Olympic Games in Prague

Prague representatives have accredited 11 million grant for the Prague Olympic society. It is the second part of those more than 25 mil., with which the company managed this year. The company is going to use the money to cover the credit it took from the Czech Olympic committee, other four millions are for the employees and associates of the company.

Prague Olympic Society leave a loop-hole so the preparation of Olympic candidacy could continue. Meanwhile the opponents are against the games in Prague, Prague Mayor Pavel Bem doesn’t give up. For example Jana Ryslinkova labeled the organization of OG in Prague as the most expensive swimming courses in the world.

Bem have praised the Prague Olympic society for how well they managed with the 25 millions they got, as the original plan was to spend 100 millions. But, all in all Prague had to pay 70 millions for the unsuccessful candidacy, where Prague ended 6th from 7 competitors.

It has been two months, since the Czech Republic was announced the Olympic Games of 2016 won’t be in Prague, but it seems the Prague Mayor Bem has a plan for year 2020 already. He said for Aktualne.cz: “At the beginning of the next year, the Prague Olympic Society is going to undergo some personal changes. We are going to prepare for the year 2020 with greater ambition and with a stronger team at our back”

However, Pavel Bem will have to persuade other representatives as well, as the Green Party and European Democrats request Prague to give up on the Olympics. Not even the Prime miniser Mirek Topolanek, which is quite an essential for the financial guarantee. The other thing is, that the pools say if elections were now, ODS would lose to CSSD, and they would probably not support Bem, who is so much ODS.

The International Olympic Committee decided, which cities will become the official candidates for the OG of 2016. Prague is not, according to expectations, among them, it got beaten by Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Choice of the host town takes place 2nd October 2009. Prague now wants to apply for candidacy of 2020.

Who is going to proceed to the next round was decided by 15 members of the IOC. The team, who prepared Prague candidacy for 2016, didn’t count on the possibility of getting into the short list. They want to apply seriously in 2020.

The candidacy of Prague so far cost 60 millions czk. The Prague committee have given to the Prague Olympic society 12,5 millions only for the preparation phasis. If Prague wins the contest for 2020, the expenses will vary basically in hundreads of billions czk.

The International Olympic Committee decides in Athens, which of the seven applying cities will become the official candidates for organization of the Olympic Games in 2016. One of them is Prague, the other ones are Baku, Dauha, Chickago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokio. Only four of them will be chosen as the candidate cities.

Which of the metropolises will be the chosen is up to 15 members of the IOC, International Olympic Committee. The very people who prepare the candidacy of Prague do not count with the possibility of winning; the speaker of Olympic Prague said: “We have declared from the very beginning, candidacy of Prague for 2016 is an effort for succeeding in 2020.”

The Czech Republic won’t gain profit on possible Olympic games organizing. The president Vaclav Klaus repeated again his opinion about Olympics: “I am a lifelong sportsman, but I watch preparation for Olympics with dilemma.” He stated in Hradec Kralove debate. He continued, that figures speaking of the Czech Republic possible profits of tens or hundreds of millions czk provoke him. “We definitely won’t profit from the Olympics, on the contrary, we will have to pay a lot of money.” According to him, the real costs should be mentioned.

His word probably weren’t very pleasant for the Prague mayor Bem, who is in the same political party, but at the same time a big propagator of the Games in the capital, an he always says the Olympic Games can be a profitable event. Whether or not Prague will get the chance to organize the Olympics in 2016 will be decided on the beginning of June.

Prague Constitutional yard denied the petition for whole-state Olympics referendum. Prague so didn’t used it’s own priviledge to propose to the parliament, all the people should speak about the very expensive games.

Prague representatives don’t want the citizens to speak, but they ask for our law and finantial guaratees. Even when the Prague Mayor in 2006 sated that there should be not only Prage, but whole-country referndum.

A fraction of the mayors against the Olympic Games have filed a complaint to the constitutional yard. They challenge Prague City Hall for not discussing their petition in the legitimate time.

They want to ‘stop Prague council from doing nothing’ The signers state to care foremostly for keeping the constitutional law. : “…respect for petition law is a sign of respect to democracy. It is possible Prague mayors oversee the petition because it doesn’t fit into their megalomaniac plans, however it is necessary to respect and discuss it according to the law”.

The speaker of Prague City Hall announced on 19th October, they are going to debate about the petition within 60 days. Now is 22th January and the ‘Mayors against the Olympics’ feel discriminated.

The Prague City hall have admitted earlier, they err. Some of Czech smaller cities demand referendum, because they are afraid the Olympics would drain away their budgets.

The International Olympic Committee in Lausanne has received the filled the applicant questionary yesterday. The book with 69 pages and 30 CD was send, after debates of Pavel Bem with Mirek Topolanek, whose and his government support was essential.

