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 IOC head Bach said that Norway's decision to pull out was mainly
"a political one" given the country's current minority coalition
government.
Norway's government withdrew Oslo's bid for the Winter Olympics on
Wednesday, leaving Kazakhstan's Almaty and Beijing as the only two
candidates, with the International Olympic Committee set to vote on
the winning bid in July, 2015.
Oslo also became the fourth city after Stockholm, Krakow in Poland
and Ukraine's Lviv to pull out of the 2022 Games bidding process.
"We are really feeling sorry for the Norwegian athletes and sports
movement who were very engaged in this bid, because they realized
what a push it would have given for sport and healthy lifestyle in
Norway," Bach told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"On the other hand it is clear that we have some issues with the
Olympic Winter Games, for geographical reasons and some other
reasons. This is what we are addressing with the Olympic Agenda
2020."
Bach shrugged off suggestions the IOC had been bruised by the
repeated snubs, but accepted Games costs had been a factor.
"We haven't even got a black eye. We should not forget we have two
candidates (Beijing and Almaty) who are offering two very
interesting approaches," said the German, a former Olympic fencing
champion who took over as president last year with the 2022 bidding
process already under way.
CHEAPER OLYMPICS
Neither of the two, however, possess the sparkling winter sports
pedigree of Norway whose athletes have won more Winter Games medals
than any other nation.
Nor do they have a large local winter sports fan base, crucial for
the success of the Winter Olympics.
The IOC will seek to approve changes for reducing the cost of the
Games and the bidding process, which alone can reach $100 million,
at its session in Monaco in December when it puts 'Agenda 2020' to
the vote.
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The price tag of the Games has been the biggest concern, with this
year's Sochi Olympics costing a record $51 billion.
While Norway promised an event that would cost a tenth of the Sochi
figure, campaigners still could not rally sufficient support.
Even the IOC's own $880 million contribution to the 2022 Olympics
could not entice the Scandinavians.
"We see with the 2022 bids that we are living in a time of world
crisis, financial crisis and that there are of course -- and that is
legitimate -- more questions being asked by the people about the
financing of the Games," said Bach.
"This is why on the agenda (in Monaco) we want to address the issue
of reducing the cost of the Games, of reducing the cost of bidding.
"Legacy and sustainability issues must be in focus from the very
beginning."
Bach said that instead of cities having to fit IOC criteria, the
focus should switch to the Games being part of a city's growth plan.
"The proposal is to change the philosophy of bidding," he said.
"In the past we have asked the cities in which way they would
fulfill the conditions set," said Bach. "So in the future we would
prefer to ask the cities how they see an Olympic Games best fitting
into their long term social, sports, ecological and economic
development."
(Editing by Ossian Shine)
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