Zurich officials pulled the plug on a joint Swiss bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics on Tuesday because the city will be unable to afford its portion.
The bid was to be shared with the cantons of Graubuenden and Schwyz in eastern and central Switzerland, but Zurich’s withdrawal ended any possibility of making a submission, as the banking capital was supposed to shoulder the lion’s share of the financing.
”The current financial situation of the public treasury doesn’t permit the appropriate investment in infrastructure, security, general organisation and deficit guarantees,” said a statement by the city of Zurich.
”Winter Games cost a lot of money, and we cannot spend money that we don’t have,” said Hans-Peter Burkhard, chief of the Zurich cantonal (state) office of economy and work.
He said Zurich was particularly concerned about the cost of security and construction projects.
The city, which was expected to submit the Swiss bid in November, said a Zurich referendum would have to show overwhelming support by vote time in 2007 if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to consider awarding the Games to Switzerland.
”The risk of a rejection is seen as high at this time,” the city said. ”We therefore should give up a Swiss-Zurich bid for 2014.”
The decision to drop the bid was made after consultations with the other cantons and with the federal government, said Ernst Haenni, chief of the sport office of the city of Zurich.
Schwyz and Graubuenden officials said they regret that the bid is being dropped, but they understand the decision.
Marco Blatter, director of the Swiss Olympic Association, said he is optimistic that a successful Swiss bid can be put together for 2018.
Other cities that have declared an interest in bidding for the 2014 Games include Tromsoe, Norway; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Muju and Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Switzerland last hosted the Winter Olympics in St Moritz in 1948 and has bid unsuccessfully three times since 1969.
Five years ago, the IOC selected Turin, Italy, for the 2006 Winter Games over the Swiss town of Sion, which was considered to be technically superior and to have more popular support.
The furious Swiss suspected that IOC members were taking their revenge on Swiss IOC official Marc Hodler, who blew the whistle on Olympic corruption.
A new Swiss bid was put together around Bern for the 2010 Winter Games, but it was withdrawn in the early stages after it lost a referendum to provide funding. — Sapa-AP