The IOC Executive Board on 9 June put forward a proposal to award the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games to Los Angeles and Paris simultaneously and address challenges around the bidding process for future Games.

The dual awarding proposal will be put to IOC Members at a new Extraordinary Session in Lausanne on 11 and 12 July, when a “Candidate City Briefing” had already been scheduled.

IOC Members had been scheduled to choose between Los Angeles and Paris as the host city of the 2024 Games at the IOC Session in Lima on 13-17 September. With this public statement from the Executive Board, IOC Members are now set to approve in July the proposal to award the Games to both candidates and seize what President Thomas Bach described as a “golden opportunity” and engage in a process of “discussions and negotiation” with the cities to establish when, and not if, they will host the Games.

The IOC’s four Vice Presidents – John Coates, Uğur Erdener, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Yu Zaiqing – have been leading on internal discussions around this possibility in recent months. During SportAccord Convention in April, Samaranch told a small group of media including Host City “Internally we are thinking of how we can be more flexible to have a selection system that better suits our interests and the interests of the Olympic movement.”

Throughout the bid process Paris has said it would not wait until 2028 while Los Angeles has taken a more flexible stance. LA 2024 Candidature Committee Chairman Casey Wasserman said in a statement earlier in the week “LA 2024 has never been only about LA or 2024. Even when the issue of a dual award for the 2024 and 2028 Games was initially raised, we didn’t say it’s ‘LA first’ or it’s ‘now or never’ for LA: that sounds like an ultimatum.”

Wasserman and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued the following joint statement on Twitter: “We welcome the IOC Executive Board’s decision to recognise two excellent bids from two of the world’s greatest cities. With no new permanent venues to build and unwavering public support, Los Angeles is an eternal Olympic city an ideal partner for the IOC.

“We look forward to sharing our unique story with the IOC membership in July and working together to offer the best path forward for our city the Olympic Movement’s future.”

Speaking at the press conference on 9 June, Bach said: “The situation of these candidature for 2024, having two such great cities and such great countries, having two candidatures which are really enthusiastic and really promoting the Olympic Games and Olympic Spirit in a great way – this represents a golden opportunity for the Olympic Games and the IOC.”

“Both cities have really embraced Olympic Agenda 2020 in different ways but particularly in the way they are planning to use a record number of existing and temporary facilities. This is something we have not seen in this dimension before in the Olympic Games and this will lead to significant cost reductions in the organisation of the Olympic Games and will make the Games more sustainable and more feasible.”

“We want to make this change and we can make this change and we can do it without amending the Olympic Charter. The Charter is flexible enough in this respect.”

“First of all, it is the IOC Members who have to express themselves on this proposal and only after the Members have had this opportunity will we enter in to deeper discussions with the Candidate Cities. Conversations so far have been very open. No one has closed the door. Discussions and negotiation may start, but only after Members have given the green light to this.

“The signal we are sending is very clear – a golden opportunity and a fascinating race. It is hard to imagine something better. It is also a strong signal of stability for the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. It is an expression of mutual confidence. It is also offering a great potential for the two cities to cooperate. Transfer of knowledge could even start from day one – there could also be the joint development of some turnkey solutions.  There is a great potential in such a double allocation.”

2026 Olympic Games bids

The Executive Board also agreed on the direction of changes to the bidding procedure for future Olympic Games, including the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which Stockholm pulled out of bidding for in April.

“There are two reasons why the Executive Board thinks a change is necessary: one external, one internal,” Bach said at the press conference.

“Firstly, the change in the decision-making procedure in many western countries. Today if the establishment is united behind one project, people now say there must be something wrong. We could complain about this change in attitude but we cannot ignore it. Even less so, because we are giving some arguments for this scepticism.

“To put it in a nutshell, the candidature procedure in this world we are living in has become too expensive and too onerous for potential candidate cities and in this way it is producing too many losers. The IOC will customize its approach to the needs of the cities in order to develop together the best value proposition for the cities and for the Games.  All this will lead to a lighter process for the cities with reduced costs.”

IOC Members will discuss the new approaches at the Extraordinary Session in July.

After the film La La Land won six Oscars, seven Golden Globes and five BAFTAs you would have thought that Los Angeles is getting bored in 2017 celebrating the success of its city and famous residents.

