Oslo withdraws bid from 2022 Winter Olympics
NTB/The Local - [email protected] •
1 Oct, 2014
Updated Wed 1 Oct 2014 21:31 CEST
Norway's ruling government party has voted against Oslo's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics on Wednesday.
Members of the ruling Conservative party voted against giving financial guarantees to the bid amid concerns the games would be too costly.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg said to NTB: "We've received clear advice and there is no reason not to follow the advice. A big project like this, which is so expensive, requires broad popular support and there isn't enough support for it."
“A Winter Olympics would have been very nice and fun, but it has to be something that the people want. We also have a lot of other things to spend the money on. If there had been a Lillehammer atmosphere, then it would have been right to go further on,” Solberg added. The vote by MPs was close. Parliamentary leader Trond Helleland said after the vote: “The group was split in the middle.”
Helleland echoed the Prime Minister when he said: “I now expect the government not to go further on recommending a government guarantee.” Perhaps Parliament's most outstanding opponent of the Winter Olympics being held in Oslo, Arve Kambe, was relieved by the decision. He said to NTB: “I'm proud and happy for Høyre.” Others were less decided. Fabian Stang, Mayor of Oslo and member of the Conservative Party said: “Some are a little upset, but this isn't the end of the world.” Stang stated three reasons for Oslo municipality wanting to arrange Winter Olympics in Oslo in 2022. He said: “We wanted to be present for sports and for all children and youngsters who would have been inspired.” Oslo city council leader, Stian Berger Røsland, was disappointed by the vote and said: “Oslo 2022 is a project that had overwhelming support in Oslo city council and achieved support from the population of the city through the local people’s vote in 2013. I hoped for another result tonight. I'm disappointed, of course.” The move leaves Beijing and Almaty in Kazakhstan as the remaining contenders to host the games.
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Members of the ruling Conservative party voted against giving financial guarantees to the bid amid concerns the games would be too costly.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg said to NTB: "We've received clear advice and there is no reason not to follow the advice. A big project like this, which is so expensive, requires broad popular support and there isn't enough support for it."
“A Winter Olympics would have been very nice and fun, but it has to be something that the people want. We also have a lot of other things to spend the money on. If there had been a Lillehammer atmosphere, then it would have been right to go further on,” Solberg added.
The vote by MPs was close. Parliamentary leader Trond Helleland said after the vote: “The group was split in the middle.”
Helleland echoed the Prime Minister when he said: “I now expect the government not to go further on recommending a government guarantee.”
Perhaps Parliament's most outstanding opponent of the Winter Olympics being held in Oslo, Arve Kambe, was relieved by the decision. He said to NTB: “I'm proud and happy for Høyre.”
Others were less decided. Fabian Stang, Mayor of Oslo and member of the Conservative Party said: “Some are a little upset, but this isn't the end of the world.”
Stang stated three reasons for Oslo municipality wanting to arrange Winter Olympics in Oslo in 2022. He said: “We wanted to be present for sports and for all children and youngsters who would have been inspired.”
Oslo city council leader, Stian Berger Røsland, was disappointed by the vote and said: “Oslo 2022 is a project that had overwhelming support in Oslo city council and achieved support from the population of the city through the local people’s vote in 2013. I hoped for another result tonight. I'm disappointed, of course.”
The move leaves Beijing and Almaty in Kazakhstan as the remaining contenders to host the games.
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