Budapest 2032?

[Rob2012]

  

21 hours ago, AustralianFan said:

- Los Angeles 2028 being awarded their 11 years out at the same Session as Paris 2024, was also a call the IOC made under Agenda 2020 reforms.

Hmmm....I'd be a bit careful about citing that. It turned out to be the correct decision, no doubt, but the truth is they awkwardly changed the process halfway through. It wasn't some careful, planned process that lead to 2024 and 2028 being handed out the way they were, it was the IOC finding itself in a sticky situation with the good fortune of two major cities willing to give them a hand, neither of which they wanted to lose. It was a bodge job, albeit one with a nice outcome.

 

21 hours ago, AustralianFan said:

- Paris 2024 uses mostly existing venues with some temporary venues. One competition, surfing, is being conducted on the other side of the globe in Tahiti.

Correct and Paris has benefited from some Agenda 2020 reforms in this regard. I believe some of the old minimum capacities would've scuppered some of the existing venues they're using and required new/temporary builds.

(Of course, the LA brigade will have you believe Paris is a hugely profligate Games doing everything wrong  because they're building a handful of new venues, but let's not get into that! )

In conclusion, I think it's fair to argue Brisbane is the first host to be selected entirely within the new framework, but not the first to benefit from it in terms of how the hosting will work.

  

21 hours ago, AustralianFan said:

“2032 wouldn’t normally be decided until 2025”

The traditional 7 year timeline is gone precisely because this is the Agenda 2020 + New Norm bidding changes. 

Thank you for missing my point. I agree the timeline is gone because of the new norm bidding changes. That's obvious. You were, however, trying to crowbar covid into the conversation. That's when I pointed out that 2032 wouldn't normally be decided until 2025. The timeline is being dictated by the IOC's current proclivities, what you call the 'new norm' and what others might call "making it up as they go along", not by Covid. There is no reason why, if the old bidding process existed, we wouldn't now be on target for a vote in 2025. As I said, I don't buy your covid explanation, but I do agree with your point that this is the new norm.

 

21 hours ago, AustralianFan said:

I think when there a big changes made to the way things have been done, unfortunately it will take some hard lessons for some to understand those changes.

Woah there. People understand what the IOC is doing, and the intent behind their reforms, but some here don't necessarily agree with it all. Responding with "these are the rules" isn't an answer to people who are questioning whether the rules are - in fact - good ones.

I personally think some (not all) of the hosting reforms are better than some of the bidding reforms, but let's see how this plays out.

Edited March 23, 2021 by Rob.

[Nacre]

I would say that the new rule is that there is no rule. That's what I object to, anyway.

The IOC has moved from one form of bad governance (a near-kleptocratic oligarchy where decisions are based on how they personally benefit the voters) to another bad form of governance (a dictatorship in which decisions are based on the personal will of an executive).

Edited March 23, 2021 by Nacre

[AustralianFan]

 

 

International Olympic Committee

Future Host Questionnaire

 Credit:  Click to see complete FUTURE HOST QUESTIONNAIRE

 

1  VISION, GAMES CONCEPT AND LEGACY

The Olympic Games have the power to deliver long-lasting benefits that can positively impact a community, its image and its infrastructure.

To take full advantage of the opportunities that hosting an Olympic Games and Paralympic Games can provide, clear objectives must be in place for what you want the Games to deliver to your citizens, city, region and country. And to be truly sustainable, these objectives must align with your long-term development planning and goals.

A strong vision can inspire not only your local community but also the worldwide community and be your showcase to the world.

Your Olympic project should have a common thread that runs through the lead-up to the Games and during Games-time and beyond into the delivery of legacy projects.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will work closely with you to develop an Olympic project that is sustainable and cost-effective, as well as aligned with your sporting, economic, social and environmental long-term planning needs.

We strongly encourage the use of existing and temporary venues wherever new permanent venues are not supported by viable business plans that fulfil long-term needs of the local community.

Olympic Agenda 2020 encourages you to consider innovative alternatives, including venues outside the host region or country if no suitable local venue exists.

Your legacy plan should focus on a range of benefits, including economic, environmental, social, health, cultural, sporting, and urban.

 

2  GAMES EXPERIENCE

Athlete experience is at the heart of the Olympic Games. The success of the Games depends on their performance, so ensuring the best possible conditions for them both on and off the field of play is critical.

This begins with the Olympic Village(s), which ideally should be close to the competition and training venues to limit travel times.

It also extends to the athletes’ participation at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the creation of opportunities for Olympians to come together in a spirit of celebration.

One effective way to ensure an optimal athlete experience is to involve them in the decision- making process from the very beginning, with roles in the planning and delivery of the Games, and an Athletes’ Commission within the Organising Committee.

The spectator and fan experience is also crucial to the success of the Games. The Games provide an experience that is modern, profound and impactful. Spectators and fans do not simply watch the Games; they experience them through a variety of initiatives before and during the event that provide authentic opportunities to participate in the heart of the action.

Some initiatives are already well-established, such as the Torch Relay and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, while others such as open warm-ups, mass events, sport initiation pro- grammes and open days are under development.

Many activities are free, making the Games even more accessible for everyone. Other activities

are amplified through online platforms to connect the physical with a digital experience that is accessible to a worldwide audience.

 

3  PARALYMPIC GAMES

Rio staged record-breaking Paralympic Games in September 2016. Featuring 4,328 athletes from 159 countries, the Games were viewed by a cumulative TV audience of 4.1 billion – more than ever before – and 2.15 million spectators.

Since the Olympic Games 2004, a single organising committee has been responsible for hosting both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. Athletes from both Games have traditionally lived in the same Village(s) and enjoyed the same catering services, medical care and facilities.

Ticketing, technology and transport systems for the Olympic Games are seamlessly extended to the Paralympics.

Previous hosts have leveraged the Paralympic Games to make significant strides in terms of accessibility, awareness and social inclusion, and used the opportunity of hosting the Games to make improvements to their infrastructure’s accessibility.