Don’t believe that for one Hollywood minute. That’s because the US city is still in the running for perhaps the year’s biggest prize of all – the hosting rights to the 2024 Olympic Games.

The race to host the 2024 Games is down to two candidate cities and in September the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Lima, Peru, will decide whether it’s LA or Paris that gets the nomination.

With the 130^th IOC session fast approaching, the LA and Paris bid committees have been busy putting together the final touches of their showreel in order to garner votes for the 2024 election.

One major showcase for both bids was the 2017 SportAccord Convention (SAC) in Aarhus, Denmark in April.

Vive la difference

The French capital put forward its bid of being ‘the right city, with the right vision at the right moment’. It also promised international federations and the Olympic movement that it would host the “most spectacular Games ever”.

The Paris presentation revealed that 95% of venues were already existing or temporary and the city’s ultra-compact plan would ensure that 85% of venues will be within 30 minutes of the athletes’ village.

Strong stuff from the “City of Light”, which is hoping to mark 100 years since it last hosted the Olympics in 1924.

And during LA’s 15 minutes in the spotlight at SAC, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti told delegates: “It’s important we draw a distinction in our vision, because although many believe the two bids in this race are quite similar… they are, in fact, very different.”

Privately-financed bid

With the heart of the film industry within its boundaries, it comes as no surprise that the Californians presented a strong narrative. When Host City asked LA 2024 Candidature Committee chairman Casey Wasserman if the entertainment industry could be drawn on for a potential LA 2024 Games, he replied: “We are very proud of our storytelling community, that’s what Hollywood is all about. When people want to speak to the world they come to LA. We think our ability of leverage that and bring that to the Olympic Games will be tremendous.”

While LA will bring some razzmatazz to the Olympic Games, the city’s bid has another very big USP regarding the bid’s funding.

“We are a privately-financed bid,” Angela Ruggiero, chief strategy officer for the LA 2024 Candidature Committee, former ice hockey star and IOC executive board member told Host City.

“That’s very different from a government-financed project where you are sort of at the whim of the government. We’ve made that one of our key focal points as a bid is to have the lowest-risk approach with the most sound budget.”

LA will require federal support for security matters, but the operations and management overlay is financed through the individual projects. “That’s a distinguishing factor between the two bids and we wanted to highlight that because we do things differently in regards to hosting events,” added Ruggiero.

“We don’t have sports ministers for example. The way that we promote sport is through the private sector. Budgets can’t be slashed, therefore it’s a different kind of model.”

For venues, LA has adopted a low-risk approach of utlising the city’s extensive existing sports assets. This tactic has helped grow public support in the Olympic bid to 88%.

One asset, for example, is the LA Memorial Coliseum, which is planned to host the medal ceremonies and track-and-field events in 2024. On May 3 it was announced that the University of Southern California had secured approval from the Coliseum Commission to proceed with its $270 million privately funded upgrade of the LA Memorial Coliseum.

The elephant in the room at SAC

With two very strong and well-supported bids, one major city is going to miss out when the IOC makes its big decision in September. Or will it?

The IOC Session in Lima could in fact name the host city for both 2024 and 2028 – meaning both Paris and LA win the right to host a summer games. A working group composed of the IOC’s four vice presidents is currently evaluating this possibility.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC vice-president, told a select group of journalists at SAC: “Basically what we are doing is not talking about 2024, internally we are thinking of how we can be more flexible to have a selection system that better suits our interests and the interests of the Olympic movement. The ideas that we might have for 2024 and 2028 are serious ones, but there is a process and both cities know what the process is.”

Paris’ committee has said it only wants to host in 2024 while LA chairman Wasserman was also straight with his answer. He told Host City: “We are bidding for 2024. There should be no confusion about that. I applaud the IOC for their thinking because it’s strategic and timely, but it’s also hypothetical. We’re bidding for 2024. Hypotheticals are not interesting.”

Next on the agenda for the IOC and the LA and Paris committees is the 2024 candidate briefing for IOC members and Summer Olympic IFs in July.

Once that’s complete it will be back to the drawing board for both cities to put the finishing touches to their candidature bids.

Will LA’s bid script see that big Hollywood ending? We will wait and see in September.

