The International Olympic Committee (IOC) began its evaluation of Madrid’s 2016 bid on Tuesday, while Spanish organizers said claims it spied on a rival candidate stemmed from a “misunderstanding.”
Last Friday, Rio de Janeiro’s bid organizers stripped a British freelance journalist involved with Madrid’s Olympic campaign of his credentials during the tour of the Brazilian city after they learned he had been accredited through Spanish news agency Efe.
Rio’s bid committee said officials discovered Simon Walsh was falsely credentialed for Efe just moments before he was to be included in a small group of foreign journalists who met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“It was a misunderstanding between our communications department and Efe and the journalist who went,” Madrid bid leader Mercedes Coghen said on Tuesday. “If we have to excuse ourselves in front of Rio and in front of [bid leader Carlos] Guzman, we will.”
The IOC evaluation commission visited Rio last week after touring Chicago and Tokyo.
The Madrid presentation began with young field hockey player Monica Figar Coghen — Mercedes Coghen’s 12-year-old daughter — reading a statement in English to the 13 members of the IOC panel regarding her hopes of Madrid securing the games.
Coghen saw no problem in allowing her daughter to be part of the presentation, saying it demonstrated the family spirit of the Games.
“Certainly Monica transmitted the most emotion to the committee this morning,” said Coghen, who won gold in field hockey at the 1992 Barcelona Games. “I’m happy that what I felt she was able to easily translate to them.”
Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he believed Madrid had “reasonable hope” of landing the games.
Organizers said the IOC panel was particularly interested in the Olympic Village site and other venues.
The IOC and Madrid organizers also went through other major aspects of the Games, including transport, accommodation and the legacy that will be left behind.
Zapatero said Madrid’s bid was strong due to unity at all governmental levels, noting that 77 percent of the infrastructure was ready to use. He also cited the success of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
“We are supported by the success of the 1992 Barcelona Games, which showed the world that Spain knows how to do these things,” said Zapatero, who is expected to be in Copenhagen on Oct. 2 when the IOC selects the host city. “We have great capacity to show this to the world.”
Spain is a leading tennis and cycling nation and an early favorite for soccer’s 2010 World Cup after its European Championship triumph last summer broke a 44-year title drought and put it top of FIFA’s world rankings.
“Spain is living a golden age of sport. We are the best in many sports, especially in football,” said Zapatero, who is an avid Barcelona fan. “In many sports our athletes are shining as never before. And across the country there is a movement toward Olympic sports.”
It is the second time Madrid is bidding for the Olympics after losing out to London for the 2012 Games.
“We’re in better shape thanks to the experience of the past four years, no doubt,” deputy mayor Manuel Cobo said.
The IOC commission, chaired by Morocco’s Nawal el Moutawakel, was to tour venues yesterday and today before the visit ends tomorrow.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
RSS