Rome bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics

Bids for the
2020 (2020) Summer Olympics

Overview
Games of the XXXII Olympiad
Details
City	Rome, Italy
Chair	Mario Pescante
NOC	Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)
Previous Games hosted
1960 Summer Olympics

Rome 2020 (Italian: Roma 2020) was a proposed bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics by the city of Rome and the Italian National Olympic Committee.^[1] Rome previously hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics. The bid was withdrawn due to the lack of support from the Italian government.^[2]

History

Via Veneto as seen at night

The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) announced the selection of Rome as Italy's candidate on May 19, 2010.^[3] Rome beat out Venice to be selected as CONI's bidding city for 2020. CONI did not select Venice because it was deemed unable to fulfill requirements set by the IOC for hosting the games. Among others, it relied too heavily on venues outside the city, including in Treviso and Padua.^[3] The initial Rome proposal included a $61 million bid budget and utilizing 70 percent of existing venues.^[3]

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who ran the 1990 FIFA World Cup, was asked to lead the bid committee,^[4] but turned the offer down. Entrepreneur Nerio Alessandri was also offered the job but declined.^[5] IOC vice president Mario Pescante was chosen instead.^[6] His appointment was cleared by the IOC Ethics Committee, which found no conflict of interest.^[7] In an interview with media outlet Around the Rings, Pescante also acknowledged competition from other potential bid cities, particularly emphasizing Tokyo's bid.^[7]

In a September 2011 interview, IOC President Jacques Rogge defended Rome and Madrid's ability to host the games in spite of the current eurozone debt crisis. He said that both cities already have a lot of venues in place and not much would need to be built. He continued by saying that at the very most some venues would need upgrades and that both cities had the needed infrastructure to host the games.^[8] Rome's bid was given full backing by the Italian government on February 22, 2011.^[5][9] The bid had been initially a €31 Million budget. The bid's Chairman Mario Pescante stated that he hopes that Rome's bid can serve as "a blueprint for a return to fiscal responsibility and real sustainability in the Olympic bidding process".^[10]

On October 3, 2011, Rome 2020 announced that they hired marketing firm Helios Partners as a consultant for their bid. They have assisted in the successful bids of several Olympic host cities.^[11] Two months after Rome withdrew their bid Helios Partners was signed as a consultant to Baku's 2020 bid.^[12] On October 11, 2011 the bid committee hired Coni Servizi Engineering and Consulting as their lead technical partner. They will assist the bid committee with their venue master plan.^[13][14]

In November 2011, “GiovaniRoma2020” (YouthRome2020) was launched to help promote the bid as well as promoting youth olympic education.^[15] The following month the bid received the country's environment ministry. Environment Minister Corrado Clini stated that the bid being environmentally sustainable would help to boost the bid.^[16] The bid also received the support of the Italy's Chamber of Deputies.^[17]

In January 2012, the Rome 2020 bid committee estimated that the cost of organizing the games would be €9.8 Billion and would result in €17.7 Billion (1.4% Increase) in Italian GDP growth. It would also create 29,000 jobs. €4.6 Billion would be the public cost and hosting the games would bring in €4.6 Billion in tax revenue. As of January 2012, the bid enjoys high public support amongst Italians. 74% of Italian citizens support the bid while 77% of Rome residents support the bid. Of those who supported the bid, 70% of those polled supported the bid because it would create economic benefits and jobs.^[18]

On February 14, 2012 the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti called an end to the bid, citing uncertain costs and unknown financial benefit. The announcement came a day before the deadline for applicant cities to submit the application files.^[19]

Outlook, Conclusion and Future

Since the bid was abandoned, there has been talk about Rome potentially bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics.^[20][21][22]

Tokyo was ultimately elected as the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Previous bids

Rome first bid for the 1908 Summer Olympics and was ultimately awarded the games. However the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 forced Italy to return the hosting rights to the IOC. The IOC transferred the 1908 Games to London. Rome later bid for the 1924 Summer Olympics but lost to Paris. They then bid for the 1936 Games but lost to Berlin. They bid for the 1944 Summer Olympics which were awarded to London, then cancelled due to World War II. Rome successfully bid for the 1960 Summer Olympics.

The city had previously bid for the 2004 Summer Olympics, where it was shortlisted as a candidate city but lost to Athens in the final round of voting.

Previous bids from other Italian cities

Milan bid for the 1908 Summer Olympics but was defeated by London.

Italy has made multiple bids for the Winter Olympics. Cortina d'Ampezzo successfully bid for the 1944 Winter Olympics but these games were cancelled due to World War II. Cortina d'Ampezzo bid for the 1952 Winter Olympics but lost to Oslo. They successfully bid to host the 1956 Winter Olympics. They later bid for the 1988 and 1992 Winter Games but lost to Calgary and Albertville respectively. Aosta bid for the 1998 Winter Olympics but lost to Nagano. Tarvisio bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics but failed to become a candidate city. These games were ultimately awarded to Salt Lake City. Turin successfully bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Overview

The year 2020 coincides with the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the declaration of Rome as the capital of united Italy. Among the main goals highlighted in the bid's vision was environmental sustainability through efficient use of energy and the optimization of existing facilities.^[23] Hosting the games would have facilitated urban renewal in the Tiber River Park (Parco Fluviale del Tevere), the construction of Tor Vergata Sports City (Città dello Sport di Tor Vergata), and the upgrade of transport infrastructure in the city, including the airport.^[23] The bid committee estimated a 20 percent rise in incoming tourists, with 3 million spectators expected. The games were projected to reach a global audience of 4 billion.^[23]

Venues

Foro Italico

Rome's bid relied mostly on existing venues, much of which were used when Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics. The bid consists of two poles: the Olympic Park in the north and the Fiera di Roma in the south west. The Olympic village will be located near downtown.^[24]

The Olympic Park would have consisted of the Foro Italico which would have consisted of the centerpiece Stadio Olimpico, a newly built 10,500-seat tennis stadium, and the outdoor aquatics venues used for the 2009 World Aquatics Championships. The Stadio Olimpico would have hosted athletics events and the men's football final. The Stadio Flaminio most likely would have hosted rugby sevens and the women's football final. Other existing venues included the Piazza di Siena for horse jumping, the Circus Maximus for beach volleyball, the Acqua Acetosa^[25] for modern pentathlon, hockey, and archery, the Olgiata for golf, and the Settebagni for canoeing, rowing, and canoe slalom. The Tor di Quinto area will house the IBC and MPC.^[24] After the games, the reconstructed area will be known as the Tiber River Park, which will include 40 hectares of green space along the Tiber.^[26]

The Fiera di Roma would have hosted badminton, cycling, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, handball, boxing, fencing, weightlifting, taekwondo, and table tennis.^[24]

The Tor Vergata, located in the outskirts, would have consisted of two newly constructed venues which will host volleyball, gymnastics, trampoline, and basketball finals.^[24]

Other venues included the Lunghezza for shooting and the Pratoni del Vivaro for mountain biking. Preliminary football rounds will be held in other cities as well.^[24]

See also

• Italy at the Olympics
• Rome bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics

References

External links

• Rome 2020 Official Website
• Rome 2020 Applicant File
• Roma 2020 at YouTube
• IOC Press Release on 2020 bids