GaryMrMets
07-12-2005, 12:34 AM
Annecy to bid for 2014 Olympics
By JOHN PYE
.c The Associated Press
Just days after Paris lost out on the right to host the 2012 Olympics, another French city has decided to bid for the 2014 Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee selected London as the host for the 2012 Summer Games on Wednesday. Two days later, the Alpine town of Annecy said it will try to secure the next available winter edition.
``The tremendous popular support that accompanied Paris' bid ... showed the commitment of the French to Olympism,'' Annecy City Hall said in a statement Friday. ``It reassured us in our willingness to pick up the (Olympic) flame.''
Mayor Bernard Bosson announced ``the resolute, firm and definitive bid of the city of Annecy for the Olympic and Paralymic Games of 2014.''
Annecy is not alone among French bidders. The nearby city of Grenoble, which hosted the Winter Games in 1968, and the town of Gap are also bidding. France has until July 28 to select its candidate.
The IOC meets in Guatemala in July 2007 to choose the host of the 2014 Winter Games. Turin, Italy, will host the games in 2006, followed by Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.
OUT OF AFRICA:@ IOC president Jacques Rogge says the Olympics won't follow soccer's lead and commit to rotating around the continents.
Italian IOC member Mario Pescante asked members on Saturday - the last day of meetings in Singapore - to consider ways of making it possible to host the Olympics in Africa or South America.
Pescante, head of the European Olympic Committees and supervisor of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, has said the costs preclude most countries from being able to afford to stage the Winter or Summer Olympics.
He said soccer authorities had found ways of making the World Cup a truly global event.
In the Olympics, even the campaigns to host the games have become excessive, he said.
Reports estimate the cost of London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics at $52 million and Paris' failed bid at $32.3 million.
Rogge said he was committed to reducing the cost and complexity of staging the games, but not at the expense of athlete welfare or quality of competition and venues.
``The IOC is fighting against gigantism. That's the reason we've limited to 28 sports, 10,500 athletes,'' he said.
``The possibility to move the games to other continents - that's the wish and desire of everyone (but) we cannot compare the situation between the IOC and FIFA, given the diverse nature of these two major events.''
The Olympics have never been held in Africa or South America.
FIFA held soccer's World Cup in Asia for the first time in 2002. After Germany next year, the quadrennial event moves to South Africa in 2010.
NO HORSING AROUND:@ IOC president Jacques Rogge will visit Hong Kong on Sunday to check developments on the newest venue for the Beijing Olympics.
The IOC announced this week that the equestrian events in 2008 would be held in Hong Kong, the former British colony about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) south of Beijing, due to concerns over equine diseases on the Chinese mainland.
Rogge will be traveling from Singapore - where London was selected as host for the 2012 Olympics and where Beijing presented its progress report for 2008 - with Hong Kong and Beijing organizing committee officials.
Heading off concerns that equestrian athletes would be isolated from the Olympic ``ambiance,'' Rogge said he'd guarantee the sport would be well catered for during the games.
``We'll make sure the games will be a great success and the athletes in Hong Kong won't be disadvantaged,'' he said.
BREAKING NEWS GENTLY:@ Read the fine print.
Baseball's international federation decided to break the news softly to its members.
In its weekly newsletter, e-mailed to players and national federations, the IBAF inserted Friday's late-breaking news as its 10th item, under the headline: ``New Olympic Program in 2012.''
``The IOC session in Singapore voted to include 26 of the 28 current Olympic sports on the program of the Games in 2012,'' the reported continued.
``The session decided that baseball and softball will remain on the list of Olympic sports, but will not be on the program for 2012.''
OLYMPIC CONGRESS:@ The International Olympic Committee is planning to hold its fourth Congress in 2009 and has opened the bidding for potential hosts.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said the organization held congresses in 1963, 1981 and 1994 and it was time to hold another for a full-scale re-evaluation of policies.
Rogge said the timing was good, coming 10 years after the major reforms of 1999 following the Salt Lake City scandal and 15 years after the IOC's last major congress with the international federations and national Olympic committees.
ALL CLEAR:@ IOC president Jacques Rogge hopes he's put an end to criticism of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's involvement in London's Olympic bid.
Paris bidders were reportedly angered that Blair met IOC members in his hotel room in Singapore and probably persuaded a few to vote in London's favor in last Wednesday's ballot.
``What we call political influence is that a member would be swayed in his decision for political ideological reasons,'' said Rogge. ``There's nothing wrong with having a conversation with a major politician from a bid city. Mr. Blair never asked a (IOC) member to become a member of the Labor Party.
``He tried to sell the idea that the member vote for London. Political influence is certainly something else.''
Rogge said none of the cities broke rules designed to stamp out corruption in the bidding process.
``Sometimes they were close to the limits, sometimes we had to give a little slap on the fingers, but they responded well,'' said Rogge.
``In the past we've been criticized because there was too much laxity, too much red-carpet treatment, this time we did not see that.''
