2014 Winter Bid Cities Present At AIPS Congress
21/05/2007 |
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The three cities bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games- Sochi, Salzburg and PyeongChang - presented their bids at the International Sports Press Association 70th congress in Bregenz Austria taking place May 14 to 19, hosted by the Sports Journalists Associations of Switzerland and Austria with support from the Liechtenstein association.
Sochi’s presentation stressed the bid’s commitment to fulfilling the needs and expectations of all constituencies to deliver “outstanding” Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi.
Russian IOC member and four time Olympian Alexander Popov highlighted the strong government support behind Russia’s bid, while Sochi 2014 Communications & Marketing Director Andrey Braginski outlined Sochi’s compact and innovative plan that maximizes the comfort and convenience for athletes, spectators and the Olympic Family.
Olympic Champion Svetlana Zhurova stressed the important legacy that Sochi will leave to the future of Russian winter sport through the creation of the country’s first international quality winter sport training and competition centre.
AIPS Vice President Nikolay Dolgopolov, a member of the delegation, highlighted how the Games in Sochi will be among the most convenient and streamlined Olympic Winter Games in history for the media. Media traveling to Sochi for the Games will not require a visa, will receive accreditation upon arrival at the new terminal of Sochi’s International Airport, there will be short travel times to their four-star accommodation in either the coastal or mountain cluster and they will not be subject to a minimum stay requirement.
According to Sochi 2014 the state-of-the-art Main Media Center, located at the heart of the Olympic Park, will accommodate media around the clock in spacious and comfortable work areas and will be within a five minute walk to any of the ice venues.
There will be a media sub-centre in the mountain cluster and four-star hotels nearby.
Wireless Internet coverage will extend from the Main Media Center to include transport and all accommodation, and Sochi 2014 says the region will provide the highest level broadband and satellite systems for instant communication around the world.
Dolgopolov said, “the whole operation will be run by an international media operations staff with international expertise and customer service at their core. You will be their customers. In short, Sochi 2014 will have your professional and personal interests at the centre of all these plans”.
Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer’s inaugural address reaffirmed that Salzburg’s 2014 Winter Olympic bid is a national concern. In their presentation Salzburg 2014 officials guaranteed that accredited media representatives in Salzburg would have the best possible working conditions.
Salzburg Ambassador and world champion snowboarder Manuela Riegler said that Flachau, her birthplace, and the planned venue for snowboarding, is a fine example of the compactness, atmosphere and experience in staging winter sport events demonstrated by the Salzburg bid. She said, “in Flachau – as in most of our planned venues – you can walk from the slopes to the town in just five minutes. Spectators stay in our alpine villages before and after the competitions to enjoy a meal, a drink, and to celebrate winter sports. These spectators are part of a 100-year tradition of winter sport hospitality – you won’t find this anywhere else in the world”.
Heinz Schaden, President and Chairman of Salzburg 2014 called the media an immensely important factor in the Olympic Games. He said, “without it there would be absolutely no large sporting events nowadays”.
Referring to the excellent journalistic conditions in Austria and the history of freedom of the press which is legally guaranteed, he added, “Austria’s experience in organizing world-class winter sport events, the latest technology in the press and media areas, and the atmospheres inside and outside the stadiums also contribute significantly”.
PyeongChang 2014 said in its presentation if it is awarded the right to host the 2014 Games advanced Korean technology will enable the INFO 2014 system and all other information relating to the Games to be available instantly, any time, anywhere, allowing fast and accurate news coverage.
The Main Media Centre will be only a five minute walk from the Media Village which will house the International Broadcast Center and Main Press Centre and will be open 24 hours a day. All media venues will be connected by dedicated media shuttle buses around the clock.
The Media Village will be newly built to 4/5 star hotel standards and 90 per cent of the rooms will be single occupancy. There will be a full range of services available and English speaking staff and volunteers on hand.
Kim Jin-sun, Governor of Gangwon Province and Executive President of PyeongChang 2014 said they would provide the best possible environment to allow the media to do its work and said it would be a great pleasure to welcome the world’s media to PyeongChang in 2014.
(Source: Gamesbids.com)
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