The race for the 2022 Winter Olympics "may not be as one-sided as many had thought," according to Stephen Wilson of the AP. With Beijing long viewed as the favorite in the two-city contest, the Kazakh bid from Almaty "made a strong showing" with IOC members Tuesday, presenting itself as the candidate that offers a "real" winter setting with plenty of natural snow. U.S. Olympic Committee Chair and IOC member Larry Probst said, "I think the Almaty presentation scored some points. They drove home the message 'keeping it real.' That was all about snow versus making snow. I think that resonates." With the IOC vote less than two months away, leaders of the Almaty and Beijing bids made presentations at a "technical briefing" at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Swiss IOC member and Int'l Ski Federation (FIS) President Gian Franco Kasper said, "It's too early to say but it's going to be close." Each city "was given 45 minutes to explain their bid plans." Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said, "I was very, very agreeably surprised. ... It looks to me like they figured out all of the weaknesses of the competitors and they just nailed the differences -- snow, water, air, experience." The Almaty bidders said that they have 70% of the facilities in place, "with all venues within a 30-kilometer (18-mile) radius." Bid Vice Chair Andrey Kryukov said, "Don't forget, Almaty is a winter sports city. We're created for winter sports." The Kazakh bid team "also showed photo after photo of mountains and slopes covered in deep snow -- as much a dig at Beijing as a promotion for Almaty." IOC VP Craig Reedie said, "They certainly nailed the bit about snow" (AP, 6/9). XINHUA reported Chinese Olympic Committee President Liu Peng said that Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games "will inspire the enthusiasm of engaging in winter sports across China, and even all over Asia." Liu: "Winter sports have had a long history, great popularity and bright future in China. The National Winter Games are held in China every four years, and the 13th Winter Games will be staged next year" (XINHUA, 6/9).