[Source: ITU] The International Triathlon Union is pleased to announce that ITU President and International Olympic Committee member, Marisol Casado, has been appointed to four of the IOC Commissions. During the next year, Casado will serve on the Women and Sport, Olympic Solidarity, Public Affairs and Social Development Through Sport and Evaluation for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad Commissions, while ITU Honorary Member Dr. Sarah Springman will serve on the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission.
 
“I am absolutely delighted to be involved in the four Commissions at the IOC,” said Casado. “To be able to present the IOC with the voice of an International Federation is always remarkable, and I commit myself to serve with dedication, transparency and loyalty to help develop not only our sport, triathlon, but also the whole world of sports.”
 
IOC President, Thomas Bach, announced the composition of the 26 IOC Commissions, highlighting the fact that 38% of the places are now held by women. “These changes are aligned with the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 and show that a stronger participation of women and a more diversified continental representation are our top priorities,” said IOC President Bach.

For the first time, female members are present on each of the Commissions. The IOC has also approved to increase the number of members from America, Africa and Asia, guaranteeing a more diverse continental representation.

Ms. Casado was appointed a member of the IOC in 2010, and since then she has been playing an active role on multiple commissions and activities. She joined the Women and Sport Commission in 2014, being also the only female president of a summer Olympic International Federation.
 
In 2015, she was appointed to the Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport Commission, presided by Mario Pescante, and the following year, in 2016, she was elected as a member of the Evaluation Commission for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, to which the cities of Los Angeles and Paris are bidding.
 
The last commission to be joined by Casado is the Olympic Solidarity, presided by the Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, which is focused on giving assistance to all the National Olympic Committees, particularly those with the greatest needs, through multi-faceted programmes prioritizing athlete development, training of coaches and sports administrators, and promoting the Olympic values.
 
ITU Honorary member and former Vice President, Dr. Sarah Springman, has also been appointed to serve on the Sustainability and Legacy Commission, presided by Prince Albert II of Monaco.
 
The new make-up of the IOC Commissions, which will provide assistance to the IOC and the Olympic Games Organising Committees, is also marked by the inclusion of young men and women who represent a new generation and will be the sports leaders of tomorrow.
 
“I am really excited that some young faces are joining us working on the Commissions. Mentoring the new generations is always a great investment for all, as we’ve been doing during the last few years, also at ITU,” said Casado.

Following Budapest’s decision to withdraw from the bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams said changes would be made to the candidature procedure.

Budapest’s withdrawal leaves only Paris and Los Angeles in the running to host the 2024 Games and the Hungarian city is the third to pull out of the process after Hamburg in 2015 and Rome in September 2016.

The decision came after more than 260,000 people had signed a petition against the Budapest Olympic bid and were seeking a referendum on the matter.

In a statement, Adams said: “It is disappointing that this decision had to be taken – the candidature committee had presented an excellent project, which has built on the reforms contained in Olympic Agenda 2020. It also demonstrated that smaller cities and smaller countries can stage the Olympic Games in a feasible and sustainable way.

“For all these reasons, the IOC can appreciate the success of Olympic Agenda 2020 as far as the organisation of sustainable Olympic Games that fit into the long-term development plan of a city, region and country is concerned. This success is further demonstrated by the statements of Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris, that, without the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, there would not have been any candidates.”

Adams added: “With regard to the candidature procedure as such, the political situation in our fragile world requires us to make adjustments in this respect as the current procedure produces too many losers – as the IOC president already said in December 2016.

“These adjustments will be discussed with all the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement. In the meantime, the candidature procedure for the Olympic Games 2024 will continue with the two excellent candidatures of Los Angeles and Paris.”

In September in Lima, Peru, the IOC will elect the winner when it votes between Paris and LA.

Budapest is to withdraw its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, leaving Paris and Los Angeles as the two remaining candidate cities.

Following a meeting between Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos and the Hungarian Olympic committee, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs confirmed to Reuters that the city would drop its bid. A formal vote will now be held by the Budapest City Assembly.

The decision comes after 260,000 people had signed a petition against the Olympic bid and were seeking a referendum on the matter. Andras Fekete-Gyor, chairman of Momentum Movement, told the BBC: “Over a quarter of a million signatures have come together so this money is spent on modern hospitals and well-equipped schools instead of on the Olympics.”

A government statement published on national news agency MTI said: “For Budapest and Hungary the Olympics is a national issue. In recent months, the earlier unity has broken down and the issue of the Olympics has turned from a national issue into a party issue. Opposition parties are responsible for this, those who backtracked on their earlier decision [to back the bid].”

