Olympic Hurdles: Torino Racing To Prepare For ’06 Games

Olympics Generating Little Media Attention In Italy

With the ’06 Torino Games less than two months away, “not many people — inside or outside of Italy — seem aware of it,” according to NEWSWEEK’s Mark Starr. Budget cuts have “gutted [Torino’s] marketing campaign, eliminating most advertising both at home and abroad,” and “almost half the tickets remain unsold, with Italians a virtual no-show.” But former Italian Olympic skier Alberto Tomba said, “It’s typical of Italian culture that we only start to feel emotional about something when we have the possibility to see it in front of us. By February, Italy will have Olympic fever.” Starr writes the threat of terrorism is “hardly the only problem — and not even the most likely one — confronting security forces.” The Italian government “expects anarchists and anti-globalization protesters” to be present during the Games (NEWSWEEK, 12/19 issue).

Completion Of Oval Lingotto Leaves Only Athletes’ Village Unfinished

VENUES: In L.A., Alan Abrahamson noted most of the Olympic venues are built, except for the athletes’ village. TOROC Head of Media Relations Giuseppe Gattino projected a “shortfall of $46[M] on an operating budget of $1.58[B].” Abrahamson wrote organizers are “keen to save money,” and as an example, the temporary stands inside a hockey arena are “the same stands used at the beach volleyball venue in Athens” (L.A. TIMES, 12/11). Torino last week “celebrated the completion of the last venue,” the Oval Lingotto speedskating arena, and Torino Mayor Sergio Chiamparino said, “Even if, as happens with most of the greatest events, everything will be a mess until just one week before the Olympics, Torino is ready.” USA TODAY’s Tom Weir writes that in order to “cope with the distraction of those ongoing projects that aren’t finished in time for opening ceremonies, Torino simply will resort to the Italian gift for facade and drape them in its trademark color — Torino red” (USA TODAY, 12/13).

OTHER ISSUES: The L.A. TIMES’ Abrahamson reported about 9,000 of the 33,000 tickets to the opening ceremony, “traditionally a big draw,” remain unsold. Those tickets sell for as much as US$1,005, and about 75% of those sold have gone to non-Italians. While TOROC is “aiming to sell 82% of available tickets, to hit a revenue target of about” $89.8M, Gattino said that it has sold 560,000 of the roughly 1 million tickets available. TOROC COO Luciano Barra said, “Italians are not people who buy tickets three, four months before.” Meanwhile, Italian officials confirmed that a “major dispute over the nation’s anti-doping laws had apparently been resolved.” Abrahamson noted Italian law provides for the “possibility of jail and criminal sanctions” for doping violations. Italian Deputy Sports Minister and IOC member Mario Pescante would not disclose details of the resolution, but did say “there is total respect for Italian law” (L.A. TIMES, 12/11).