The three contenders to host the 2018 Winter Olympics will learn on Wednesday which city has won when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) votes in Durban, South Africa.
Pyeongchang in South Korea, Munich in Germany and Annecy in France are the bidders, with the majority of attention on Pyeongchang, for which this is the third consecutive attempt, after losing out to Vancouver for the 2010 Games and Sochi for 2014.
In contrast to these unsuccessful bids, the 2018 team has been playing down the Samsung connection since the 110 IOC members started arriving in Durban ahead of Wednesday’s vote, which is expected to conclude at about 4.30pm London time.
Asked on Tuesday if this was a deliberate tactic, Choung Byoung-gug, South Korea’s sports minister, replied: “We are competitive enough just with Pyeongchang.”
In its efforts to snap its losing streak, the Korean bid has retained some canny advisers. This appears to be a reaction to criticism of what is sometimes perceived as the over-cosy relationship between “big sport” and “big business”, as epitomised bySamsung’s long-standing IOC sponsorship, dating from 1997.
The French bid, long seen as the outsider, has been seeking to exploit this theme in its efforts to get back into the race.
The IOC is also keen to differentiate itself from the world football governing body Fifa in its handling of allegations of corruption, such as those that marred last year’s contest for the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
This, too, has contributed to an atmosphere in which close corporate ties are being seen as a potential handicap rather than an asset in the current competition.
For Pyeongchang, victory appears to hinge on whether the lead it is thought to have built up early in the race as its rivals battled with a variety of internal problems will hold up to withstand the momentum growing behind Munich in particular.
The Bavarian city has a consummate behind-the-scenes operator in Thomas Bach, a likely successor in 2013 to Jacques Rogge as IOC president. It can also play on the emotional appeal of becoming the first city to host both a summer and a winter Olympics.
If the contest is over after the first round of voting, it will be interpreted as a strong signal that Pyeongchang has held on. If it goes to a second round, with the city polling the fewest votes in round one dropping out, nerves will be jangling among the extensive Korean delegation. This includes Lee Myung-bak, the president, whose dedication to the cause was underlined when he arrived in Durban on Saturday, before most IOC members.
Pyeongchang in South Korea, Munich in Germany and Annecy in France are the bidders, with the majority of attention on Pyeongchang, for which this is the third consecutive attempt, after losing out to Vancouver for the 2010 Games and Sochi for 2014.
In contrast to these unsuccessful bids, the 2018 team has been playing down the Samsung connection since the 110 IOC members started arriving in Durban ahead of Wednesday’s vote, which is expected to conclude at about 4.30pm London time.
Asked on Tuesday if this was a deliberate tactic, Choung Byoung-gug, South Korea’s sports minister, replied: “We are competitive enough just with Pyeongchang.”
In its efforts to snap its losing streak, the Korean bid has retained some canny advisers. This appears to be a reaction to criticism of what is sometimes perceived as the over-cosy relationship between “big sport” and “big business”, as epitomised bySamsung’s long-standing IOC sponsorship, dating from 1997.
The French bid, long seen as the outsider, has been seeking to exploit this theme in its efforts to get back into the race.
The IOC is also keen to differentiate itself from the world football governing body Fifa in its handling of allegations of corruption, such as those that marred last year’s contest for the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
For Pyeongchang, victory appears to hinge on whether the lead it is thought to have built up early in the race as its rivals battled with a variety of internal problems will hold up to withstand the momentum growing behind Munich in particular.
The Bavarian city has a consummate behind-the-scenes operator in Thomas Bach, a likely successor in 2013 to Jacques Rogge as IOC president. It can also play on the emotional appeal of becoming the first city to host both a summer and a winter Olympics.
If the contest is over after the first round of voting, it will be interpreted as a strong signal that Pyeongchang has held on. If it goes to a second round, with the city polling the fewest votes in round one dropping out, nerves will be jangling among the extensive Korean delegation. This includes Lee Myung-bak, the president, whose dedication to the cause was underlined when he arrived in Durban on Saturday, before most IOC members.