Budapest are the third candidate city to withdraw from the 2024 process after Hamburg in 2015 and Rome in September 2016.

In September in Lima, Peru, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will elect the winner when it votes between Paris and Los Angeles.
 

The City of Paris, the Paris Academy and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), have launched a new initiative to promote sport and the purpose of Olympism to up to 275,000 Parisian students.

Ten measures were unveiled to encourage the practice of sport, a powerful legacy for younger generations that is fully in line with the bid’s vision for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Speaking from Francois Villon School in central Paris, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: “This initiative is a further demonstration of the importance we place on the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We want the Games to benefit Parisians and the entire French population, leaving a strong legacy for young people and future generations to have positive Olympic values embedded into their daily lives. I welcome the action of the Ministry of Education, which is committed to joining the City of Paris and the sporting world in this ambition.”

The 10 measures that will be implemented from 2017 onwards by the City of Paris, the Paris Academy and the CNOSF are as follows:

• 1. To share and develop resources for the promotion of the values ​​of Olympism and the development of sporting practice among the school community and young people in Paris.
• 2. To expand access to schools and educational courses for young athletes, with flexible schedules that allow them to reconcile their studies and their training.
• 3. To develop meetings between Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the school and university community. This includes a focus on women's sport and access to less commonly practised sports.
• 4. To strengthen partnerships between municipal and school sports facilities, encouraging and facilitating the use of school sports facilities outside school hours.
• 5. To introduce the history and values ​​of Olympism through the programme “On your marks, get set, Paris! Living the history and values ​​of Olympism”. Developed by the League of Education, with support from the CNOSF, the Ministry of Education and the French Paralympic Committee, it will be broadcast to 15,000 pupils, 614 Parisian fifth grade classes and 150 middle schools in the capital.
• 6. To support all initiatives promoted by the educational community on the organisation of sports events, in particular the initiatives in favour of para-sport, adapted sport, shared sport and women's sport.
• 7. To develop a programme of extra-curricular, out-of-school activities for students dedicated to the discovery of Olympic sports and the promotion of Olympic values.
• 8. To promote initiatives in schools that can be used in the context of school sports competitions.
• 9. To place sport at the heart of the Paris Participatory Budget, a city initiative that allows Parisians to propose investment projects for their communities, so that children and teenagers can vote to choose the projects that best meet their expectations.
• 10. Include sport in international school exchanges by developing interactions and correspondence between Parisian pupils and students from cities that have already hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tony Estanguet, co-chair of Paris 2024, said: “This great initiative by the City of Paris, Paris Academy and the CNOSF will increase the opportunities for young Parisians to get involved in sport. It is also a great pathway for our Generation 2024 athletes to achieve their goals.

“These measures are a further example of the strong unity that exists between the bid, the city, our NOC and our partners, and our common purpose to deliver a Games that not only benefits the local population but leaves a significant and lasting legacy on future generations.”

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games may be seven years away, but candidate city Los Angeles has already started to recruit volunteers to boost its bid.

Competing against Paris and Budapest when the 2024 decision is announced at the 130th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Lima on September 13, the LA 2024 committee has urged ‘Angelenos’ to sign up for its recently-launched volunteer service programme.

Bid chairman Casey Wasserman said: “The LA 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games will be a celebration of all Angelenos and the diverse communities of Southern California. Eighteen million talented, creative and caring Angelenos are our greatest asset for hosting the Games.

“If Los Angeles is elected host city, tens of thousands of Angelenos would volunteer to support the events and welcome the world to our city. But we're not waiting until 2024. LA 2024 wants to use the power of the Games to galvanise volunteerism today, making LA an even better place to live for all Angelenos, well before the Games.”

The programme will spotlight opportunities in 2017 for residents to make a difference in their communities through volunteer work and community service, providing tangible benefits to the region during the bid phase.

Participants will then engage with the programme online via desktop and mobile as part of LA 2024’s commitment to communicate with young people on their platforms and on their terms. In recognition for their service, participants will receive priority consideration for volunteer opportunities during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, should LA be elected host city by the IOC.

This process will ensure that visitors in 2024 would find a dedicated and experienced team of volunteers with detailed knowledge of the LA 2024 Games Plans.

