The International Olympic Committee has launched a Web site for their 112 th session in Moscow, running from July 12 to 20, 2001. The meeting is important to Canada and B.C. for two reasons:
Firstly, on July 13, the IOC members will vote on which bid cities will host the 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijing, Paris and Toronto are the favourites according to the IOC’s technical report, although Osaka and Istanbul are still in the running.
If the Toronto bid is successful, it will at least complicate, if not completely derail, the Vancouver-Whistler bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics. While there are cases of countries winning back-to-back bids, it is uncertain whether the Canadian Olympic Association and federal government can back two consecutive bids, or whether IOC members will vote for the same country twice.
Secondly, on July 16 the IOC will elect a new president to replace Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain. Samaranch has been president since 1980, and is largely credited with bringing the 1992 Olympics to Barcelona.
One of the five candidates for the presidency is Vancouver’s Dick Pound, an Olympic swimmer and member of the IOC since 1978. If elected, he could be influential in bringing the 2010 Winter Games to Vancouver and bringing more athletes and sports federations into the IOC.
To follow the events leading up to these historic decisions, visit www.moscow2001.olympic.org.
