Quebec City: The chase to host the 2020 Summer Games was reduced to a three horse race between Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo after Doha and the Azerbaijan capital Baku were dropped from the running by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday.
The announcement in a packed Quebec City ballroom brought smiles but few cheers from the surviving cities as all three know the challenges that lie ahead after having previously cleared the first hurdle with recent bids.
"It is the third time we have been invited to participate in the final run and we are very excited to bring this to Spain," said the Spanish IOC member, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., son of the former IOC president.
"This is a kind of Olympic competition with only a gold medal. We have bronze, silver and now we go for the gold. My father would not waste one second wasting how happy we are, he would have us all meeting in a room right now thinking what's next." said Juan.
Next for Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo is the 16 months of furious campaigning as they try to convince the IOC that they are up to the task of staging the world's biggest sporting spectacle. The high stakes run-off reaches the finish line in Buenos Aires in September 2013, when the IOC will vote on the 2020 host city.
Doha and Baku head back to the drawing board. Flush with cash from natural gas reserves, Azerbaijan had invested more than a billion dollars in sports venues in the past 10 years and is likely to try its luck again in 2024.
Oil rich Qatar possessed the financial muscle to carry off the 2020 Olympics but the tiny Gulf nation could not convince the IOC to take a chance on holding the Summer Games in October. It was not just the threat of searing temperatures that frightened away the IOC but also the prospect of low television ratings if the Olympics was to go up against other major sporting events.
The IOC made it clear in the evaluation report that holding the Games in October was a non-starter. "In July/August, people have more leisure/vacation time. There is therefore a risk that an October Games would become a 'weekend Olympics Games' and with a reduced demographic reach, broadcasters would have difficulties in attracting the same audience levels in terms of working people and youth."
"I think the two countries that were eliminated are emerging markets and I think it is a missed opportunity for the IOC. The traditional dates don't suit Doha and that is nothing we can change and we provided the dates we thought were most suitable.” said Al Mayassa Al-Thani of the Doha bid.
"We believe we did everything in our capacity and in the end it was a decision of the executive board we have to respect despite our disappointment." said Al Mayassa.
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