Prague so placed itself into the society, from which the organizer of summer olympic games 2016 will be chosen. The comitee is going to form a narrower group of candidates this summer. Those are going to fill in an even larger questionnaire and send it to the IOC until 12th February 2009, with the fee 500 thousand dollars. The festive enunciation of the Olympics 2016 organizer takes place 2nd October in Copenhagen.

The Prime mister, even when he was heard not speaking positively about the idea of Olympic Games in Prague, after a debate with Prague mayor Pavel Bem he said the government guarantees the Prague candidacy for 2016.

Even when ODS supports the Olympics, support of the whole government is not so clear. The KDU-CSL are definitely against, and possibly even the Green Party, so if the Olympics are to be put through, the ODS would have to do it themselves.

Most of the other parties are afraid of the financial costs of the enormous event. The Prime minister Mirek Topolanek however suggest, the promised support is not monetary, but juridical.

The final word, whether the Czech Government agrees with Czech Candidacy for Olympic Games in 2016 in Prague, will be heard 10th January 2008. The Czech public was given many negative comments of the government so far; the Prime minister Mirek Topolanek (ODS) said during the question time in the House of parliament the government is not guarantying anything to the city in the matter of the Olympic Games.

To gain political support is one of the pivots for Olympic Games organizing. The government however hesitated, and so the Czech Olympic committee candidated without bless of the Czech Government. So far to the bad beginning.

Negative position was also adopted by mayors of smaller cities, who demanded Prague should pay the games itself. According to MAFRA public opinion research, the public demands referendum. The President Vaclav Klaus said it is clear the Olympics are going to be a loss-making business.

Many voices certainly speak against the games. The government decision comes on 10th January.

According to the newest economic study of a renowned company PricewaterhouseCoopers, the estimated costs of Prague Olympic Games should be ‘only’ 88 billions CZK (3,14 bil. €).

A similar analysis from 2004 expected the cost to be 136 billions, which means the direct costs lowered of 36%. The new study was given to media by the Praha Olympijska (Prague Olympic community) manager Tomas Petera

Lowering the estimation of 48 billions CZK is partly accomplished by changes in the plans of investing. The new conception interchanges building for reconstructions of already standing structures.

Prague applied for the Olympics in 2016, but the supporters see the year 2020 as more real. The Czech government approaches the matter in a reserved way. But Pavel Bem is still sure, all the necessary guarantees will be ready next week.

Candidacy of Prague for organizing the Olympic Games in 2016 will probably be again discussed by the representatives of the capital city.

The Prime minister Mirek Topolanek (ODS) said during the question time in the House of parliament the government is not guarantying anything to the city in the matter of Olympic Games. This comes as a logic consequence of Pavel Bem and Milan Jirasek still haven’t delivered any official document for the Olympic candidacy to the Czech Government.

The speaker of the Czech Olympic Committee Karel Tejkal stated “We do not want a financial guarantee from the government. We just want a guarantee the Olympic Charter is going to be adhered and that the Czech Republic is a democratic country”

The Prime minister was given at least a new economical study by the director of the Prague Olympic community Tomas Petera.

The opposition sees the Community hadn’t negotiated government guarantee as the big mistake. “It was a mistake, and if the whole thing goes flummox, it will be necessary to end it as soon as possible.”

The president Vaclav Klaus has impugned the idea of organizing the Olympic games in Prague again yesterday. Klaus, according to his words, is not sure if “organizing of the Olympic Games would bring the Czech Republic positives only”. According to the Czech president the Olympics are troublesome, not only because of their expenses.

“I fear the immense impact of various Olympic sports, sports that are normally not done in our country at all, those that might not have a single viewer, but need specific sports grounds built for them anyway.”

Vaclav Klaus proclaimed he still remembers a debate with one minister of Greek government about one area, where Greeks have built stadiums for Olympic Games 2004. “…he said: there is a stadium for baseball, and I responsibly say there is not a single person, that would play baseball in Greece”. Klaus described.

According to the director of the Prague Olympic community Tomas Petera there are going to be only three new stadiums build in Prague, the other sports fields are going to be made by reconstructions of stadiums that are already build, and by constructions of provisional Olympic stances.

Klaus have expressed his opinions earlier, i.e. in May, when he said “skeptical yes” for the Games.

Prague Olympic community gets other 30 millions CZK (1,1 mil. €) for preparation of possible summer Olympic Games in 2016. Committee on the City of Prague have agreed on it yesterday. “If we want the Olympics, the money are definitely worth it.” said the councilman Jiri Langmajer. The Town Council have already invested 15 millions CZK into the preparations.

According to its budget, Prague Olympic community should spend 12 millions for project studies, 20 millions for OG promotion, over 3 millions on salaries, 4 millions for law services, 3 millions is the applicant fee, other 3 millions goes on accounting. The Games, if they will be in the Czech Republic, will cost 132,5 billions CZK (4,42 billions €)

The matter of Olympic Games should be decided in a referendum. This is the result of the STEM agency and Factum Invenio study. In both cases the absolute majority stands for a referendum. If the referendum about the summer Olympics would take place now, (from the total number of 965 respondents) the supporters would win with 54% of voices. One quarter of the asked don’t know how they would vote.

