Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Olympic Controversies: Tokyo Lacks Public Support; Madrid Spies on Rio

Controversies and drama aren't new to the Olympic movement and two recent stories affirm this:

IOC Leaks Their Public Opinion Poll for Tokyo's 2016 Olympic Bid
We're not sure why Tokyo's poll was the only one that was leaked, but the results are definitely at odds with what the Bid team's poll and the local newspaper, Yomiuri, found:
The 56 percent figure for Tokyo was dramatically at odds with the bid committee's own findings and those of Japan's mass circulation Yomiuri newspaper.
A senior Tokyo official confirmed the IOC figure to Reuters on Saturday, while pointing to results of the bid committee's own survey carried out in January.
Tokyo bid leaders said 70 percent of those interviewed nationwide supported the plan to stage the Games, two percent more than the backing of the city's residents.
A recent Yomiuri poll put support from Tokyoites at 76 percent.
Looks like we will have to wait until September to find out what the IOC's poll for Chicago and the other competitors found.

Madrid 2016 Spies on Rio's 2016 Bid?
According to gamesbid.com, Rio has accusing Madrid of spying on their bid presentations last week. Does this matter? Probably not, but it's funny how dramatic this whole process can be.

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