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≡ OLYMPIC GAMES 2036 ≡
After a tumultuous period in which Olympic hosts were selected 11 years in advance for 2028 and 2032, the International Olympic Committee announced a new, more disciplined approach for the 2036 Olympic Games, to be chosen in 2029.
The new process inserts a new element – “Strategic Dialogue” – into the selection procedure, an intermediate step between the current discussion-stage “Continuous Dialogue.” The IOC’s statement explains it this way:
● “March 2027: The IOC EB will shortlist Interested Parties from the Continuous Dialogue pool to enter Strategic Dialogue. During this new transitional stage, they will be expected to provide an initial response to the Future Host Questionnaire and core financial guarantees.”
● “Late 2028: The IOC EB will open a Targeted Dialogue with Preferred Hosts, based on a Future Host Commission report with a thorough analysis of the bid files and findings from the Commission’s visits. During the Targeted Dialogue, the Preferred Hosts will have an opportunity to update their submissions to address feedback provided by the Future Host Commission during the Strategic Dialogue. They will also have to submit a full set of guarantees, to give maximum legal and financial security.”
● “Mid-2029: The IOC EB will select Preferred Hosts to be put forward for election by the IOC Session to become the host of the 2036 Olympic Games.”
This is a distinct change in the way host decisions are being made. Where the Olympic Agenda 2020 project changed the bidding process from an expensive, circus-like free-for-all with millions spent on a winner-take-all election to a very inexpensive but also murky decision on who hosts Games, the new concept creates a fairly straightforward idea:
(1) Continuous Dialogue: open discussion
(2) Strategic Dialogue: shortlist with preliminary documentation
(3) Targeted Dialogue: second shortlist with heavier inquiries
(4) Preferred Hosts: final candidates for election
The specification of “Preferred Hosts” indicates that the multiple candidates will be put forward for a vote by the IOC members, who have indicated a strong desire for a vote, rather than an affirmation of a selection made by the Future Host Commission and agreed by the IOC Executive Board.
A question yet to be answered is how the IOC will try to contain campaigning costs of the bidders in the final phase, where IOC members will be voting to choose a host city. Even with what appears to be a nine-month phase, there is no doubt that ambitious bidders will find ways to spend money in unique ways to try and obtain votes in any way they can.
And in the recent past, this has created significant problems.
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