 

4  SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is one of the greatest challenges of our time, encompassing climate change, economic inequality and social injustice.

These are also pressing concerns for the sports community, both in managing our day-to-day affairs and in our responsibilities towards young people and future generations.

We also recognise that sport has an unrivalled capacity to motivate and inspire large numbers of people.

This is why we believe the Olympic Movement has a duty and an opportunity to contribute actively to global sustainability in line with our vision: “Building a better world through sport.”

As one of the three pillars of Olympic Agenda 2020, sustainability is a key priority for the IOC. In its Sustainability Strategy, the IOC, as the owner of the Olympic Games, commits to ensuring that sustainability is addressed as a strategic topic by potential future hosts as early as the Continuous Dialogue and throughout the period leading up to the future host election.

Another strategic objective of the IOC is to reinforce sustainability commitments in the Host Contract so that hosting an Olympic Games edition can act as a catalyst for sustainable development within the host city and region.

In line with the ambition for the Olympic Games to be at the forefront of sustainable development and to become climate positive as of 2030, sustainability must be addressed and integrated in every aspect of your project, encompassing, but not limited to: infra- structure and natural sites, sourcing and resource management, mobility, workforce and climate.

By addressing sustainability as an integral aspect of your project from conception, you will be able to better identify, minimise and respond to potential risks in your Olympic project.

 

5  GOVERNANCE

The organisation of the Olympic Games is entrusted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the country of the host as well as to the host itself.

The NOC forms, for that purpose, an Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG)

which, from the time it is constituted, communicates directly with the IOC. The IOC and Olympic Movement will be the trusted partners of the OCOG, integrating the experience and expertise from previous Olympic Games.

Effective planning and delivery of the Games by the OCOG requires a Games governance structure that includes the active involvement of municipal, regional and national authorities, non-governmental organisations and the private sector, among others. 

It is essential to establish clear roles and responsibilities and to foster solid partnerships between all levels of government and all Games stakeholders.

Specific consideration should be given to transport, security and legacy governance, with clearly defined operational and financial roles and responsibilities.

Good governance of the Games also includes the development of a human rights strategy which will guide the organisation and delivery of the Games, as well as the wider management systems and risks assessments.

Risks for human rights should be considered in relation to all Games- related activities of the OCOG, the Host City, the Host NOC, Host Country Authorities and other delivery partners.

 

6  ECONOMICS OF THE GAMES

When planning for the Olympic Games, it is critical to differentiate the Urban Development Budget from the Games Organisation Budget.

With the New Norm, the Games adapt to the host region, the region does not adapt to the Games and therefore there is no capital-investment required for the Games.

The Games can nevertheless still be an opportunity to invest in the future of your city or your region through upgrades of existing sport facilities or renovation of public infrastructure. The related capital investments will leave a legacy for your communities for decades after the Games

These investments should not be considered as Games-specific spending but should be aligned with the existing development plan of your city and region and budgeted as part of the local long-term Urban Development Budget.

The Games Organisation Budget is mostly privately funded through local sponsorships, ticketing, licensing and a significant contribution from the IOC. It covers operational costs related to sport competitions, workforce, accommodation, technology and transportation.

In the past twenty years, the Games Organisation budget has always been balanced or generated a surplus.

Local public authorities will provide government support services under their remit such as security, medical services, customs and immigration. The costs for these services are offset by the increased economic activity and tax revenue generated before, during and after the Games.

The ripple effect of organisers and visitors spending money in the local economy, employing local people and using local suppliers, means several hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues can be generated from the increase in Games-related business activity.

[AustralianFan]

 

 

On 3/24/2021 at 6:20 AM, Nacre said:

I would say that the new rule is that there is no rule. That's what I object to, anyway.

The IOC has moved from one form of bad governance (a near-kleptocratic oligarchy where decisions are based on how they personally benefit the voters) to another bad form of governance (a dictatorship in which decisions are based on the personal will of an executive).

LANE ONE: The IOC is not asleep; its new bidding system is designed avoid its current problems with Beijing 2022 and human rights

Credit: The Sports Examiner

 

By Rich Perelman

 

March 24, 2021

http://www.thesportsexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/tsx-pix-21618-rodins-thinker-750x499-1-696x463.jpg

It’s pretty clear that the International Olympic Committee’s return to China as the host for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 is going to be on a rocky road.

Elected officials in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, the U.S. and others have called for the Games to be moved because of the actions of the Chinese government against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang province, termed “genocide,” as well as other issues.

In the latest move, U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) wrote to IOC sponsors asking them to insist than the 2022 Winter Games be moved. Fox News reportedthat Scott’s letter was sent to “Airbnb, Alibaba Group, Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, DOW, General Electric, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Toyota and Visa.”

In his letter, sent on Tuesday (23rd), Scott stated:

“As a sponsor of the IOC, you are uniquely positioned to join in this fight and demand the IOC stand for human rights and remove the games from Communist China, or lose your sponsorship and support. …

“I am sure you agree the crimes committed by General Secretary Xi are horrific. We cannot give a nation that is so overtly abusing human rights a platform to whitewash its crimes by hosting the Olympic Games. Therefore, I am asking you to stand for human rights and freedom, and use your considerable leverage as a sponsor of the 2022 Olympic Games to publicly urge the IOC to move the games to a nation that values human dignity and freedom.”

While Scott expressed confidence that the Games will be moved – he does not support a boycott of the Games – that’s hardly likely. But that does not mean that athletes are not conflicted or unaware; American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin saidin an interview earlier this month:

“The Olympics is big, and it’s something that you shoot for, and you don’t want to miss it.

“And you certainly don’t want to be put in the position of having to choose between human rights, like morality versus being able to do your job, which on the other hand can bring light to some issues or can actually bring hope to the world at a very difficult time.”