07/09/05 17:29 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By JOHN PYE
.c The Associated Press
Just days after Paris lost out on the right to host the 2012 Olympics, another French city has decided to bid for the 2014 Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee selected London as the host for the 2012 Summer Games on Wednesday. Two days later, the Alpine town of Annecy said it will try to secure the next available winter edition.
``The tremendous popular support that accompanied Paris' bid ... showed the commitment of the French to Olympism,'' Annecy City Hall said in a statement Friday. ``It reassured us in our willingness to pick up the (Olympic) flame.''
Mayor Bernard Bosson announced ``the resolute, firm and definitive bid of the city of Annecy for the Olympic and Paralymic Games of 2014.''
Annecy is not alone among French bidders. The nearby city of Grenoble, which hosted the Winter Games in 1968, and the town of Gap are also bidding. France has until July 28 to select its candidate.
The IOC meets in Guatemala in July 2007 to choose the host of the 2014 Winter Games. Turin, Italy, will host the games in 2006, followed by Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.
OUT OF AFRICA:@ IOC president Jacques Rogge says the Olympics won't follow soccer's lead and commit to rotating around the continents.
Italian IOC member Mario Pescante asked members on Saturday - the last day of meetings in Singapore - to consider ways of making it possible to host the Olympics in Africa or South America.
Pescante, head of the European Olympic Committees and supervisor of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, has said the costs preclude most countries from being able to afford to stage the Winter or Summer Olympics.
He said soccer authorities had found ways of making the World Cup a truly global event.
In the Olympics, even the campaigns to host the games have become excessive, he said.
Reports estimate the cost of London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics at $52 million and Paris' failed bid at $32.3 million.
Rogge said he was committed to reducing the cost and complexity of staging the games, but not at the expense of athlete welfare or quality of competition and venues.
``The IOC is fighting against gigantism. That's the reason we've limited to 28 sports, 10,500 athletes,'' he said.
``The possibility to move the games to other continents - that's the wish and desire of everyone (but) we cannot compare the situation between the IOC and FIFA, given the diverse nature of these two major events.''
The Olympics have never been held in Africa or South America.
FIFA held soccer's World Cup in Asia for the first time in 2002. After Germany next year, the quadrennial event moves to South Africa in 2010.
NO HORSING AROUND:@ IOC president Jacques Rogge will visit Hong Kong on Sunday to check developments on the newest venue for the Beijing Olympics.
The IOC announced this week that the equestrian events in 2008 would be held in Hong Kong, the former British colony about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) south of Beijing, due to concerns over equine diseases on the Chinese mainland.
Rogge will be traveling from Singapore - where London was selected as host for the 2012 Olympics and where Beijing presented its progress report for 2008 - with Hong Kong and Beijing organizing committee officials.
Heading off concerns that equestrian athletes would be isolated from the Olympic ``ambiance,'' Rogge said he'd guarantee the sport would be well catered for during the games.
``We'll make sure the games will be a great success and the athletes in Hong Kong won't be disadvantaged,'' he said.
BREAKING NEWS GENTLY:@ Read the fine print.
Baseball's international federation decided to break the news softly to its members.
In its weekly newsletter, e-mailed to players and national federations, the IBAF inserted Friday's late-breaking news as its 10th item, under the headline: ``New Olympic Program in 2012.''
``The IOC session in Singapore voted to include 26 of the 28 current Olympic sports on the program of the Games in 2012,'' the reported continued.
``The session decided that baseball and softball will remain on the list of Olympic sports, but will not be on the program for 2012.''
OLYMPIC CONGRESS:@ The International Olympic Committee is planning to hold its fourth Congress in 2009 and has opened the bidding for potential hosts.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said the organization held congresses in 1963, 1981 and 1994 and it was time to hold another for a full-scale re-evaluation of policies.
Rogge said the timing was good, coming 10 years after the major reforms of 1999 following the Salt Lake City scandal and 15 years after the IOC's last major congress with the international federations and national Olympic committees.
ALL CLEAR:@ IOC president Jacques Rogge hopes he's put an end to criticism of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's involvement in London's Olympic bid.
Paris bidders were reportedly angered that Blair met IOC members in his hotel room in Singapore and probably persuaded a few to vote in London's favor in last Wednesday's ballot.
``What we call political influence is that a member would be swayed in his decision for political ideological reasons,'' said Rogge. ``There's nothing wrong with having a conversation with a major politician from a bid city. Mr. Blair never asked a (IOC) member to become a member of the Labor Party.
``He tried to sell the idea that the member vote for London. Political influence is certainly something else.''
Rogge said none of the cities broke rules designed to stamp out corruption in the bidding process.
``Sometimes they were close to the limits, sometimes we had to give a little slap on the fingers, but they responded well,'' said Rogge.
``In the past we've been criticized because there was too much laxity, too much red-carpet treatment, this time we did not see that.''
07/09/05 17:29 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.