|
 The U.S. has not hosted the Summer Olympics since 1996, partly
because of a long-running feud over television rights and
sponsorship, but the president of the Association of National
Olympic Committees (ANOC), believes the U.S. now has a great chance.
"I think this is the right time to come forward for 2024,” Sheikh
Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said on Saturday.
“I don’t know what city, I don’t know the other competitor, I’m not
saying anything because I don’t know who’s showing interest.
“But I think this is the best time for the States to come back with
a nice bid because 2024, maybe they will have a good chance.”
Sheikh Ahmad, a former Kuwaiti oil minister who is also president of
the Olympic Council of Asia, is one of the most influential members
of the IOC.
Earlier this week, he was re-elected unopposed to serve four more
years as president of ANOC, which represents more than 200 National
Olympic Committees (NOCs).
 During the ANOC general assembly in Bangkok, he also succeeded in
getting approval to start the World Beach Games -- a multi-sports
event he pioneered in Asia for countries that can’t afford to host
the Olympics -- as well as a resolution supporting IOC president
Thomas Bach’s 40-point plan to modernize the Olympics.
The 2018, 2020 and 2022 Olympics (summer and winter) will all be
held in Asia but the U.S. is planning to bid for 2024.
ANOC has provided the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) with a golden
opportunity to press its claims by awarding the 2015 general
assembly to Washington D.C.
"It will be very nice to be back in the United States because we
have not been back there for a long time," Sheikh Ahmad told a news
conference at the end of this year’s general assembly on Saturday.
"I hope this will be the return of the United States in the sport
movement -- they are in the sports movement of course, but you
understand what I mean.
"(Their) return back after the problems of Salt Lake City and all
the cities that didn’t have the chance to host the Games."
[to top of second column] |
The U.S. has not hosted the general assembly since 1994, two years
before it last staged the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
The last time the U.S. hosted the Winter Olympics was in 2002 at
Salt Lake City, which became the center of a scandal in vote buying.
Subsequent U.S. bids for the Summer Games have all been rejected but
the mood has softened since the USOC and the IOC reached an
agreement two years ago on revenue sharing.
Washington D.C, along with Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco, is
one of four cities shortlisted to be the U.S. candidate for 2024,
adding possibly even more importance to next year’s ANOC meeting.
"I hope this will be the return because you see today at our general
assembly, there were 40 IOC members, the (IOC) President was there,
204 NOC's, 14 IFs (international federations) from the sport
program, SportsAccord, a lot of Olympic sport IF presidents, WADA
(World Anti-Doping Agency), CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport),
athletes, media... it's almost a full house,” he said.
“Those will also be in Washington and I think it's a very good
opportunity for the United States Olympic Committee, with their
co-ordination commission, to build that trust again.”
(Editing by Toby Davis)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