And there are excellent ways for governments to show their displeasure with the government of China in and around the Games. Senior IOC member Dick Pound of Canada, in an editorial earlier this month on the subject, noted:

“With all due respect, Governments know perfectly well how to deliver strong messages of displeasure with the actions of other Governments. Chinese invitations to any Olympic-related events can be refused, Government officials can be instructed not to attend any Olympic events, ambassadors can be recalled for consultations during the Games, international trade and other agreements can be enforced and visa requirements can be reviewed.

“Governments acting in concert can easily take steps of that nature. And also, with respect, China can consider taking some steps to mitigate the reputational damage from certain aspects of its conduct: the world is too interconnected for any country, including China, to exist in isolation.”

What has not been widely noticed is that the IOC has taken important steps to try to ensure that the Games are not awarded in the future to a country which could become a controversial host.

Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Games in 2015, winning 44-40 over Almaty (KAZ) in a “lesser of two evils” choice after European favorites Oslo (NOR), Krakow (POL), Stockholm (SWE) and Lviv (UKR) all withdrew, worried over the costs involved.

The flight of the potential European hosts for the Winter Games was especially hard to take for the IOC, and President Thomas Bach (GER) got busy changing the rules.

The first step was transparency, with the IOC publicly posting in March of 2017 – for the first time – its Host City Contract prior to the selection of the host, and guaranteeing in writing its financial and value-in-kind contribution to the Games. For Paris in 2024, that’s $855 million in broadcast revenue, $410 million in sponsorship revenue and in-kind services adding up to a total of $1.7 billion U.S. The IOC has released the Host City Contracts for 2026 (Milan-Cortina) and 2028 (Los Angeles) as well.

The second, crucial step came in October 2019 with the naming of “Future Host Commissions” for both the Games of the Olympiad and the Olympic Winter Games, creating an “open dialogue” with cities or regions interested in a future Games.

After the 24 February news conference after Brisbane, Australia had been selected for “targeted dialogue” with a view to being named as the host for the 2032 Olympic Games, Bach underscored again the need for the new approach:

“We had to face there a situation where we could see that because the candidates were put against each other in this kind of contest, that we had exponentially less and less candidates because the candidates were being eliminated or losing a vote [and] could not justify towards their community to come back with another candidature right after. …

“And these were the reasons why we said we have to change this procedure and, there again, to follow the examples from the business world or other sports events organizers where you avoid this kind of situation, where one candidate is attacking the other, and ‘I am better here’ and ‘I am better here and the best’. I don’t need to explain [to] you; you have experience enough, having followed all these procedures, but I can understand that this is interesting for journalists, for media to follow such a situation. But you also know from this work that this was not the best procedure, neither for the future of the Games, nor for the reputation of the IOC.”

What was not said – but was obvious to anyone looking closely – is that this new procedure can be used to shape the IOC’s path toward hosts who will not engender the issues that China is now.

In a program of elections, with open entries and fixed deadlines for submittals, evaluations and votes, any country can force its way onto the ballot. Bach’s IOC, fixated on being a “values-based organization” in line with United Nations recommendations and regulations, is more attentive now than ever with where its events will go. And with some good luck, look where the post-2022 Games are headed, to leading western democracies:

● 2022 Winter: Beijing, China (direct election in 2015)
● 2024 Olympic: Paris, France (by acclimation by agreement)
● 2026 Winter: Milan-Cortina, Italy (by direct election in 2019)
● 2028 Olympic: Los Angeles, USA (by acclimation by agreement)
● 2030 Winter: unknown as yet
● 2032 Olympic: Brisbane, Australia “targeted” (could be agreed in 2021)

Further, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games will go to Dakar (SEN), giving Africa its first-ever, major IOC event, with the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games to Gangwon, Korea, using many of the venues from the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang and helping to support the legacy of that event.

It’s worth noting that even with the doping sanctions through most of 2022 on Russia that there will still be World Cup events held in that country and even a couple of world championships – shooting and sport climbing, for example – with little international notice taken. Only the Olympic Games draw enough attention to count at all.

And while there are those who miss the bidding free-for-all that began in 1985 and may well have ended in 2019 – including potential 2032 bidders in Germany, Hungary, India, Korea, Qatar and elsewhere – the future is clear that being aggressive, advanced and foresighted like Brisbane is now the ante.

That is, if – and only if – the IOC wants to place a Games in your country.

The re-elected Bach will serve through 2025 and by then, the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games will likely be placed, perhaps in Barcelona (ESP) and Salt Lake City, Utah? It’s too early for 2036.

But add to the accomplishments of Bach’s tenure a new approach which allows the IOC to skirt the inevitability of handing more high-profile events to authoritarian regimes because of a lack of candidates.

The question going forward may not be who is talking to the IOC, but who the IOC leadership and staff might be reaching out to via its membership as future hosts?

Rich Perelman
Editor

 

[AustralianFan]

 

Learn about

Olympic Agenda 2020

The New Norm

Click here to play

[FYI]

You know what the gleaming irony here is though? That you sound like a CCP propaganda machine, but for the IOC.

[AustralianFan]

 

 

How three decades of pain for John Coates drove Brisbane's bid for 2032 Olympic Games

Credit: ABC News Australia

By Tracey Holmes

Posted Sun 28 Feb 2021 at 6:28am

 

John Coates does not need much of an introduction.

He is recognised in global sporting circles as Australia's most influential sports administrator, possessing an understanding of how to wield power and play politics.

If politics was a chess game, Coates would be its grandmaster.

He has been Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president since 1990, having only been challenged once for that role in 30 years.

Coates is also International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president, president of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) — which governs 

the powerful sports court known as the CAS — and chair of the coordination commission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

But when Brisbane failed to win an IOC vote to host the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, which were awarded to Barcelona in 1986, Coates was by his own admission "badly hurt".

He had relocated his young family from Sydney to Brisbane ahead of the vote and was determined to succeed.

At the time, Coates was adept at navigating the domestic sports scene but may have been a little green when it came to IOC politics.

