Madrid declares intentions to bid for 2020 Olympic Games amid large debt
The Spanish Olympic Committee has recently given its endorsement to Madrid to bid for hosting rights of the 2020 Summer Olympics. The deadline to make the submission of the bid is the 1st of September.
It will be the third consecutive time that Madrid will be trying to lure the Olympic Games, with the first two attempts being unsuccessful. Along with Madrid, three other cities including Rome, Istanbul and Tokyo have already announced their bids for the
2020 Games.
According to the head of the COE, Alejandro Blanco, the motion that got the approval of Madrid making the bid in the 2020 Olympic Games was unanimous. The voting for the approval of the bid was presided over by the Mayor of the city, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon
and had the support of two major parties. However, two minor parties were against the prospect of making the bid on grounds of Spain’s financial situation.
The Izquierda Unida (IU) and Union Progreso y Democracia (UPyD) both pointed at the huge amount of debt that the country has piled up as the reason for not being supportive of the decision to make the bid. The country is currently under a debt of 7 billion
Euro. According to the two smaller parties, the money that would be put aside for the 2020 Olympics can be better utilised by investing it in the public sector in order to alleviate the living conditions of the citizens.
The spokesperson of the UPyD, David Ortega, made the following statements regarding the matter: “We cannot ask citizens to make this enormous effort because in the end it will be them who pay the bills. It's not acceptable that there is no money for senior
citizens' homes, public schools or assistance for small and mid-sized firms but there is for the sporting facilities for the Olympic Games.”
Another contender for the 2020 Olympic bid is Doha, which is still not sure whether it wants to make a bid for the Games. The lucky winner that will get the opportunity to act as the host of the 2020 Olympics will be revealed by the International Olympic
Committee in 2013.
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