Olympics Prague

Reaction to the IOC decision:

Pavel Bém, Prague’s Mayor:

”The news didn’t surprise me. It is also not at all a tragedy. We went into the competition about the year 2016 with very small chances because of 2012 Olympic Summer Games that will take place in London. On top of that, this time our competitors were really better. Rio de Janeiro didn’t already make it twice among candidate cities and Brazil still dreams about Olympic Games. Since the very beginning we have been declaring that our first Olympic steps would indeed be self-confident but at the same time it would have an introductory nature. We presented ourselves to the world as a brave city that is interested in Olympic Games and we discovered that the project is perspective, sensible and considered (not at all megalomaniac). We will now further develop it, so it can become a candidate project in 2020. We will further improve all positive aspects; learn from recommendations of IOC and set mistakes right. A task is before us that offers a vision to the whole Czech Republic. This vision is to become a modern and prospering country where in 12 years time will be possible to organize big international sport competitions and maybe also Olympic Games.”

Tomáš Petera, Director of OPS Prague Olympic:

Announcement of candidates met with a huge interest from media and was accompanied by significant safety precautions. There were few dozen TV crews and hundreds of photographs. The announcement itself took just few minutes. Names of cities that are advancing to next stages were read without any further comments. These cities were of course rejoicing in their success, the others can succeed next time. This time Spain and Brazil were the happy ones but in the past both Rio de Janeiro and Seville didn’t even make it among candidate cities. This fact is surely encouraging for Prague as it means that we certainly have hope. At the moment we are waiting for the IOC’s analysis and for the evaluation of our Application file that will help us to make improvements for the competition about the year 2020. We certainly have something to build on.

Karel Tejkal, spokesman of OPS Prague Olympic:

Prague Olympic is a service organisation managed by the capital city Prague’s council. It is financed solely from the city Prague’s budget and from the Olympic Committee. Our organisation will carry on with its activity. We will concentrate on analysis of the Application file’s evaluation and on putting pieces together to achieve that during the next application it will be even more apparent that Olympic candidacy is not about concrete monsters and lost milliards but that the opposite is true. We will work on such a concept that is in tune with the vision of the 2020 Czech Republic as a modern and prospering country. Expenses will be also in the future covered from the city Prague and Czech Olympic Committee’s budge and will be specified on the basis of submitted plans of steps to be carried in following years. What I consider as absolutely essential is the fact that Prague came with a quality and competitive project that also involved minimum expenses – its expenses were about half of the second cheaper project’s ones and one tenth of the most expensive project’s expenses.

- Olympic Prague

- Prague2016.org

- Czech Olympic comittee