What he has learned in the years since turned the 1992 loss into a potential 2032 victory for Brisbane.

The only way the city can fail now is if the State or Federal governments renege on their early promises to commit to the delivery of the Games.

"I had become a vice-president of the AOC in 1985," Coates told The Ticket from Brisbane this week.

"I left my legal practice to come and work for (then-Brisbane lord mayor) Sallyanne Atkinson and run the Brisbane bid for '92.

"I moved my family up here in late '86 — the two kids at the time, another one a week away, and we came up here and I worked with Brisbane for the last year [of the bid].

”It’s what I learned in Brisbane about the IOC and .... I was very badly hurt by us losing, I thought we’d do better.”

Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch was the IOC president at the time of the bid.

"Obviously we weren't going to do better than a Samaranch-led Barcelona and a very strong Paris [bid]," Coates said.

"But we learned a lot, which was then carried over for Melbourne and then Sydney."

While Melbourne lost to Atlanta in the race for the 1996 Olympics, Sydney beat Beijing 45-43 in the votes to win the right to host the 2000 Games.

But that success did not diminish Coates's sense of unfinished business for Brisbane.

It would be wrong to think any decision taken or appointment made on Coates's part since was anything less than strategic.

Even before his appointment as an IOC member in 2001, he had become one of the Olympic movement's most-listened-to voices as both AOC president and a rising power inside ICAS, where he had been a founding member since it was established in 1994.

In 2009, Coates became a member of the IOC's executive board. A year later, he was named ICAS president.

He became an IOC vice-president for the first time in 2013 and was appointed chair of the coordination commission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In 2014, he was appointed chair of the IOC's Legal Affairs Commission and in the following year met with South-East Queensland's Council of Mayors regarding a future Olympic bid.

In the years since, Coates chaired the Working Group for Future Games Elections, which decided on the new model of selection.

Cities interested in hosting the Games enter into a "dialogue" with the IOC, followed by a recommendation to move one bid city forward for "targeted dialogue" before "final negotiations" and a rubber-stamping "election" — where the only remaining city is put to a vote of IOC members to show their support.

This week, Brisbane's rivals were surprised when the IOC announced its Future Host Commission recommended only Brisbane be invited to the next phase.

Bids from Qatar, Germany, Hungary and Indonesia were nowhere near the level of development that had gone into Brisbane's bid and they are now left to consider whether they will remain in contention for the 2036 Olympics.

"There should be acknowledgement that … the AOC and the Brisbane City Council and the Council of Mayors started looking at this in 2015," Coates said.

Change of plans

When IOC president Thomas Bach visited Australia in 2015, he met with then-prime minister Tony Abbott, South-East Queensland's Council of Mayors representatives and others to float the idea of a Brisbane Games.

"Ours was originally a bid for 2028," Coates said.

"When Los Angeles was given that 11 years out, then we moved our focus to 2032.

"At the same time, the IOC changed its rules to say you don't have to be one city, you can have a region, you can have a couple of cities, so this is a bid that has a footprint over South-East Queensland from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and down to the Gold Coast.

"The way the new procedure works is that you move from being an interested party … to a targeted dialogue during which period you exclusively deal with the IOC to provide them with the answers to their questionnaires.

"The governments would give the various undertakings and guarantees, things that the Commonwealth government does regularly for big international events.

"If you comply with all of that, and if that's all sweet, then the IOC looks at that and at that point they will or will not make arecommendation to the full IOC session for a vote.

"The IOC session could be as early as Tokyo [in June]."

The question was asked why Brisbane cannot just be announced the winner now, since it would seem almost impossible to lose a vote in what is essentially a one-horse race.

"In everything the IOC does, you have to get 50 per cent," Coates explained.

"So, Thomas Bach will stand for re-election in the session in March but there still has to be 50 per cent who support him."

And no doubt there will be.

In the same way, Brisbane can be confident of getting more than 50 per cent of the vote. Bucking the system is not the done thing at the IOC.

Those in Australia might regard Brisbane's well-developed bid — perfectly suited to a new selection process — as a masterstroke. Those in other bid nations were caught out.

Questions will no doubt be asked.

"People can't cry foul about it," Coates said.

Cost savings a priority

Under the "new norm" Olympic Games Delivery Executive Steering Committee, which Coates has chaired since 2017, the IOC wants bids that can show reduced costs, using already-built facilities, and no white elephants.

"The IOC now doesn't want to see cities wasting money, they want to see cities using existing venues and if those venues are spread out a bit over a number of cities, and they're existing and you can make do with supplementing them with temporary [venues] then that's a better system," Coates said.

Lessons have also been learned from Tokyo, where savings were found by the IOC's coordination commission — chaired by Coates — in order to lessen the explosion of the budget following the year-long postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IOC instructs bidding cities to keep projected costs as low as possible.

"We call it the Tokyo model," Coates said.

"When we realised that the postponement and COVID were going to cost the Japanese a lot extra, we separately then together sat down and identified something like 273 possible initiatives to reduce the cost of the Games.

"We didn't implement all of them, we still found I think something like another $280 million [in savings] or something like that.

“I chair this new norm commission and we’re continuing to look at the lessons from Tokyo and there will be lessons for Brisbane.

"I very much look forward to sitting down and having a go at the budget we've got at the moment from the bottom up with the IOC's financial people and the Games department, and I back myself and the IOC to find a lot of savings."

Those with experience would be foolish not to back him.

Coates sees Brisbane 2032 as part of his legacy for many years of Olympic involvement.

"I am very, very anxious to finish my work up here and deliver these Games," he said.

It appears he already has.

[FYI]

^Well, that’s what we’ve been saying all along!  But this is the *Budapest 2032* thread anyway. 

[AustralianFan]

 

 

John Coates on Brisbane’s ambition for Olympic Games 2032

Credit: Australian Olympic Committee

AOC 19 Mar 2021

Today John Coates AC addressed the Committee for Brisbane 2033 Legacy Taskforce providing more detail into Brisbane's bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games and how sustainability would be managed.