61% of the respondents are afraid the Olympics would be financed of smaller cities and villages budgets. Their mayors, who assigned the research see “…the organization of the Summer Olympics at this time of bleeding town budgets as inappropriate. It is our justified concern for all the public sources, which will, at the moment, be directed to Prague and its megalomaniac action.” says a vice-mayor of Vysoke Pole Stanislav Polcak.

Completely different opinion than the mayors and majority of interviewed has the leader of Praha Olympijska (Prague Olympic community) Tomas Petera: “We do not agree with the referendum. It is even not supported by the International Olympic Committee. We don’t want the idea of Olympics to became a political theme.”

Czech Mayors of smaller cities and villages demand a referendum to the Prague Olympic Games. They are afraid the Games would suck money out of their budgets. A petition for a national referendum with more than a thousand signatures was brought to the Municipal office by a Senator Jana Jureckova today.

Jana Jureckova states the signing action was initiated by Pavel Bem, when he said last year. “If there must be a referndum to the Olympics, so national only.” Jureckova stated that they just took him at word; “indebted Czech Republic is not able to pay for the Olympics”.

According to the speaker of the Municipal Office Jiri Wolf the petition should be discussed by the deputies in two months. The law proposal on Olympics in Prague was prepared by Stanislav Polcak. The mayors believe if people voted for the Olympics, it would be their decision made with awareness of the Games will be at the expense of other needed things.

The Czech capital starts a new campaign for support of the idea of Olympic Games in Prague 2016. In the whole country, we are going to see posters of famous personalities doing sports; actors Jan Triska, Pavel Liska and Vaclav Vydra, singers Helena Zetova and Richard Krajco.

The speaker of Czech Olympic Committee Karel Tejkal stated: “We want to emphasize the Olympics is a matter of all Czechs, not just sportsman”. According to him, the campaign has three goals – to introduce the logo, slogan : “Vsichni jsme v národnim tymu” (we are all in the national team) and to remind Prague stands as a candidate for the Olympic Games.

The original logo, that arrived to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in Lausanne, together with the applicant letter had to be slightly changed.

According to the IOC the original graphic design was confusing. They proposed a slight adjustment, where the numbers move to the bottom of the picture. The Czech Olympic Committee agreed. The laurel twig is as in the original design, bounded with ribbons of red, blue and yellow. Red and yellow are the colors of Prague, blue symbolizes Vltava river.

Together with the new logo, we also have our national slogan; “Vsichni jsme v národním tymu” (we are all in the national team)

And concerning the Olympics preparations? Prague Olympic Association presented new chapters of their plan; the placement of the sports fields – approximately 130 Olympic sports fields should spread to 75 places of the Czech Republic, with efforts to put as many places to the Metropolis as possible. Speaking about Prague, nowadays there are three new sports fields in the project – the Ceremonial Stadium in Letnany, an aquapark in Stuka and a cyclist velodrome.

The vice prime minister Jiri Cunek conceded the Olympic Games, Prague would like to host in 2016, can be unprofitable. And that the government hesitates with their support. According to his opinion we cannot afford to spend the milliards we need for supporting European funds on the Olympics.

Cunek also added that Prague didn’t ask for the government support, so they can do what they wish, but without any help. According to the words of the Czech Olympic Committee chairman, Milan Jirasek, the city cannot organize the Olympic Games just by itself. “The Government support is one of the criteria. Without government support, either financial or organizational, to organize the Olympics is impossible.” he conveyed to LN.

Pavel Bem told CTK in a short message that there is no need to hurry, and that he prepares the official document for the half of November.

Some of the senators have already lost their patience. “This whole think can end up in an international scandal. How it is possible, that the Prague candidacy was decided just on the basis of a decision of two people? It is an economic concern of the whole country.” Josef Novotny asks, and he thinks of Pavel Bem, and Mr. Jirasek. He reacts on the situation, when they were the only signers of the Candidate List a month ago. They invited the legendary sportswoman Dana Zatopkova, but not the prime minister.

Mayors of town and cities have expressed their discomfort earlier, demanding national referendum, or Prague as the sole financier of the event.

On September 5th, the Mayor of Prague Pavel Bem together with the President of the Czech Olympic Committee Milan Jirasek signed the letter in which they applied for candidature for organizing Olympic Games in 2016. Is it an unreal dream or a good and achievable idea? The Czech nation is riven. Some people believe that Olympic Games could make the Czech Republic visible and that we can make a profit on it. On the other hand there are opinions concerning corruption and economic collapse. We will write some informations about this “big action” for you to make your own opinion.

Read the whole article HERE.