Four Cities Compete to Host 2010 Games

Vancouver (Canada), Salzburg (Austria), Pyeongchgang (Korea) and Bern (Switzerland) were accepted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board in Lausanne as candidate cities to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The cities were accepted from a total of eight applicant cities, also including Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Jaca (Spain), Harbin (China) and Andorra La Vella (Andorra) which had submitted applications to the IOC in May this year.

The candidate cities were selected after an assessment was made of each applicant city’s ability to stage high-level, international, multi-sport events and of their ability to organise quality Winter Games in 2010.A set of 11 technical assessment criteria was used: government support and public opinion, general infrastructure, sports venues, Olympic Village, environmental conditions and impact, accommodation, transport, security, experience from past sports events, finance and general concept. The four Candidate Cities now have until January 10 2003 to submit their candidature file to the IOC. Guidance was provided by the IOC during a five-day seminar in Lausanne in September. IPC Paralympic Games Liaison Director Xavier Gonzalez provided the candidate cities with specific Paralympic information in the seminar session on “Sport, The Athletes,The Village, IFs, NOCs and Paralympics” on September 9.

Salt Lake, Torino, where next?

The candidature files will be analysed in detail by the IOC Evaluation Commission, which will also make inspections of the candidate cities, before issuing a report in May 2003. A representative of the IPC will also be a member of this commission. The final decision on the host city will be made by the IOC membership during the 115th IOC Session in Prague in July 2003.