Nothing says “awesome ski town” like a winning bid for the Winter Olympics. On November 15, 2013, the International Olympic Committee announced the six cities that have confirmed bids for the 2022 event.
The playing field represents a diverse mix of traditional and state-of-the-art resorts. They include:
- Almaty, Kazakhstan: The city already has Olympic facilities that were built for the Seventh Asian Winter Games held in 2011.
- Beijing, China: Beijing will host the indoor ice sports and Zhangjiakou will host the outdoor events
- Krakow, Poland: If their bid succeeds, it will be the first time either Poland or Slovakia will host the Olympics
- Lviv, Ukraine: Although newly-constructed as a football stadium, the Arena Liviv would host Bobsleigh, Skeleton and Luge events.
- Oslo, Norway: Oslo played host to the 1952 Winter Olympics, and Norway hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer
- Stockholm, Sweden: Are, about 380 miles from Stockholm, placed a bid to host eight alpine skiing events.
International Olympic Committee President Robert Bach revealed his ¨delight¨ about the potential candidates:
These cities and their supporters clearly understand the benefits that hosting the Games can have and the long lasting legacy that a Games can bring to a region.
Indeed, while recent Games have left an array of sporting, social, economic and other legacies for the local population, many cities that did not go on to win the right to host the Games have also noted benefits as a result of their bid.
The International Olympic Committee invited the candidates to attend a seminar in Lausanne from December 4th to 6th 2013 and to participate in an observer program during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Where To Ski Now
To paraphrase Robert Bach, even the cities that do not win the bid might become the next big thing in skiing. In fact, an article published on November 15, 2013 in the Mail online asked readers if they would “Fancy swapping Austria for Kazakhstan?”
Intrepid skiers and snowboarders — especially those who like to combine their winter sport trips with some culture and history — might jump at the chance. You get extra bragging rights for skiing or riding at a region before it becomes a Winter Olympic host.
On October 8, 2013, the World Tourism Organization, with the support of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Kazakhstan celebrated the first Euro – Asian Ski Resorts Conference: “Developing New Destinations for Snow Tourism” in Almaty.
The conference focused on ski resort development in Eastern Europe and Asia, as a means of increasing tourism and contributing to the local economy. Thankfully, the organization made the thought-provoking conference notes available to the general public.
Should one of the smaller countries win the 2022 Winter Olympic bid, it will be interesting to see what the status does for their ski tourism and overall economic prosperity.
When you decide to expand your skiing and snow sports to new and unique horizons, shipskis.com will be there to make sure that your gear arrives intact.