Munich Olympic “No” Vote Shows Distrust in IOC, Says Ski President
Berlin (dpa) - A vote by residents against a Munich bid to host the 2022 winter Olympics is a sign of distrust in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the president of the International Ski Federation (FIS) said Monday.
Swiss Gian-Franco Kasper, President of the International Ski Federation (FIS), speaks during the FIS annual Alpine Forum of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season in Soelden, Austria, 25 October 2013. — photo: dpa
Gian-Franco Kasper told dpa the “no” vote in four referendums Sunday was “a bad sign.”
The Swiss FIS president added: “Above all it is a (sign of) distrust towards the IOC. The many headlines about (2014 winter Games hosts) Sochi and (2022 football World Cup hosts) Qatar have certainly not helped.
“It’s not a problem hosting world championships but as soon as people hear Olympics they get scared.”
In March, a proposed Swiss bid to host the 2022 winter Games in St Moritz and Davos ended when voters in the canton of Graubuenden voted against in a referendum.
All four districts in the potential Munich bid returned “no” votes Sunday. Majority support was needed in all four - Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Traunstein and Berchtesgadener Land - for a bid to go ahead this week.
Munich had failed with its bid to host the 2018 winter Games, which will be staged in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Oslo, Ukrainian city Lviv, Beijing-Zhangjiakou, Almaty in Kazakhstan, and the Polish city of Krakow together with with venues in neighbouring Slovakia are bidding for the 2022 Games. Stockholm is considering a bid.
Bids must be submitted to the IOC by Thursday. The IOC will vote on the Games hosts on July 31, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur.
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