Luca Pancalli, VP of Rome 2024, says the city has a "unique cultural history" that will present athletes with a chance "to live the Olympic spirit." The Italian capital last hosted the Olympics in '60. Pancalli, who is also the president of Italian Paralympic Committee, answered a series of questions about the city's qualifications and chances of winning its bid to host the 2024 Games in the final part of SBD Global's five-part series with bid city representatives. Budapest, Hamburg, Los Angeles and Paris already made their pitches over the course of the week.
Q: What do you think makes your city the best choice for the IOC?
Luca Pancalli: We believe we can create a sporting celebration that will emphasize Rome’s unique cultural history at the same time as harnessing the power of the Games to help forge a more modern, dynamic identity for Rome and the whole of Italy.
Rome’s unparalleled heritage of art, history and culture will present athletes with the chance to live the Olympic spirit surrounded by breathtaking historic locations; competing and practicing their disciplines in the iconic settings that have fascinated the world for centuries.
Q: Paris and L.A. are the early frontrunners, why do you think that is? And what can you do to overcome this perceived advantage?
Pancalli: It is far too early to talk about frontrunners, but this is clearly a very strong field of world-class cities and we are honored to be competing with them.
Q: How important were Thomas Bach’s “Agenda 2020” reforms in your decision to bid for the Olympics?
Pancalli: Agenda 2020 is all about putting innovation and sustainability at the heart of a city's preparations for the Olympic Games. With this in mind, the Rome 2024 Bidding Committee will ensure that from the very beginning, every initiative and project will have an immediate impact and a lasting legacy for the City and the country.
Just as the 1960 Olympic Games left a legacy which Rome continues to benefit from to this day, so too can the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games transform the City for future generations.
Q: Cost overruns have been a big issue with recent and future Olympics, i.e. Sochi and Tokyo. What measures would you put in place to control spending?
Pancalli: Our biggest strength in this regard is the fact that much of the infrastructure required to host the Games is already in place. We have many world-class venues that will only require upgrading and/or renovation rather than completely building from scratch. As Mayor Marino said when meeting the IOC in Lausanne earlier this year, “we will not build cathedrals in the desert.”
We are working very closely with the Mayor’s office and Rome City Council to ensure that everything we propose for the Games sits alongside the existing vision and plans for the city.
Q: What are the biggest issues facing your bid?
Pancalli: Winning the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games is one of the biggest challenges any city can take on. Our biggest individual challenge is the same as all the other bidders: demonstrating a vision for the Games that will further the Olympic movement and ideals, while also having a transformative impact on our city and country. This is the challenge we have taken on and one we are relishing.
Q: How would classify your chances in the race for the 2024 Olympics?
Pancalli: As I said, it is far too early to talk about frontrunners or try to place the bidders in any order. What we are 100 percent focused on is creating the best possible bid for the Games.