The Committee for Brisbane 2033 Legacy Taskforce policy paper: Our 2033 Olympic and Paralympic Legacies - Liveability Issues and Opportunities Paper, addresses the sustainability of hosting the Games in Brisbane in 2032. 

"As the first Games which are both carbon neutral and generate zero waste... Brisbane will have eyes on both the podium and the gentle earth it stands upon. I regard that as real leadership in action," Mr. Coates said.

"It is not a done deal. There is much work to be done. It may well be Queensland’s time. And if so, you’ve earned it. You’ve planned for it. You’ve fought for it," he said of Brisbane's 2032 candidature.

"If you are selected to host the Games, at the Opening Ceremony alone, the eyes of more than one half of the world’s population will look into your home and ask: what is life like there?"

                       John Coates full speech

John Coates AC

President, Australian Olympic Committee Vice President, International Olympic Committee

Launch of Committee for Brisbane 2033 Legacy Taskforce policy paper:

Our 2033 Olympic and Paralympic Legacies: Liveability Issues and Opportunities Paper 01-2021

Friday, 19th March 2021

12pm - 2.00pm

Plaza Ballroom, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Introduction
Good afternoon.
Thank you Barton, and I commend you as Chief Executive of the Committee for Brisbane for the important work you do.

I acknowledge the Mee-an-jin people as the traditional owners of this land.
I recognise the country north and south of the Brisbane River, as the home of both the Turrbul and Jagera nations.

And I pay my deep respects to all Elders past, present and future.

Ted O’Brien MP, Federal Member for Fairfax and representing the Prime Minister on the candidature

Councillor Mark Jamieson, Mayor of Sunshine Coast Council and President of the Local Government Association of Queensland. 

Councillor Peter Flannery, Mayor of Moreton Bay Regional Council Jock O’Callaghan, President, Paralympics Australia

Sallyanne Atkinson AO

Natalie Cook OAM OLY

Dr Bridie Kean

Olympians, Paralympians, other distinguished guests.

I also want to acknowledge the highly credentialled and outstanding team members of the Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics Taskforce.

It really is quite a team you have assembled – formidable and hard to beat - are perhaps the best descriptors.

Proving that Queensland has champions on and off the field.

Brisbane 2032

I am just so delighted to be here today.

Because this is my first keynote address since the IOC announced Brisbane as the preferred candidate to host the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It is exciting news for Brisbane, Queensland and Australia.

It is encouraging for every person in this room and the communities you represent.
  
And it is an affirmation of the work you have done.

To this affirmation, Chair of the Future Host Summer Commission, Kristin Kloster Aasen, said this:
"The reason for us recommending the Brisbane project is they are a very advanced project and there are a number of criteria that sit really well with us.
"The high level of expertise in hosting major international sports events, the favourable climate conditions in July and August.
"The existing and planned transport infrastructure and experience in traffic management which can adequately meet the demands of the Olympic Games and were successfully implemented for the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
"And the existing hotel inventory, which also meets the Games requirements."

The announcement was also important instruction for Brisbane because Kristin has, quite rightly and appropriately said this:  "It's not a done deal......”

This is true.

Meaning it is very important to understand what this IOC decision means in a practical sense.

The IOC Future Host Commission’s decision

So, allow me to take a moment to share its practical meaning.

What happened on February 25 was this:

The IOC Future Host Commission designated Brisbane as the "preferred candidate city" to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This followed their positive Feasibility Assessment of our project – strategic and technical. It is a decision with the unanimous endorsement of the IOC Executive Board.

It means the Commission now starts more detailed discussions with the Brisbane 2032 committee and the AOC about the potential to host the Olympic Games in 2032.

This is known as “targeted dialogue”.

All going well it will be followed by a final meeting with the Commission mid-May.
If those discussions meet the needs of both the IOC and Brisbane, then the candidature will be considered for selection at a future IOC Session.
This is the pathway for Brisbane to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
Two Truths
And with the path now lit before us, two important truths come to mind.

The first is obvious – there is much work to be done.

The Targeted Dialogue will require Brisbane to demonstrate the quality of the project.

The paper being launched today:

The Committee for Brisbane 2033 Legacy Taskforce policy paper: Our 2033 Olympic and Paralympic Legacies - Liveability Issues and Opportunities Paper 01-2021
......goes to this goal.

I have read it in detail.

It is an impressive paper adding weight to the already preferred status which Brisbane has earned.

You have expressed four ‘SMART’ goals:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant; and
• Timely

These SMART goals are:
One: to connect people and their ideas anytime, anywhere, and anyhow.
To do so with the fastest data speeds, a regional data hub, a data literacy program and leadership in data collection, analysis and dissemination.
Thus, you aspire to progress and modernity.

Two: to create a new norm where First Nations and contemporary cultures are celebrated as co- contributors to community wellbeing and economic vitality.
And as such you are choosing fairness, equality and a genuine partnership.

Three: to be enterprising such that your regional economic ecosystems are founded in knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship delivered with public and private sector collaborations.  And to do so as the first Games which are both carbon neutral and generate zero waste.  Meaning that Brisbane will have eyes on both the podium and the gentle earth it stands upon. I regard that as real leadership in action.

Four: for all residents in every place to have equality of opportunity driven by the Olympic values of Friendship, Respect and Excellence.

To do so by promoting healthy communities which exercise often and eat the right foods with all of the huge physical and psychological benefits this brings.

And also, to do so by meshing the power of data with the power of stories.

In a clever and purposeful paper, I add that this was my favourite insight.

Because at this time in Australia’s evolution, we have more capability to gather data and to tell stories than we’ve ever had, whilst we also have so many untold stories which desperately need to be told.

Especially the wonderful, inspiring and ‘under told’ stories of Australia’s First Nations people. I commend you for that.

With maximum conviction, I commend you.

