Rehana Rossouw
CAPE TOWN either has an Olympic bid which benefits the poor, or the=20 Games will not take place in the city in 2004, a coalition of organisations=
has warned. Slamming the initiative as a =D2big business bid=D3, the Coalition for=20 Sustainable Cities (CSC), representing 35 trade union, political,=20 environmental and development organisations, this week said it had no=20 faith in the Olympic Bid Company=D5s ability to deliver Games that will=20 benefit the people of Cape Town and their environment. It claims the company reneged on an agreement to start a process towards=20 drawing up an Olympic Charter, which would define the conditions under=20 which the bid would go ahead. =D2The =D4developmental=D5 nature of the bid=
process must be exposed for the sham it is,=D3 a CSC statement read.=20 =D2The process continues to lack legitimacy. The bid company=D5s response t=
this real concern has been limited to launching a public relations campaign=
=D2Community participation in the process is virtually non-existent. There =
no plan for ensuring the bid benefits the poor. No resources appear to have=
been allocated or channeled for developmental purposes.=D3 CSC spokesman Marlene Laros said: =D2We don=D5t just want a public=20 relations exercise, we want real participation, especially by marginalised=
=D2If this does not happen, then the Olympics is not going to happen in Cap=
Olympic bid spokesman David Butler said they made continuous efforts to=20 involve participation within the bid process and all communities would=20 benefit from the result. A community/public involvement task team was being assembled and a=20 second public workshop on the bid would be held in October.=20 =D2This is a bid for all the people of Cape Town and must represent a joint=
effort between all sectors of the community,=D3 Butler said. =D2The Olympic Games represents a significant developmental opportunity=20 for the city and all its communities. It will also provide a legacy of=20 community used facilities and venues.=D3 Butler said environmental considerations were intrinsic to the bid=D5s plan=
and were set out in the International Olympic Committee=D5s bid manual.