Europe hosting 2012 Olympics may depend on Vancouver
Adrian Warner
The dreams of leading European cities such as Madrid, Moscow, Paris and London to stage the 2012 Summer Olympics have taken a step forward this week with the IOC's publication of its shortlist of candidates for the 2010 Winter Games.
Vancouver and Salzburg have emerged as front-runners in the 2010 race which could have huge implications for the more high-profile campaign for the 2012 event, the venue of which will be decided in 2005.
If Vancouver wins next July's International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote in Prague, it will be much harder for hopeful North American candidates such as New York, San Francisco or Toronto to make an impact in 2012, even if a New York bid would have emotion attached to it after the September 11 attacks.
The Canadian city and Salzburg were both given top marks ahead of Switzerland's Berne and South Korea's Pyeon Chang in Wednesday's final 2010 shortlist of four candidates.
The four will now face visits by IOC experts before a detailed report on their bids is published before the Prague vote of all IOC members.
But, with the next Winter Games due to take place in Europe in the Italian city of Turin in 2006, Salzburg officials admit that Vancouver are the favourites to win.
Many European IOC members could be keen to put their backing behind the Canadian city to kill two birds with one stone for 2005.
Some IOC members do not want to let the Summer Olympics go back to the United States after organisational problems dogged the 1996 Atlanta Games and a major corruption scandal involving Salt Lake City, the venue of this year's Winter Olympics, led to 10 members being forced out of the body.
By voting for Vancouver they will take a step to achieve that and at the same time boost the chances of a European city winning in 2012.
EUROPE'S TURN?
The next Summer Games are in Athens in 2004 but Asia takes its turn in 2008 when Beijing hosts the Games for the first time.
If North America were taken out of the equation after a Vancouver victory, Olympic observers believe a European city would then have an excellent chance in 2012.
The word has clearly got around Europe and major cities are getting ready to launch bids. The bidding process is set to get under way in earnest next year.
Moscow, the 1980 hosts, has already said it plans a bid and Madrid is battling it out with Seville to be the main Spanish candidate.
London, which last hosted the Games in 1948, is due to make a decision by the end of the year.
The success of the recent Commonwealth Games in Manchester has given Britain a major boost but the government has yet to say whether it will back a campaign -- an important factor for British Olympic officials.
Paris, which lost out to Beijing in the 2008 race, are also expected to make a decision about a bid in November. Toronto, also a strong contender in the 2008 race, are not expected to campaign if Vancouver wins.
New York and San Francisco were chosen this week as the final two candidates from the U.S.
American Olympic chiefs will decide which one of the cities will bid at the start of November. It could be a close call.
