IOC President Bach To Urge Australian Prime Minister Abbott To Support Olympic Bid

IOC President Thomas Bach will meet with Australian PM Tony Abbott in April to "press the federal government to support a future Australian Olympic bid," according to Wayne Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN. Australian Olympic Committee President and IOC VP John Coates said Wednesday that there was "never any hidden agenda" behind the meeting on April 29. When asked if Bach would take the opportunity to lobby Abbott to support an Olympic bid, Coates replied, “Inevitably.” For any bid to "get off the ground, it would need to be underwritten by the federal government and relevant state government." Bach has encouraged the AOC to bid for the 2024 Olympic Games but the competition for them is "already ferocious," with Boston, Rome, a German entry -- either Hamburg or Berlin -- and possibly perennial contenders Paris and Istanbul "all lining up" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/5).