IOC Olympic Agenda 2020 + 5
It is also important to understand how your paper fits within the 15 recommendations of the IOC Olympic Agenda 2020 + 5 adopted 12 March.

These recommendations call upon the IOC and the Olympic Movement to do many important things:
• To strengthen the uniqueness and the universality of the Olympic Games
• Foster sustainable Olympic Games
• Reinforce athletes’ rights and responsibilities
• Continue to attract best athletes
• Further strengthen safe sport and the protection of clean athletes
• Enhance and promote the Road to the Olympic Games
• Coordinate the harmonisation of the sports calendar
• Grow digital engagement with people
• Encourage the development of (physical) virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities
• Strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Strengthen the support to refugees and populations affected by displacement
• Reach out beyond the Olympic community
• Continue to lead by example in corporate citizenship
• Strengthen the Olympic Movement through good governance; and
• Innovate revenue generation models

Reflecting on these tasks, IOC President Thomas Bach explained that:
“When we adopted Olympic Agenda 2020 in 2014, we did so under the adage of ‘change or be changed’. This still holds true today. The world around us has continued to evolve.

Nothing illustrates this better than the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences for society.”

My own observation is that your intent and that of the IOC align and intersect comfortably. There is compatibility and that is crucial.

Because that makes all manner of achievements possible in the same way that colliding values render productive relationships impossible.

The great news is that you are taking the correct first steps in Phase One of the legacy planning journey.

With big, ambitious and inspiring ideas in the very best tradition of the Olympics. I add, that this is as it must be – Queensland deserves that.

You have rightly set the bar very high and now comes the hard part. Because Phase Two is the giant leap over it.

Truth 2: Queensland’s Time?
Which brings me to the second truth I share today.
It is a truth I observe as both a long-time participant in the Olympic movement but also as a student of history and a proud Australian with a few miles in the legs.
It is this:

Any of us, and all of us, whether we be an athlete, a business person, an employee or employer, a political leader, a journalist, a sports administrator or a volunteer....
 
Indeed, whether we belong to a cause or a family, a club or a community, a town, a city, a state or a country...

There comes a rare and wonderful period in our lives when we can declare: .........

..........that this is our time.

Joining you today in a room full of so many great Australians, with unity of purpose, brimming capability, confident because of one of the world’s most effective pandemic responses.....

With trusted friends in Brisbane, Canberra and Lausanne.
And buoyed with the knowledge that you are the preferred candidate to host the Games in 2032 ... this feels like such a moment.

Friends, it may well be Queensland’s time. And if so, you’ve earned it.

You’ve planned for it.

You’ve fought for it.

You stand atop the shoulders of great Queenslanders who have sweated for it.

And now, how far and wide you want to see, is up to you.

What you want to happen is now less a question of timing and more a question of design.

Thus, it is timely to ask:
What is the next stage for the great state of Queensland?

For the wonderful city of Brisbane?

And for the hard working, straight talking, ‘look you in the eye’ proud people of the sunshine state?

Just as Melbourne emerged as the centre of big business in the first half of the last century.

Just as Sydney as one of the great financial centres of Asia in the second half of the 1900s.

And just as Western Australia became the world’s greatest provider of energy in the last 50 years.

How will you use this moment in history to design the next evolution of your home?

Mindful, that if you are selected to host the Games, at the Opening Ceremony alone, the eyes of more than one half of the world’s population will look into your home and ask:  what is life like there?

The world will watch and ask:
What sort of a place is this to invest in?

Should this be my base into the Australian and Asian markets?

What kinds of people are these Queenslanders?

Are these people I want to partner with?
How do they do business?

What is their lifestyle?

Is this a place where dreams come true?

The terrific news is that many of the answers are in the paper I launch today. As are many more of the right questions.

Finally
And so, friends, I leave you with this message: If it is Queensland’s time - use it wisely.

As is the Queensland way, in order to secure the Olympics, it must continue to be hard work, day and night, dreaming big and achieving bigger.

Because after all Queenslanders are Audax at Fidelis Queenslanders - Bold but Faithful
Thank you, friends. Strength to your arms.

 

[AustralianFan]

 

(For the information of other interested Bidding entities for future Games)

IOC Feasability Assessment

- Brisbane

February 2021

Click here - International Olympic Committee

[FYI]

Why are you hijacking all these threads with Brisbane stuff. It’s truly not necessary & just ‘ridiculous’.

[AustralianFan]

 

 

 

 

(For the information of other interested Bidding entities for future Games)

Six Years in the making:

The G e n e s i s  of Brisbane 2032

‘Genesis’.    Noun:      the origin or mode of formation of something

AOC - Australian Olympic Committee

IOC - International Olympic Committee

COMSEQ - Council of Mayors of South East Queensland

PM - Australian Prime Minister

OCLG  Olympic Candidature Leadership Group

QP - Queensland Premier

 

 

