Final four

Vancouver, Salzburg among contenders for 2010 Games

IOC president Jacques Rogge arrives at the opening of the executive board's meeting. AP

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- Two European cities will compete with one from North America and one from Asia for the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday selected Bern, Switzerland; Salzburg, Austria; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Pyeongchang, South Korea as official candidates for the event. The winner will be elected in July, 2003.

Eliminated from the race were Andorra La Vella, Andorra; Harbin, China; Jaca, Spain, and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The selection was made by a secret ballot of the IOC executive board.

"Once you look at the (evalutation) report, which has been very thoroughly made, you see very well that the four top cities have been retained," IOC director general Francois Carrard said.

The IOC could have selected only two bidders, but by choosing four it keeps the race open and allows for a wider geographic representation.

Vancouver and Salzburg are considered the strong favorites, with an IOC evaluation report saying both bids are above the required standard.

Bern and Pyeongchang straddled the benchmark. The report was concerned that athletes' accommodation was far from sporting venues in the Swiss bid, while it cited serious problems with South Korea's Yongpyong resort.

But the IOC said there was still time for the bidding cities to improve their proposals.

"The potential is there," IOC sports director Gilbert Felli said.

Geography does not favor Europe, which has the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

Several European cities also are lining up bids for the 2012 Summer Games and would not want the previous games in Europe. They could favor Canada in 2010 to take North America out of play for the 2012 games.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Olympic Committee selected New York and San Francisco as the American finalists for the 2012 bid. Houston and Washington were passed over.

As part of a cost-cutting measure, the 2010 finalists won't be allowed to launch any international promotional campaigns until Jan. 10, 2003.

Each city must now pay US$500,000 to cover the cost of the IOC's detailed evaluation of the bids.

It will send a panel of experts to visit each cities and compile a report on their sports venues, financial plans and other technical issues. Site visits by IOC members -- who will make the final choice -- remain prohibited as part of the reforms enacted following the Salt Lake City bid scandal.

Vancouver, nestled in a west coast bay surrounded by towering mountains, features a so-called "Sea-to-Sky" highway connecting the city with the ski resort of Whistler.

"We are proud to today call ourselves an official candidate city," Vancouver bid chairman Jack Poole said.

Salzburg, the city of Mozart's birthplace, would have downhill skiing at Kitzbuehel as well as other world-class venues.

Egon Winkler, head of the Salzburg bid, noted that his city's selection came a week after Austria experienced its worst flooding in over a century.

"We hope that this decision by the IOC will help to bring added pride to many of our people at this time," he said.

Bern, making Switzerland's fourth attempt for the Winter Games since 1969, hopes to make up for Sion's surprise defeat to Torino for the 2006 games. It plans a game based mostly on existing sports facilities and public transport.

"The selection of Bern 2010 shows that the IOC following the lead given by its new president Jacques Rogge and wants to organize a sustainable Games," the Swiss Olympic Committee said.

"This is a clear confirmation that Switzerland has a convincing and feasible project."

Pyeongchang is in South Korea's mountainous eastern province of Kangwon, 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Seoul. It held Alpine World Cup ski races in 1998 and 2000.

Kim Nam-soo, managing director of the Pyeongchang bid, said he was "pleased and proud" by the selection. Asked if the city could overcome the failings shown in the IOC report, he replied: "We will do our best."

One city that was eliminated, Sarajevo, immediately announced it would bid for the 2014 games.

"We should not regard this as a tragedy," said Sarajevo mayor Muhidin Hamamdzic. "We should focus on our candidacy for the 2014 Winter Olympics. We should not give up."

 

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