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Austria burst into tears when Salzburg out of bid |
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11:05, July 05, 2007 |
Salzburg, Austria, was knocked out of the bid for the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the first round of voting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), held in Guatemala city on Wednesday.
Just like it did in the bid for 2010 Winter Olympic Games four years ago, Salzburg was out of the race in the first round again.
In the final round later, Russian Black Sea resort Sochi defeated South Korean city of Pyeongchang, which also lost in the finals four years ago.
Many Austrian delegates, including Salzburg mayor Heinz Schaden,burst into tears after Jacques Rogge, president of IOC, said Salzburg was out.
It really hurt Austria.
Austrian chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer said in Guatemala that the concept Salzburg presented was the best, and it was a great advertisement for Austria, but other reasons came into play.
He complained that "Obviously it was a different game. If it's about power politics and finances then Salzburg does not have a chance", and "it was a strategic decision. It was an economic and political power play."
He criticized that "this is a decision which indicates the way they (IOC) want to go from now on and this is wrong for the sport and for the IOC and Olympic Movement."
Many Austrian elites doubted that IOC preferred to choose the economic giant and new markets as the host city, and the small candidate like Austria had little chance.
President of Austrian Olympic Committee Leo Wallner believed that it was a geopolitical decision. "If it is just like now, the small countries with current infrastructure do not need to bid forthe host right," he complained.
Mayor Schaden worried that maybe the chance in the competition for the host right of Olympic Games for small countries in the future would disappear.
Heinz Jungwirth, general secretary of Austrian Olympic Committee, said that man had to wrestle, whether it's worthy or not, as small country to compete against the giant candidates.
However, Austrian bid had suffered from several changes of chief executive, financial worries and the scandal over the Austrian cross country skiiers which saw six banned for life following the discovery of doping products at the Turin Games lastyear.
Source: Xinhua
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