Salzburg Ready to Deliver the 2014 Winter Games
From the 14th to the 17th of March, the 13 members of the IOC Evaluation Commission, led by Chiharu Igaya, IOC member, visited Salzburg to make a technical assessment of the city’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2014.
Over the course of the visit, the Commission witnessed 33 presentations, visited 16 venues, and was provided with 1560 guarantees.
At the official IOC press conference, Chairman Chiharu Igaya expressed the IOC’s great pleasure at having been in Salzburg and Austria, a country so passionate about winter sports. He also talked about Austria's strong tradition in winter sports, having competed at every single edition of the Olympic Games since 1924. He then commended the fact that Austrian athletes have won a total of 185 Olympic medals, calling it a "truly remarkable achievement.”
When asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the bid, Igaya stated:
“Winter sport has a long tradition in Austria, a nation which has hosted numerous World Cups and World Championships. In addition to possessing the necessary expertise for organising games, Austria also has a major asset in that most of the venues already exist and have been tested during competitions. Salzburg also benefits from very strong backing from the Austrian government. I have total confidence in this bid. Another strong point of the Salzburg 2014 bid is the general public's strong support for it.”
In answer to a question on any possible weaknesses of the Salzburg 2014 bid, Chiharu Igaya answered: “In Salzburg’s Games region, there are 100,000 hotel rooms, a lot of which are small, family-run businesses, and I have no doubt visitors attending the Games will enjoy their stay and the family hospitality and peaceful atmosphere they find here. There may however be a logistical challenge in transportation; I call it a challenge, not a weakness, and it is one I am sure can be easily solved.”
The Commission will now compile a report, which will be sent to all IOC members on the 4th of June, one month to the day before the final decision on which city will have the honour of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2014 is made in Guatemala City. The report will help members to better understand Salzburg’s bid and will assist the members in their decision when casting their votes for the host city for 2014.
"Salzburg can give back to the Olympic Movement"
During the Salzburg 2014 press conference, which followed the IOC's conference, Heinz Schaden, Mayor of the city of Salzburg and Chairman of Salzburg’s Supervisory Board, expressed his satisfaction with the visit of the IOC Evaluation Commission: “We are concluding a very good week during which we experienced an excellent exchange of views. The atmosphere was warm. No questions were left unanswered during either the presentations or the site visits. We presented our bid in the strongest possible way. We are totally ready in regard to infrastructure, atmosphere and experience. At this point, I would like to thank our team for their dedication and passion and for doing such an excellent job in preparing and managing the visit. I am also delighted at Chairman Igaya’s feedback on the performance of Salzburg 2014 during the Commission’s stay.”
Gernot Leitner, joint Executive Director of Salzburg 2014, a position he shares with Rudi Hoeller, extended his thanks to the Commission: “We were impressed by the accuracy and depth of questions raised by the Commission. This will help us to raise the level of our bid further still, something for which we are extremely grateful. As an example, we have decided, in agreement with the Commission, to increase the capacity of the Olympic Snow Village in Altenmarkt/Radstadt. Technically, our bid is at a very high level and cannot be improved much more. We are ending this week very confidently and now look forward to the next months leading to the decision in Guatemala City on the 4th of July.”
Over the course of the visit, the Commission witnessed 33 presentations, visited 16 venues, and was provided with 1560 guarantees.
At the official IOC press conference, Chairman Chiharu Igaya expressed the IOC’s great pleasure at having been in Salzburg and Austria, a country so passionate about winter sports. He also talked about Austria's strong tradition in winter sports, having competed at every single edition of the Olympic Games since 1924. He then commended the fact that Austrian athletes have won a total of 185 Olympic medals, calling it a "truly remarkable achievement.”
When asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the bid, Igaya stated:
“Winter sport has a long tradition in Austria, a nation which has hosted numerous World Cups and World Championships. In addition to possessing the necessary expertise for organising games, Austria also has a major asset in that most of the venues already exist and have been tested during competitions. Salzburg also benefits from very strong backing from the Austrian government. I have total confidence in this bid. Another strong point of the Salzburg 2014 bid is the general public's strong support for it.”
In answer to a question on any possible weaknesses of the Salzburg 2014 bid, Chiharu Igaya answered: “In Salzburg’s Games region, there are 100,000 hotel rooms, a lot of which are small, family-run businesses, and I have no doubt visitors attending the Games will enjoy their stay and the family hospitality and peaceful atmosphere they find here. There may however be a logistical challenge in transportation; I call it a challenge, not a weakness, and it is one I am sure can be easily solved.”
The Commission will now compile a report, which will be sent to all IOC members on the 4th of June, one month to the day before the final decision on which city will have the honour of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2014 is made in Guatemala City. The report will help members to better understand Salzburg’s bid and will assist the members in their decision when casting their votes for the host city for 2014.
"Salzburg can give back to the Olympic Movement"
During the Salzburg 2014 press conference, which followed the IOC's conference, Heinz Schaden, Mayor of the city of Salzburg and Chairman of Salzburg’s Supervisory Board, expressed his satisfaction with the visit of the IOC Evaluation Commission: “We are concluding a very good week during which we experienced an excellent exchange of views. The atmosphere was warm. No questions were left unanswered during either the presentations or the site visits. We presented our bid in the strongest possible way. We are totally ready in regard to infrastructure, atmosphere and experience. At this point, I would like to thank our team for their dedication and passion and for doing such an excellent job in preparing and managing the visit. I am also delighted at Chairman Igaya’s feedback on the performance of Salzburg 2014 during the Commission’s stay.”
Gernot Leitner, joint Executive Director of Salzburg 2014, a position he shares with Rudi Hoeller, extended his thanks to the Commission: “We were impressed by the accuracy and depth of questions raised by the Commission. This will help us to raise the level of our bid further still, something for which we are extremely grateful. As an example, we have decided, in agreement with the Commission, to increase the capacity of the Olympic Snow Village in Altenmarkt/Radstadt. Technically, our bid is at a very high level and cannot be improved much more. We are ending this week very confidently and now look forward to the next months leading to the decision in Guatemala City on the 4th of July.”