Janet Evans, LA 2024 vice chair and director of athlete relations, said: “Thank you to the hundreds of Angelenos who have already signed up to join LA 2024 as we give back to our communities and make a difference in our communities today. We hope many more join us in this effort.

“Shows of support like these bring to life what polls tell us - that an overwhelming 88% of Angelenos want to bring the Games back to LA in 2024. The Olympic enthusiasm that LA 2024 will harness to give back to our communities today is the same enthusiasm that athletes, fans and members of the Olympic Family can expect when they are warmly welcomed here in 2024.”

Host City 2016 takes place in Glasgow on 21 and 22 November and it’s not too late for you to join the most important gathering of cities and sports, business and cultural events.

Just when you thought the line up couldn’t get any better, new VIPs continue to come on board, including:

• Adam Pengilly, IOC Member and VP of International Affairs, International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
• Angela Ruggiero, USA IOC member and Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission
• Jean-Francois Martins, Deputy Mayor of Paris
• Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, Chairman, Budapest Olympics Foundation
• Mike Lee OBE, Chairman of VERO

At Host City 2016 Cities, Event Owners and Suppliers will exhibit alongside a truly outstanding conference programme that includes top-level speakers from some of the most influential organisations worldwide, alongside representatives from businesses with experience of all aspects of event hosting. 

These new speakers join a star-studded cast that includes city leaders from New Zealand, Odense, Rotterdam, Paris, as well as: Sir Craig Reedie CBE, President, World Anti-Doping Agency; Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, Visit Scotland; Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the Association of Summer Olympic Sports Federations (ASOIF); Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS); Ugur Erdener, Vice President, IOC; David Grevemberg CBE, CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation; Bridget McConnell, CEO, Glasgow Life; Dimitri Kerkentzes, deputy Secretary General, BIE (World Expos); Simon Clegg CBE, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020;  Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO, Messe Munich; and many more.

View the full speaker line-up on the Host City website.

Don't miss this opportunity to attend Host City 2016! Get your pass today to attend the leading meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events in Glasgow on 21-22 November. Register online

For further information please contact Ben Avison on +44 (0) 7876 682072 or ben.avison@hostcity.com

HOST CITY: The IOC must be very pleased with the pool of cities bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games?

Sir Craig Reedie: Yes I think we are. It’s quite interesting that the change in the candidature rules, which came out of the whole reform process called Agenda 2020, seems to have attracted a very considerable field of really good cities. 

We are now waiting for further information from Paris, from Hamburg, from Rome, from Budapest and from a North American city – eventually, Los Angeles.

HOST CITY: It must have been a relief when Los Angeles stepped forward – was that anticipated?

Sir Craig Reedie: Yes, I think the USOC have all but admitted that their process might not have worked in the selection of Boston. But, with Boston’s withdrawal, they were fortunate in many ways that the Los Angeles people were so able to come to the party very quickly and in a relatively tight timeframe, because they had a number of things to agree with Los Angeles city before the necessity of putting in a formal bid on the 15th of September. 

Los Angeles has an Olympic record – if they win they will be like London, hosting the third time. The city has changed dramatically over the last few years and I am sure they will come forward with a very good bid. 

HOST CITY: And the other cities represent a different spread to what we’ve seen in recent bidding procedures. 

Sir Craig Reedie: Yes, it’s an interesting mix. Paris is looking to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Games in Paris and has clear bidding experience. 

Rome hosted outstanding Games in 1960 and there seems to be considerable enthusiasm in Italy and in Rome behind the Rome bid, so they are impressive.

Budapest has come quite late to the party but again a splendid city and Hungary has a terrific Olympic record. 

It’s interesting that when the German Olympic Committee decided to choose Hamburg as opposed to Berlin, who I suppose before that decision would have been seen to be favourite, immediately there was strong support from Berlin for the Hamburg choice. So again there seems to be a great deal of unity there. 

So it’s a really good field. 

HOST CITY: The Olympic bidding process has changed, hasn’t it – after the new invitation phase, we are now straight into the candidature phase.

Sir Craig Reedie: You have to go back a few years to when the system changed from one bidding system into a two phase system – applicant and then candidate. That has now been refined and the big addition has been the invitation phase before a National Olympic Committee decides finally to put a city into the candidature role. 

