Kraków has submitted their Applicant File for its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its headquarters in Lausanne.
Following the list of contenders being announced last November, the cities attended an IOC Orientation Seminar the following month before visiting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi as Official Observers in order to gain experience needed to complete a bid questionnaire and their Applicant Files by the deadline of tomorrow.
Although the race was originally a six horse one between Almaty, Beijing, Kraków, Lviv, Oslo and Stockholm, the Swedish capital withdrew in January due to a lack of Government support.
Of the five remaining contenders, Kraków were the only one to not hold a press event during Sochi 2014.
Their all-female delegation consisted of bid leader, and former Olympic snowboarder, Jagna Marczułajtis-Walczak, as well as Kraków Deputy Mayor Magdalena Sroka and Polish Olympic Committee representative Iwona Łotysz.
As part of their plan, Alpine skiing events would be held over the border in Slovakia in what, if successful, would mark the first dual hosting of a Games, although it is claimed this is purely logistical and the bid is being strongly billed as a Kraków city one.
“We are thrilled to submit our initial plans for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Kraków to the IOC today,” said Marczułajtis-Walczak, a Pmember of the Polish Parliament.
“Kraków 2022 presents an authentic winter sports experience in ideal conditions.
“History, culture, youthful energy and our beautiful natural environment all meet to provide an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games setting that will delight all Games participants and will thrill the world with outstanding broadcast images.
“It is a plan which benefits from the beauty of Kraków and the Tatra region – we’re also very excited that we are submitting the file along with all required guarantees for Applicant Phase.”
The support from all levels of Kraków and Polish authorities, as well, it is claimed, from 87 per cent of the Polish people, was also highlighted before Marczuajtis-Walczak concluded by insisting the bid is an “appropriate Games that meets all IOC requirements” as well as “a Games where dreams come true”.
In terms of the other cities, Almaty were the first to present their Applicant Files to the IOC when they did so on Tuesday (March 11)
This follows the city also being the first to declare their intention to bid last year and – with an application focusing on already completed facilities, strong popular support and the flourishing nature of Kazakhstan’s economy – they are perhaps emerging as the early frontrunner.
It has also been confirmed to insidethegames this afternoon that a Lviv delegation has presented their application to the IOC today although, with the ongoing political situation in Ukraine having led to bid leader Oleksandr Vilkul losing his position as Vice Prime Minister last month, their bid remains on the back-burner until the political situation is resolved.
Oslo 2022 are submitting their bid by courier, insidethegames understands, while Beijing are also expected to be meeting tomorrow’s deadline.
Following all the applications being recieved, the IOC will then shortlist an unspecified number of candidate cities at an Executive Board Meeting in July.
In the second phase, candidature files from the successful cities will be due in January 2015, after which an IOC Evaluation Commission will visit each city to prepare a technical report to assist IOC members in making their decision.
There will then be a two-day briefing where Members can see the Evaluation Commission Reports and question each candidate city, before a final decision is due to be made at the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31, 2015.
This article first appeared in www.insidethegames.biz and is reproduced with permission.
