Olympics chief Rogge says quality paramount in choosing Games hosts

By Peter Auf der Heyde Jul 9, 2011, 14:07 GMT

Durban, South Africa - The choice of Pyeongchang to host the 2018 Winter Games does not mean the Olympic movement is preferring new markets over traditional sporting regions, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said Saturday.

'It might well be that for another election, be it winter sports or summer sports that we come back to the traditional countries. It all depends on the quality of the bid,' Rogge said at the end of the 123rd IOC Session in Durban.

Rogge said that even though the decision to host the Winter Olympics in South Korea had been interpreted as a vote in favour of opening new markets, it was not possible to predict what would happen in the future.

'We had Rio (Olympics in 2016) and now we have Pyeongchang, but I would like to remind you that the first prerequisite and the first condition is quality. If the quality is not there, we will not elect,' he said.

'We have seen this with Rio and Pyeongchang, this is their third attempt. Their first bid was not good enough, the second bid was a bit better, but still not good enough and the third bid was a good one.'

The Belgian said that the candidates for 2020 had not yet been finalized.

'As I speak today, there is one official candidature in Rome,' he said.

'We hear that preparations for a potential candidature in Tokyo. There is still the question mark of any other city that decides, which we will learn in the coming weeks, as the deadline is September.

'There are declarations from the US Olympic Committee that they are still waiting, but of course if there is a good bid from the US we'll be delighted.'

Rogge said it had been 'a superb session, in all aspects.'

He added: 'I think South Africa proved during the FIFA World Cup that they are ready for a major event. They are in a way, as a nation, ready to host the Olympic Games, but it's up to them to decide.

'It might not be 2020, it might be 2024, but I felt a genuine desire speaking to all the politicians, including the president, that they would want to bid in the future and I think the nation is ready for that.'

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