Olympic Games in Prague

Olympic Games financing, referendum and changes that the Olympics could bring to the Czech Republic, were the main topics of the public discussion, that took place on 2007-09-26.

Svandovo Theater was filled completely, which only reflects, Olympics are the hot topic. The for-site was represented by Prague’s mayor Pavel Bem: “Mayors of foreign cities ask me, why do we still don’t have a beltway? Beltways were supposed to be here much earlier. The funds for the infrastructure were decided long ago, but nobody made it going. Olympics is one of the tools for making it going.” Bem sees Olympics from clearly an economic point of view.

The question of finance interests Pavla Reedova: “I don’t say Prague can’t organize Olympic games, but the price of such an event is too high. Montreal was paying off the installments for 30 years.” She wants to be a “watchdog” of our Olympics, to watch the expenses. However Bem estimates the total price of Olympics 132,5 milliards CZK (4,42 milliards €) with the supposed yield 136 milliards CZK (4,53 milliards €). However those numbers become a laughing stock for the audience.

The audience sounded mostly against the Olympics, demanding the referendum. It seems it is going to take place in the near future. The reason to vote for is rising Czech world consciousness, against speak many obstacles.

Based on: MF DNES

Worries were expressed by more than 1300 mayors of the Czech Republic. They fear for their budgets, which would be influenced by the occasion. They are against financing of the Olympics from the national budget, and propose either Prague should pay for it’s Olympics or a referendum.

The 1300 mayors sent an authentic copy letter to Pavel Bem, Prague Mayor, where they informed him about their disapproval: “We see the organization of the Summer Olympics at this time of bleeding town budgets as inappropriate”. Bem is not against referendum, even suggested the referendum should take place in the whole country, not only in Prague. There are also other ideas, i.e. Petr Gazdik suggests Prague should borrow the money form the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

In September, Prague has officaially joined the battle for summer Olympics in 2016. The costs are estimated 490 billions CZK; 16,3 billions €.

Now it is black on white. Yesterday the Mayer of Prague Pavel Bem together with the President of the Czech Olympic Team Milan Jirasek signed the official application for organizing the Olympic Game 2016 in Prague.

The application in Czech, English and French languages (click here for the English version) is travelling now to the seat of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne. Prague will become a so called candidate city. The preparations for yesterday’s signature already started in 2001.

The final list of candidate cities will be known on 13th September. It’s known now that besides Prague the list will bear such cities as Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokio, Madrid, Baku or Doha.

Prague people are mostly against organizing Olympic Games in Prague. That’s one of the results of the survey made by Mori CR. 500 people from the Czech Republic answered questions about Olympic Games in Prague, almost half of them agree with them.

According to the author of the survey, Tatiana Wartuschova, Prague people have probably the feeling that much more tourists in the Czech capital would start to bothering them. Only 32 percent of Prague people want to have Olympic Games in Prague.

More than two thirds of the people are afraid that organizing Olympic games would have negative effects on the state budget. Only two percent of people agree with the idea of making a pouched marmot (living mostly in Prague) the mascot of the games. More than half of the people in the survey would prefer a lion representing the whole country.

The capital city of the Czech Republic, one of the candidates for organizing the Olympic Games in either 2016 or 2020, is now choosing its mascot that would represent the city.

The Lord Mayor of Prague, Pavel Bem, suggests a pouched marmot that lives near the airport in Prague-Letnany. One fifth of the marmots in the Czech Republic live in Prague. It is paradoxical that organizing the games near the animal’s natural environment could threaten this endangered species.

According to a study, the ceremonial event (as well as athletics, badminton, box, judo, gymnastics etc.) could be in a stadium in Letnany. The organizers plan to use also Strahov stadium, Sazka Arena, T-Mobile Arena and Prague Exhibition Ground, Troja wild river, Congress Centre and many other buildings and places in and out of Prague.

Prague councilmen decided that Prague can be among candidates for organizing Olympic games in 2016 or 2020. The municipal authorities together with the Czech Olympic Committee want to establish beneficial organization Praha olympijska that would arrange the candidacy. The Lord Mayer of Prague, Pavel Bem, wants to send the application in January 2008.

According to Bem, Prague has a bigger change in candidacy for the year 2020, for London, another European city, will organize the games in 2012.

The Olympic village in Prague would be probably in Prague-Letnany. Some competitions, like football matches, wouldn’t be held only in Prague, but also in other towns of the Czech Republic. Yachting would be organized on Lipno Dam.

The costs for building appropriate infrastructure are estimated to 490 billion Czech crowns. The Olympic village could be used after the games as student dormitories, the stadiums and swimming pools could be used by people in their leisure time.

Prague will probably be one of the candidate city to organize Olympic Games in 2016 or 2020. Even though the Prague councilmen will decide whether to apply for Olympic Games or not in two weeks, now it seems that most of them are in favour of the games.

How about the rest of Czech people? A survey made by Median agency for MF DNES showed that 47% people in the Czech Republic agree with the candidacy, 30.7% are against it. Supporters see it as a good opportunity to promote the city and the Czech Republic and to increase tourism.

The opponents claim that the Czech Republic is too small and poor for organizing Olympic Games and that it would increase safety risks. 67% of people would be against the Olympic Games in Prague if it led to large debts.

Prague mayor Pavel Bem, who supports idea of Olympic games in Prague for long time comes with proposal to make plebiscite not only for citizens of Prague, but for all people of Czech Republic. Bem thinks that Olympic games in Prague is question for whole Czech Republic. This idea is supported by research, that making OG will require changes in whole Czeh Republic, especially in traffic.

The Olympic games could be earliest in Prague in years 2016 or 2020. All requirements will cost 135 billions CZK, when all indirect expense is calculated 600 billions CZK. Positives for tourism are on the other hand obvious.