by Tokyo, or the 2024), since going beyond 2028 seems a tad too futuristic at this stage. I quite enjoyed the Q/A sessions for the Applicant Cities, as the Exec members really took their task seriously and asked pointed questions. Or maybe a Winter Olympics one, but that'd seem more appropriate in the run-up to Pyeongchang sometime in 2017 or 2018. No worries: Logos aren't exactly my forte, either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissEurasia Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 TBH, The format of this competition was awesome! I loved the timeline, Q&A Sessions, Applicant Phase and all that, even though many of us (Including me) dropped out, it was still a great contest. Can't wait for another one! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissEurasia Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I actually have a Competition Planned, but Ima wait 2 weeks or so, It's gotta do with producing your own ceremony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dezcrafty Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 When's the next one of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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