Budapest's withdrawal from bidding for the 2024 Olympics, a process "already marred by a string of exits, highlights the need for changes to the Games model, insiders say," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. The Olympic Games "were once the most hotly contested sports commodity in the world," but in recent years the IOC has seen the bidding process turn into a "carousel of early exits, with cities scared off by costs, size or local opposition." Hungary pulled out on Wednesday, "citing a lack of political and national unity," leaving L.A. and Paris in a "two-horse race" ahead of the IOC vote in September. Long-time Olympic consultant Stratos Safioleas said, "The IOC must become more courageous in defending its product and the Olympic values. There has to be a serious discussion to make it clear that organizing the Games has transformative powers for the cities. The IOC also needs to tell those bidding that there are benefits when doing so even if they are not chosen" (REUTERS, 2/23). BLOOMBERG's Tariq Panja reported London-based sports sponsorship agency Synergy CEO Tim Crow said that the Olympic movement "is at a crossroads which many would describe as the biggest crisis" since the Salt Lake City cash-for-votes scandal that "threatened to topple the organization two decades ago" (BLOOMBERG, 2/23).
MOMENTUM RIPS DECISION: The INT'L BUSINESS TIMES' Brendan Cole reported the decision not to put Budapest's dropped 2024 Olympic bid to a referendum has been condemned as "cowardly" by youth movement Momentum. The movement managed to "gather enough signatures in 30 days to spark a referendum asking whether Hungarians should reject" a bid. Although the youth movement opposed the Games, "it wanted to use the ballot as a launching pad to field candidates in next year's parliamentary elections, and will see the withdrawal as a thwarted opportunity" to develop its manifesto (IB TIMES, 2/23).
'SAD STORY': REUTERS' Marton Dunai reported for some, such as Denes Kemeny, who coached the Hungarian water polo team to three successive Olympic Golds, the way the bid ended was a "very sad story." Kemeny: "Last fall, the majority supported the bid and our chances were improving. We could have convinced the public for a plebiscite but the recent period ruined our chances. ... With unity it can work -- but only with unity." Government-friendly media echoed that thought with headlines like "We had a dream," "The opposition smashed our Olympic dreams" and "Leftists once again betrayed the nation" (REUTERS, 2/23). In Budapest, Christian Keszthelyi reported state-owned TV news channel M1, "which is always well informed on government matters" claimed the leaders decided to withdraw the capital’s bid rather than risk a "serious loss of prestige for the whole country" (BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/22).
