Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts

Thursday, July 15, 2010

2012 Olympic Legacy Not Apparent Until 2020

Olympics officials in London say it will take until 2020 to really see the impact of the 2012 Olympics on the city.

The OPLC are now in charge of the legacy projects and making the site economically viable after the 2012 Games but Sir Peter predicted that it will take nearly a decade to be able to assess whether the organisation been successful in achieving their remit, he told the London Assembly at City Hall here today.

Legacy benefits of London Olympics will not be known until 2020
Inside the Games
July 14, 2010

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Blatter Backs SA Bid for 2020 Olympics

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has annonced that he will fully back South Africa if any of its cities choose to bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

South Africa's successful hosting of the World Cup has increased its prospects of hosting the event when bidding opens for the 2020 Games. President Jacob Zuma told reporters last week that South Africa was up to the task.

The International Olympic Committee awarded the 2016 Games to Brazil, making it the first time a South American country will host the games. This will leave Africa as the only continent yet to stage the Olympics.

South Africa: Olympics Hopes Get Blatter's Backing
Bua News
July 9, 2010

Friday, June 25, 2010

'South Africa Ready for Olympics'

South African President Jacob Zuma says his country's hosting of the FIFA World Cup is proof that it is ready to host the Olympics. Cape Town submitted a bid to host the 2004 Summer Olympics, but lost out to Athens, Greece.

"We have got the facilities. Those who take decisions (about the hosting of major sports event) have seen how South Africa is. I'm sure we could do it," Zuma said.

'SA ready for Olympics'
Independent Online
June 22, 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010

German Firms Have Eye on Brazilian Infrastructure Projects Ahead of World Cup, Olympics

German companies are hoping to get in on the World Cup and Olympics infrastructure work in Brazil, according to Rainer Bruderle, Germany's minister for economics and technology.

Bruderle said the German firms were hoping to partner with Brazil in areas of infrastructure, organization and security.

"There is a large interest on the part of German businessmen in infrastructure work in Brazil, especially in relation to these big sporting events," Jorge said.

Germans look to Brazil World Cup, Olympics
USA Today
April 27, 2010

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

President Says Deadly Flooding Not an Issue for Brazil's Cup and Olympics

After heavy rainfall that caused the deaths of at least 81 people in Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tried to assure the world that such disasters would not stand in the way of Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup or the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Mudslides and severe flooding caused by heavy rain since late Monday claimed at least 81 lives in and around Rio de Janeiro, the authorities said Tuesday.

"It does not rain everyday. Neither are there quakes everyday in Chile and Haiti. Usually, the months of June and July (when the two major sporting events are set to take place) are calmer. Rio is ready to host the Olympic Games and the World Cup, the best the world has ever known," Lula said.

Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317388,extra-lula-rules-out-rain-related-problems-in-world-cup-olympics.html#ixzz0kNst0Ghm

EXTRA: Lula rules out rain-related problems in World Cup, Olympics
Earth Times
April 6, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Socccer Club Looks to Make Use of London Stadium After 2012 Olympics

The owners of West Ham football club are in talks with officials in London to try to make use of the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the games are over. Current plans have the stadium being reduced from 80,000 seat capacity to just 25,000 and being used for concerts and other events.

The east London club and council hope the arena, in Newham borough, will feature "both football and athletics".

Interested parties have an eight-week deadline to submit plans, with the OPLC set to make a decision on the stadium's future use by March 2011.

A joint statement from West Ham and Newham Council read: "The proposal would be to make the venue a vibrant centre of sport, culture and education, featuring both football and athletics."

West Ham and Newham Council eye bid for Olympic Stadium
BBC
March 23, 2010

Questioning the Wisdom of Hosting International Sporting Events

This article from the International Monetary Fund looks at the investments required to host big international sporting events like the Olympics and the World Cup and challenges the wisdom of making those investments.

Though the article explores some of the benefits Olympics can create for cities, it also warns that the costs of hosting these events are increasingly large.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles experience was exceptional. Subsequent host cities found it impossible to procure the same proportion of private support. Several billion dollars in public monies was committed in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Nagano (1998), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), and Beijing (2008).

The Barcelona Olympics left the central Spanish government $4 billion in debt, and the city and provincial governments an additional $2.1 billion in the red. The Nagano Organizing Committee showed a $28 million surplus, while the various units of Japanese government were left with an $11 billion debt (Burton and O’Reilly, 2009). In Athens, public investment exceeded $10 billion, and in Beijing, more than $40 billion.

Is It Worth It?
Finance and Development
March 2010

Monday, March 22, 2010

London Soccer Team Owner Blasts London 2012 Stadium Downsize Plan

Plans to reduce capacity at the London Olympic Stadium from 80,000 down to 25,000 after the 2012 event are being blasted by a local soccer team's co-owner as a waste of public money. He says the stadium should be sized down only to about 60,000, allowing his team, West Ham, to lease it from the city.

"To build an 80,000-seat stadium and reduce it to 25,000 for athletics makes no sense at all," said Sullivan.

"The whole concept was misconceived. I can't get my head around it.

"Let's be honest, that stadium should not have cost £537m. It's a temporary stadium with limited facilities - that's public money appallingly badly spent. The Emirates [Arsenal's ground] was built for half the price."

West Ham owner attacks athletics plan for 2012 stadium
BBC
March 18, 2010

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

First World Cup, Then Olympics?

South Africa's World Cup Local Organizing Committee CEO Danny Jordaan is hoping the successful hosting of the 2010 World Cup will set the country up for a possible Olympic hosting gig in the near future.

"The one event Africa has not hosted is the Olympics," Jordaan told the portfolio committee on tourism.

