New Zealand in the race for the Games? Sports and society

A former vice-president of the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) recently called for the development of the country’s candidacy to stage the 2034 or 2038 Winter Games. Recalling the aborted project of the 2006 edition, it is clear, in the current situation, that there is no chance of success.

toIn the past three decades, New Zealand has – intermittently – seen the idea of ​​creating a bid to host the Winter Games emerge.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the first project was mentioned, but it did not find the necessary institutional support to implement a project of this magnitude. At the end of this same decade, another proposal was also rejected, the government authorities of the time not wanting to commit to a potentially costly project.

After that, other proposals were made, notably the 2010, 2022 and 2026 games.

For this latest release, Bruce McGechan, consultant at marketingAnd Encouraged in the fall of 2014 to carry out a feasibility studyby presenting a project that is likely to generate up to NZ$5.6 billion in economic benefits between 2026 and 2031, or €3.15 billion.

The project was based at that time on an expected investment of 862.5 million dollars (485.69 million euros) to develop the sports infrastructure, of which 565 million was at the expense of the state alone (318.16 million euros). Then five arenas needed to hold ice events were planned, at an estimated cost of $500 million (281.56 million euros), and two sports villages were mentioned for $248 million (139, 65 million euros), one in Queenstown. snow events, and the other is located in the capital, Auckland, for snow events.

During 2015, Neither the public authorities nor the NZOC, however, had been willing to support the Chancellor’s ambition before marketing.

In the middle of the various paths mentioned, dating back to 1998 with the aim of staging the 2006 Olympics, today form the cornerstone of a speech recently delivered by Bruce Ulrich.

Vice-Chairman of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee in 1974, then Chef de Mission for the Commonwealth Games in 1982 and 1986, as well as for the New Zealand Olympic team that competed in the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, Bruce Ulrich was also Vice-Chairman of the NZOC.

In 1998, he was at the helm of a working group that reflected the development of the candidacy for the Winter Games. At that time, a concept based on the South Island was being developed, with Christchurch as the base for the planetary event.

Today, Bruce Ulrich We think the time has come Thinking again about the possibility of the country of 5 million people bidding to host the Winter Olympics and Paralympics for the first time in history in the southern hemisphere, which would involve a major adjustment of the calendar, where winter is effectively reversed compared to the northern hemisphere.

Two deadlines have been mentioned by the former sports leader betting on Olympic reforms, namely 2034 or 2038, and two major cities have also been proposed, in this case Christchurch and Queenstown, which, together with other sites in the country, will be invited to support the hosting of snow and ice events.

In light of Bruce Ulrich’s proposal, the country’s second city, Christchurch and the Canterbury region, would be the heart of the Games, while Queenstown and Wanaka would likely host some of the athletes in secondary villages. Mount Hutt, located about 80 kilometers from Christchurch, will be mobilized to host alpine skiing competitions.

Despite the scheme being formulated in this way, NZOC does not appear to be more receptive than previous formulations.

As a spokesperson for the New Zealand Olympic Authority, which has even more ambitions to host the Commonwealth Games in 2034, he said:

[L’organisation des Jeux est] A complex and demanding task that requires careful consideration.

Unfortunately, we know that it is not currently possible to stage the Winter Olympics in New Zealand, as we lack the necessary resources, facilities and infrastructure..

In the same tone, the managing director of Snow Sports NZ He also expressed doubts about the feasibility of such a project.

As Nick Kavanagh told the site “Things” :

Currently, it is not possible to stage an Olympic or Paralympic downhill race [en Nouvelle-Zélande] Due to the fact that we do not have an approved ramp that complies with applicable international regulations.

While it would be great for Kiwi athletes to have the opportunity to compete on the snow on home soil, it must also be decided whether it is environmentally and financially feasible to host the Winter Games in New Zealand..

A way – no doubt – to close the debate. At least until the next proposal.