Date	Key Development	By
Nov 2014	Olympic Agenda 2020 announced  “A strategic road map for the Olympic Movement”	IOC
2015	Pre-feasibility Study of a potential SEQ bid for 2028 Olympic Games commissioned in 2015 and released 2016	COMSEQ
Sep 2017	Paris and Los Angeles awarded 2024 and 2028 Games respectively	IOC
Jan 2019   Apr 2018	SEQ People Mass Movement Study Released    Gold Coast Commonwealth Games	COMSEQ     CWG Australia
Feb 2019	2032 SEQ Olympic / Paralympic Games Feasibility Study	COMSEQ
May 2019	- ‘Sport Accord’ Gold Coast visit by the IOC President -  IOC President addresses AOC	IOC President
June 2019	New Norm Olympic bidding rule changes announced	IOC
June 2019	Australian Prime Minister meets with IOC President at G20 Summit	PM
July 2019	IOC Sends Funding Contribution Letter to Queensland Government	IOC
July 2019	Brisbane 2032 Value Proposition Assessment released	QP
Aug 2019	Inaugural Meeting of 2032 Olympic Candidature Leadership Group	OCLG
Sep 2019	Queensland Premier leads delegation in visit to IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland.	QP
Dec 2019	Queensland Premier announces Candidature for 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games	QP
Dec 2019	AOC welcomes Queensland 2032 Olympic Games Candidature	AOC
Mar 2020	Bid suspended due to COVID Pandemic	QP
Nov 2020	PM meets with IOC President and AOC President in Tokyo	PM, IOC + AOC
Dec 2020	Brisbane/SEQ 2032 Bid continuous dialogue resumes	QP
Jan 2021	IOC Presentation to Brisbane Candidature representatives	IOC
Feb 2021	Brisbane/SEQ 2032 Candidature presentation made to the IOC Future Host Commission	OCLG
Feb 2021	Feasibility Assessment Report into the Brisbane/SEQ 2032 Candidature presented to the IOC Executive Board	IOC Future Host Commission
Feb 2021	IOC Future Host Commission instructed to enter into “Targeted Dialogue” with the Brisbane/SEQ candidature	IOC Executive Board
Mar 2021	IOC Approves Agenda 2020+5 (a strategic roadmap and the Olympic movement through to 2025). Brisbane 2032 Presentation Brisbane City Council votes to put the city forward as host of the 2032 Olympic bid.	137th IOC Session       Brisbane Mayor and Councillors
	What Happens Now ?
	Targeted Dialogue with Brisbane 2032 OCLG	IOC Future Host Commission +  OCLG
	Completion of IOC Questionnaire and other documents which iron out the finer details.	OCLG
	Future Host Commission recommends preferred candidate to IOC Executive Board	IOC Future Host Commission
	IOC Executive Board recommends preferred 2032 candidate to IOC Session	IOC Executive Board
The next IOC Session is 20-21 July in Tokyo	IOC Session Votes on Games’ 2032 host	Anticipated: 138th IOC Session, Tokyo

[AustralianFan]

3 minutes ago, FYI said:

Why are you hijacking all these threads with Brisbane stuff. It’s truly not necessary & just ‘ridiculous’.

 

For the information and reflection of other interested Bidding entities for future Games Bids.

[FYI]

Reflection? Whatever. At this point it’s just downright trolling, since there’s no “reflection” to be had. Only TRANSPARENCY. 

[AustralianFan]

 

 

For the information and reflection of Hungary and other interested Bidding entities for future Games Bids.

Wishing the Budapest Bidding Team all the best moving forward 

 

..................................................................................................................

IOC to change process of Olympic bid races, host elections

Credit: USA Today

26 June 2019

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Olympics hosted in multiple cities or countries. Bidders pro-actively invited. Candidates recommended with possibly no opponents.

Radical changes in how and when Olympic hosts are picked were voted in Wednesday as the International Olympic Committee looks to avoid negative headlines and angering local taxpayers following referendum losses and excessive spending on white-elephant venues.

Stung by recent public votes in Europe and Canada, the IOC agreed that future bidders could need to win a referendum before entering a race.

"We cannot, I suggest, continue to be damaged as we have in the past," veteran IOC member John Coates said, presenting reforms already tested in the 2026 Winter Games contest.

On Monday, Milan-Cortina in northern Italy beat Stockholm-Are, which tied Sweden to Latvia's bobsled track, in a campaign where support from national and city governments was often shaky.

A new, flexible campaign timetable will end the Olympic Charter rule requiring hosts to be voted on seven years in advance of a Summer or Winter Games. That rule already had to be waived in 2017, allowing Los Angeles to be picked 11 years in advance of the 2028 Summer Games.

There might not be an election at all.

A key part of the new process is creating new Olympic panels — one each for Summer and Winter Games — which will recommend one or more candidates for an election.

The new panels will be empowered to have "permanent ongoing dialogue" with potential bidders and pro-actively approach preferred hosts. They will report first to the Bach-chaired executive board, which will pick the members.

[FYI]

The Budapest 2032 exploratory findings were underway, when all of the sudden, the IOC decided to announce another ‘preferred candidate’. There was still PLENTY of time for them to get all of their “ducks in a row”. But the IOC was in a rush otherwise. Brisbane “sprinting” along, as you say, had everything to do with Coates catapulting them to the fast lane (even the article you just posted earlier puts that in clear detail), & much less to do with “information & reflection”. 

[AustralianFan]

For the information and reflection of the Hungary Bidding Team in future Bids, there are some excellent explanations and summaries of the Agenda 2020 New Norm bidding reforms.  This one below is such an example.

Wishing the Budapest Bidding Team all the best moving forward

 

****************************************************

“IOC springs into action with new Olympic and Paralympic host selection process”

Credit/Source: Inside The Games

By Nancy Gillen

Thursday, 25 February 2021

“The news that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board was planning to confirm Brisbane in Queensland as its preferred candidate for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games this week was a surprise, but not entirely unexpected.

The IOC established a new way of awarding Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 2019 with the creation of a Future Host Commission. This group was tasked with identifying and recommending venues for the Games before entering into dialogue with potential host countries, putting an end to the protracted bid races of old.

With this new process in place, a bid from Queensland was considered the front-runner for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, especially due to the region's success in hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2018. The bid remained favourite even when it was briefly put on hold from May to December last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was not a surprise that it was Brisbane entering into "targeted dialogue" with the IOC, then. It was more the timing of the decision. The IOC had not set out an exact timeline for when it planned to award the Games and so the advancement of the process this week was somewhat out of the blue.

The IOC’s decision to put all its eggs in one basket 11 years before a Games has certainly raised eyebrows, especially because the ongoing pandemic has shown that life can be very unpredictable. In addition, the economic impact of the global health crisis is yet to be revealed in full and could still wreak havoc with the best-laid plans.

Interestingly, the uncertainty caused by the pandemic was actually credited as a reason for the early decision. "The decision to advance the process was taken at this particular moment, given the uncertainty the world is facing right now," a statement from the IOC said.