The closing date was 15 September. So for several months before that, cities that were thinking of bidding for the Games, and the National Olympic Committees, came to meet the relevant people in the Olympic Games department and the candidate cities department of the IOC to sit down and work out exactly how the Games would fit into their city; how it would provide legacy; how it would be sustainable; how it would fit into city plans. And the cities were given a great deal of information from the IOC, as it does have a great deal of information from previous bidding processes. 

That’s a complete change from the previous process, where the IOC had a very detailed list of requirements and cities bid against that list. 

So there is a major change there and I understand that it has been welcomed by the cities, all of whom have been to see the IOC in the invitation phase, and by other cities who went and subsequently decided not to bid but learned a great deal from the exercise and may do so in the future. 

And then we come to the candidature phase, which is divided into three parts.

The first part, which runs until June 2016, is the Vision, Games Concept and Strategy and the candidate city’s “bid book” will be submitted electronically. There will be consultation with the IOC throughout and at the end of that first phase the Executive Board will decide whether the cities will move to the second phase, which runs from June to December 2016 and deals with governments, legal matters and venue funding. 

Again, the presentations will be made through the IOC with a great deal of assistance and the Executive Board will again make a decision on moving people forward to the third phase, which is Games Delivery, Experience and Venue Legacy and runs from December 2016 through to the selection in September 2017. 

So rather than one huge bid book being required at a set date, it’s divided into three sections. There are workshops planned; there are assistances planned to the cities throughout. 

HOST CITY: is there any possibility that any of the cities might not proceed beyond each of these particular stages?

Sir Craig Reedie: The whole point of the exercise with the IOC is to help them to get presentations and plans submitted that actually fit not only what the IOC wants for good Games but also what the cities want themselves. There’s an element of skill and discretion needed in doing that; the IOC have to deal with information from one city on a confidential basis and they have to be fair with all five cities. And if they do that, the system will work. 

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that a city could come back and say we’re not taking it any further – I think that’s unlikely in the sense that a lot of work will have gone into this, a lot of discussions have gone on through the invitation phase. And since it’s going on through a stage by stage basis I think it’s highly unlikely that people will withdraw. 

The end result of that is that we will have five cities presenting to the Session on the ultimate decision to be taken in Lima in Peru in 2017. 

HOST CITY: Five is a very good number of cities. 

Sir Craig Reedie: It’s a very good number. I have very warm memories of five cities presenting in 2005 in Singapore. 

HOST CITY: And this is all the result of a process of change initiated by IOC President Thomas Bach, which is reflected by the broad theme of the HOST CITY 2015 conference, “Creative Innovation”. Why the need for change in the IOC?

Sir Craig Reedie: I think the principle that Thomas Bach enunciated, to change or change will be forced upon you, is a good one. 

People forget that the previous bidding process was certainly the gold standard in sport the world over. If you find that there is a reluctance to bid – and clearly there was an element of that in the 2022 Winter Games situation – then perhaps you should be prepared to do a little bit of out of the box thinking. 

And the whole Agenda 2020 process started with two long four or five day meetings of the Executive Board which were effectively a think tank. We ranged all over the place and at the end of the day came up with a coordinated and sensible view of how we wanted to run the Games but also to promote the Olympic movement for the future. 

There were some fairly dramatic discussions on the bidding process of the Games. We wanted to make it more inclusive, we wanted to make it more cooperative, we wanted to make it cheaper, we wanted to make it encouraging to more cities to become involved. 

In the process of bidding for sporting events, it’s a competitive field. The Olympic Games are the greatest show on earth; it’s important that they maintain this status. It’s important that the athletes regard them as the greatest show on earth and something they really want to take part in. 

So therefore a process of change is a perfectly reasonable thing to undertake.

HOST CITY: What are your expectations of HOST CITY 2015 in Glasgow?

Sir Craig Reedie: From my point of view of being involved in HOST CITY 2015, I am delighted that the event is coming to Glasgow, because Glasgow has shown that it is a sporting city with the way it has developed its facilities, the way it ran a major multi-sport event, the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and what it’s been doing since then – not least a couple of hugely successful Davis Cup tennis ties. 

So if you look at the excitement that generates locally, and the promotion that it gives the city on a worldwide basis, then I think this indicates that the market out there is a buoyant one.

Cities should be very well prepared to become involved and therefore they should be thinking ahead; they should be innovative – and with a bit of luck they will reap the benefits that Glasgow has.