The execs in charge of bringing the 2022 Winter Olympics to Almaty, Kazakhstan "are far more serious" than the last time a former Soviet republic from Central Asia bid to host an Olympics in '92, when "the entire thing was considered a joke," according to Sam Borden of the N.Y. TIMES. They do not care that many fans (and perhaps even some IOC members) "may struggle to find their country -- the ninth largest in the world -- on a map." They do not care that many experts believe the oft-cited notion of using an Olympics as a means of transforming a country with any number of problems -- including a troubling human rights record -- "is pure myth." And they certainly do not care that "some observers have labeled this the worst bidding race in Olympic history after a slew of cities pulled out, leaving behind a particularly bizarre pair." The candidates are Almaty, a city you may or may not have heard of, and Beijing, "a city you surely have heard of but perhaps not for its winter sports history." Almaty Mayor Akhmetzhan Yessimov said, "None of this concerns us." Almaty "has put together a bid that is comprehensive and original, and it has become a legitimate contender as one bidder after another has dropped out citing either costs or a lack of public support." But winning July’s IOC vote, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, "is another matter." And there "is no question that Almaty is the underdog." Much of that "has to do with its competition." Beijing, despite political and environmental concerns, "put on a remarkable Olympics in 2008." In Almaty, every venue "is within a radius of about 18 miles." One hockey arena has been built and another "will be completed -- with or without the Olympics -- for the University Games, which are set for 2017." The speedskating events "would be held at Medeu, an outdoor oval perched on the shelf of a mountain more than a mile above sea level, and the ski jump venue will be visible from office windows in the city’s metropolitan center." Much of the optimism from Almaty’s organizers "stems from the positive response to how it has hewed to the ideals" laid out by IOC President Thomas Bach, whose Olympic Agenda 2020 initiative seeks to reform a bidding process that had become "particularly onerous and unappealing to potential Olympic hosts." High costs and waning public support "were a significant part of the reason other potential bidders for the 2022 Games -- including Munich, Stockholm, a combined bid from the Tyrol region in Austria and Italy, and, very late in the process, Oslo -- fell over one another while backing out." Concerns about useless infrastructure, overcrowded streets and white-elephant venues "have made Winter Olympics bidding a hard sell to voters" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/22).