"This uncertainty is expected to continue even after the COVID-19 health crisis is over. The IOC is considering seizing the momentum offered by the excellent project of Brisbane 2032 and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), in this way, bringing stability to the Olympic Games, the athletes, the IOC and the whole Olympic Movement."

There will still be those wondering about whether it was necessary to rule out other potential hosts so early on in the process, especially as there were a fair few cities gunning for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

This included the Qatari capital of Doha, which was planning to host the Games as a follow-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2030 Asian Games. Budapest in Hungary had been hopeful of putting a bid together, while Chinese cities Chengdu and Chongqing announced an intention to bid in December. 

Jakarta in Indonesia, New Delhi in India, Istanbul in Turkey and Saint Petersburg in Russia were other cities exploring the possibility of bidding. At one point, there had even been interest in a joint bid from North and South Korea.

Many of these cities may feel slighted that they are now suddenly out of the race, without receiving a real opportunity to plead their case for the Games. Maybe they will also feel aggrieved that John Coates had chaired a working group in 2019 that examined changing the process for selecting a host city for 2032 onwards. Coates is AOC President and a close ally of IOC President Thomas Bach, suggesting a potential conflict of interest.

Bach rejected the idea that Coates had any influence in the decision to confirm Brisbane as the preferred candidate for the 2032 Games, and dismissed criticism that the new host city process lacked transparency. He claimed the new process was "more low-cost, helps prevent any undue interference, makes it less political, and makes it more and more sober."

For cities hoping to bid for future editions of the Games, however, it seems the faster a proposal is put together to impress the IOC, the better. A senior figure in the IOC hailing from the country in question may also be of some help.

As pointed out by colleague Michael Pavitt, the new process could prevent organised public opposition to a bid. Anti-Olympic sentiment has previously proved to be the downfall for a number of bid campaigns for both the Summer and Winter Games.

Most recently, an initial field of seven candidates for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics was condensed to two after a series of withdrawals, with bids from Calgary in Canada, Sion in Switzerland and Innsbruck in Austria all scuppered by referendum defeats. Indeed, Calgary, which hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, became the ninth straight Olympic bid city to lose a referendum when its residents voted against the candidacy in November 2018.

Munich dropped out of the race for the 2022 Winter Olympics, eventually awarded to Beijing, after a referendum defeat, while Hamburg exited the process for the 2024 Summer Olympics after a poll was also lost in the city. Opposition to hosting the Games also brought an end to bids for the 2024 contest from both Budapest and Boston.

A campaign or referendum is unlikely to have an impact on a bid race now, seeing as such a contest no longer exists. Subsequently, it is unlikely there will be the same level of organised opposition against a bid again. 

On the other hand, it is not like the Queensland bid for the 2032 Games was kept secret, and it will be difficult and unwise for future potential host cities to refrain from communicating with the public about their plans. This still gives campaign groups room to form and prevent a plan to welcome the Olympics and Paralympics. 

Eleven years is more than enough time for opposition to garner support anyway, particularly with these initial steps in the host city process non-binding for Brisbane. 

Indeed, it is not definite that come 2032, the world's best athletes will be heading to Brisbane for the Olympics and Paralympics. The bid is still required to submit documents and the required guarantees needed to host the Games before it is formally recommended as host city. But for now, we have seen the first steps of the IOC's new process for selecting the host of its flagship event play out.”

[FYI]

 Denial is a river in Egypt. 

[AustralianFan]

To further assist the Budapest Bidding Team and supporters, to assist also is the news that the IOC  recently made further changes as they charted the Agenda 2020 through to 2025:

**********************

OLYMPIC AGENDA 2020+5 : 15 RECOMMENDATIONS / INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

Credit: International Olympic Committee

On the 12th of March 2021, after a lively debate, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session unanimously approved Olympic Agenda 2020+5 as the new strategic roadmap of the IOC and the Olympic Movement through to 2025. Consisting of 15 recommendations, the new roadmap builds on the achievements of Olympic Agenda 2020, and will guide the work of the IOC and the Olympic Movement for the next five years.

Click on the link above to read these.

[AustralianFan]

43 minutes ago, FYI said:

The Budapest 2032 exploratory findings were underway, when all of the sudden, the IOC decided to announce another ‘preferred candidate’. 

Incorrect.   Not “another preferred candidate”.  

Only one preferred bidder ever announced, that being Brisbane. 

 

[AustralianFan]

The other 2032 interested parties, including Budapest unfortunately, have been “parked”.

[AustralianFan]

 

Olympic Agenda 2020:  The New Norm

It’s Working

 

Click the link to learn more

 

 

[FYI]

1 hour ago, AustralianFan said:

Incorrect.   Not “another preferred candidate”.  

Only one preferred bidder ever announced, that being Brisbane. 

 

Splitting hairs much? I know that. I meant in the context of only going with “one” city as preferred candidate or preferred ‘bidder’ (or whatever else you wanna call it), out of a group of cities at that particular moment. But the rest of my previous post. where you cherry-picked that from, still stands though. 

[StefanMUC]

I miss the days when obnoxious trolls just haunted folks in Northern Europe and turned into stone at dawn. Nowadays they live all around the world, even in Australia, and spread their smelly brainfarts 24/7 online.

In case this gets me banned: so be it. A forum like this is worthless if such spamming (not just the Hungarian stuff today) is being left unmoderated.

[FYI]

3 minutes ago, StefanMUC said:

In case this gets me banned: so be it. A forum like this is worthless if such spamming (not just the Hungarian stuff today) is being left unmoderated.

Please (& not being facetious), but there has been much, much worse posted on here (& on a consistent basis) that literally got no one banned that actually deserved it. Or it literally took YEARS for action finally to be taken for downright insulting/discriminatory posts. It would literally be a travesty if a well-informed poster like you faced such discipline, especially for something that’s not too far off. I enjoy reading what you have to say a lot of time.