
In Germany the people of Bavaria voted against bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Four regions voted against the proposal with the vote against ranging from 52% to 60%. The victors claimed the vote demonstrated voters’ distrust of international sporting organisations as a result of doping and corruption scandals. They also claimed that the way that the international sporting organisations extract the economic benefits from the event left little for the host region. The losers claimed it would damage Germany’s sporting reputation. They also claimed the voters would regret their decision in years to come.
In the last couple of days the Irish government announced its intention to back the IRFU in its efforts to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The story was the main headline on Monday’s Irish Examiner (here). The government claim that the event will bring 337,000 fans to Ireland and will benefit the Irish economy to the tune of €800m. The government’s claims are based on a report commissioned by the government. Over the coming days we will look at aspects of this report (when it is published). Overall the proposal seems to be well received.