|
Moscow to bid for 2010 Youth Olympics
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-07-13 09:45
Moscow will bid for the right to host the first Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010, Valery Vinogradov, acting deputy mayor of Moscow told reporters on Thursday.
"Moscow has all moral rights to fight for the right to host the Youth Olympic Games because it has extensive experience of hosting youth and athletic events," Vinogradov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
A decision to hold the Youth Olympic Games was taken at the 19th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Guatemala on July 5, he added.
According to unofficial reports, Guadalajara in Mexico, Hamburg in Germany and Singapore will also bid for the right to host the Games, Vinogradov said. "Any new rivals are unlikely to emerge," he said.
Moscow will officially submit its application to the IOC in August.
Up to 7,000 athletes from 131 countries took part in the first World Youth Games, which were held under IOC aegis in Moscow in 1998. Four years later the Russian capital hosted the International Youth Games of the CIS, the Baltic countries and Russian regions. The Russian capital has also played host to the Moscow-Utah, Moscow-Seoul, Moscow-Berlin international games and other major international competitions.
Moscow has plenty of athletic centers to hold competitions in all kinds of sport, Vinogradov said.
The host-city will be fully responsible for financing the Youth Olympic Games, the official said, adding that the IOC will cover only the travel expenses of official international federations in charge of technical functions
|
