Oslo bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics
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Oslo 2022 Winter Olympics was a campaign by the private organization Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports for the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Oslo, although in Norway it was primarily viewed as an application by the Olympic movement for government funding of an Olympic Games that would ultimately be decided by the Norwegian Parliament.[1] The Olympic organisations had already indicated a strong desire that Norway would host the games and provide the necessary funding. Oslo was described as the clear favourite to host the games in international media and was widely expected to be awarded the games, provided that the Norwegian Parliament granted the necessary funding.
Overview | |
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XXIV Olympic Winter Games XIII Paralympic Winter Games | |
Details | |
City | Oslo, Norway |
Chair | Stian Berger Røsland (President) Eli Grimsby (CEO) |
NOC | Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NOR) |
Previous Games hosted | |
Hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics |
Public opinion was strongly against granting government funding to an Olympics after a series of demands by the International Olympic Committee for luxury treatment of the committee members themselves were revealed in Norwegian media.[2] The demands included special lanes on roads only to be used by IOC members and cocktail reception at the Royal Palace with drinks paid for by the royal family. The IOC also "demanded control over all advertising space throughout Oslo" to be used exclusively by IOC's sponsors, something that is not possible in Norway because Norway is a liberal democracy where the government doesn't own or control "all advertising space throughout Oslo" and has no authority to give a foreign private organization exclusive use of a city and the private property within it.[3] Several commentators pointed out that such demands were unheard of in a western democracy; Slate described the IOC as a "notoriously ridiculous organization run by grifters and hereditary aristocrats."[4][2][5][6]
The Olympic movement's bid for government funding was cancelled on October 1, 2014, after the parliamentary caucus of the Conservative Party had voted to decline the application for funding.[7] Already, the Progress Party,[8] Centre Party[9] and Socialist Left Party[10] were opposed to the bid. Thus, it was no longer possible to get a parliamentary majority for a state guarantee.[11] Ole Berget, deputy minister in the Finance Ministry, said "the IOC's arrogance was an argument held high by a lot of people."[12] The country's largest newspaper commented that "Norway is a rich country, but we don't want to spend money on wrong things, like satisfying the crazy demands from IOC apparatchiks. These insane demands that they should be treated like the king of Saudi Arabia just won't fly with the Norwegian public."[12]
The IOC selected Beijing as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics from the two remaining bids at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31, 2015.