"A successful World Cup will put pressure on the IOC to award for the first time since 1896 the Olympics to Africa."

The first modern-day Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

"Africa has waited 100 years for the Fifa World Cup to be awarded. It has now waited more than 100 years for the Olympics to be awarded to Africa."

Jordaan hints at Olympic bid
Independent Online
November 3, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

Durban Eyes Future as Tourist Mecca, Olympics Host

The port city if Durban is hoping to use the World Cup as a catalyst towards a future as a major tourist destination within South Africa, as well as the African center for sports and entertainment. Durban officials also have their sights on hosting the Olympics.

Intensely competitive with the more famous tourist mecca of Cape Town along the coast, Durban is pulling out all the stops to ensure nobody forgets it when the soccer World Cup is over.

Grimier but also more African than sophisticated, Europeanised Cape Town, Durban - which will host seven matches including a semi-final - markets itself on its miles of sandy beaches and the year-round warm weather that makes it a winter playground for South Africans.

Durban's ambition exceeds World Cup
Reuters
August 14, 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

With Eyes on Woprld Cup, London U-Turns on Temporary Olympic Stadium

Officials in London are backtracking on a much-touted plan to build the city's 2012 Olympic Stadium as a semi-temporary structure, and are now considering a plan to make the stadium a permanent fixture. The move is part of an effort to help England secure World Cup hosting duties in either 2018 or 2022.

The move signals a drastic u-turn on the original legacy plan for the Olympics, which envisaged the stadium as a semi-temporary venue which would be converted into a smaller, 25,000-capacity sports school and athletic ground in ‘legacy mode’.

According to the Evening Standard, [legacy chief Baroness] Ford said she was convinced the ‘beautiful’ stadium could pay its way as an all-year ‘visitor attraction’ and become part of London’s ‘iconic offer’.

As a result, stadium designers Populous - formerly HOK Sport - could be asked to rework the scheme which is already well under construction.


The original plan for post-Olympics adaptive reuse had received critical acclaim, as many other Olympic hosts have struggled to make use of Olympic structures after the event is over. The new move to make the stadium permanent could make major waves in London's legacy plan, which had envisioned the Olympic campus becoming a mixed use residential and parks district after the games.

Stadium faces redesign in drastic London Olympic rethink
The Arhcitects' Journal
June 29, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Obama's Chicago Roots May Help City Win 2016 Olympic Bid

President Barack Obama's cachet and Chicago roots may play a big role in securing the city as the host of the 2016 Olympics, according to Spain's International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior. But, he says, it will take more of a show of support than a simple photo op.

By mentioning the former leaders of Britain and Russia and linking them to the success of the bids for London 2012 and Sochi 2014, Samaranch made it clear that he believes it will take even Obama more than a photo and a couple of handshakes to get Chicago the Olympics.

At the IOC Assembly in Copenhagen on October 2 -- in the presence of Obama but also of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Spain's King Juan Carlos among others -- the 115 members of the committee will only be really moved by clear support for the bid, complete with full state backing and plenty of cash.

Source:
'Obama factor' might give Chicago Olympic edge
Mail & Guardian
May 5, 2009

Sunday, April 5, 2009

World Cup May Serve as 'Catalyst' For Olympics in South Africa

Olympic Games officials have said that the 2010 World Cup in South Africa could serve as a catalyst for the country to host a future Olympics.

The 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa could act as a catalyst for a successful bid for the Olympics from the continent, Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said on Monday.

..."I believe that after South Africa has organised the World Cup there will probably be other candidatures from Africa and I'm convinced that with time in the medium term, maybe a decade, there will be a possibility."

Source:
World Cup could be catalyst for African Games
Independent Online
March 30, 2009

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Recession Weighs Heavily as Hopeful Hosts Convene in Denver

Olympic planners and hopeful representatives of prospective future host cities are in Denver this week for a conference on international sporting events. The downturn in the economy is a major focus of the meetings, especially for London, where the recession's timing has been unfortunate for the city's 2012 preparations.

The recession forms the backdrop to the SportAccord convention and International Olympic Committee executive board meetings in Denver, the biggest gathering of international sports officials in the United States since the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

More than 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the conference, which will feature key public presentations Wednesday by the four candidates for the 2016 Olympics -- Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. With six months to go before the Oct. 2 vote in Copenhagen, the cities are trying to position themselves as the most financially secure to cope with the downturn.

...

Despite the pressures, London organizers remain confident they will come within the overall 9.325 billion pound ($13.6 billion) budget for venues, infrastructure and regeneration. The figure is more than double the original estimate.


Source:
Recession forms backdrop of Olympic conference
Sports Illustrated
March 23, 2009

Vancouver to use 2010 Olympics to Build Connections, Boost Reputation

Vancouver is preparing to play host not only to the 2010 Winter Olympics, but also the the international cadre of mayors, officials and royalty that are expected to come to town for the games. The city is hoping to use the games to build tighter bonds with other cities and officials, and are thinking of the Olympics as an opportunity to improve the city's global reputation.

Come Games-time, visitors will include sports and IOC bigwigs, international mayors, 25 heads of government and state and 10 royalty.

Playing host to so many guests “offers the City of Vancouver a unique opportunity to enhance and strengthen the City’s global reputation,” according to a report from outgoing Olympic services general manager Dave Rudberg.

No doubt, local elected representatives will have their hands full. Each day of the Olympics, Vancouver’s mayor and council could host or attend as many as two luncheons, fourteen courtesy calls, five evening receptions, six competitions and three after-dinner events such as visits to medal ceremonies.


Source:
Vancouver’s ‘global reputation’ rests on 2010 Games plan
The Tyee
March 24, 2009