ATR Olympic Bid Power Index - Challenges Ahead for 2020 Candidates

6/6/2012

(ATR) Tokyo is the city to beat in the race for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The Japanese capital scores 69 in the latest edition of the Around the Rings Power Index, a measure of the relative strength of the cities seeking the Olympic Games.

The new ATR Power Index also includes Istanbul and Madrid, selected in May by the IOC Executive Board to enter the final phase of the race to be decided in September 2013. Madrid scores 67 while Istanbul tallies 65 out of 100 possible points.

The EB cut Doha and Baku from the field, the fourth- and fifth-ranked bids in the first edition of the ATR index published in March.

Changes to the new Power Index are largely the result of the findings of an IOC technical review of the 2020 bids. That review of the bids was used by the EB to figure out which cities to cut.

Istanbul

The Turkish bid scores 64 in the latest index, one point less than in March. A better score in ambience, 5 out of 5, indicates the unique backdrop Istanbul offers for 2020: the mix of Europe and Asia, the dramatic landscape of the Bosporus.

But this bid, still without a logo or an official declaration from the government about the leadership of the bid, needs to step-up its overall operation.

One key objective: dispel notions that Turkey will also bid for the 2020 European Football championship. The IOC technical report says holding both events presents “significant risks”. The Istanbul score for bid operation drops from 6 to 5.

The score for public opinion drops from 8 to 7, reflecting the actual public opinion poll results by the IOC that show 73 percent support for the bid, 25 percent with no opinion.

Comments from the IOC report underscore the work Istanbul needs to do to improve transit times and the sprawl of venues in this giant city of 13 million.

Madrid

The Spanish capital wins praise from the IOC experts for its transport and venue plans, neither needing any obvious improvement. Scores in those categories went up one point each, leading to a 67 total score, two better than in March.

But the economic challenges facing Spain are a specter that remain a drag on the Madrid bid, mentioned twice in the IOC report. Spain, with unemployment at 24 percent, is the only one of the three 2020 bid nations in recession.

Public opinion polling by the IOC puts support for the bid at 78 percent, highest among the 2020 bids; opponents were counted at 16 percent.

So far governments at all levels are resolute in support of the bid, despite the financial guarantees that have been made for an Olympics while government services are cut. Some experts say all that’s needed to put the economy back on track is a massive bank bail-out. Bid leaders say the Olympics will help. Madrid’s finance ranking, fifth, is the lowest of the three bids.

Tokyo

As with the Madrid bid, the venue and transit plan for Tokyo are highlights of the city’s second consecutive bid.

While holding steady in the security and safety category at six, Tokyo and Japan could still face issues resulting from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami aftermath: power shortages, radiation clean-up and the possibility of another seismic catastrophe among them.

The most serious flaw for the Tokyo bid would seem to be lagging public support. The public opinion survey commissioned by the IOC shows just 47 percent support in Tokyo for an Olympics (lowest of the three bids), with 23 percent opposed (highest of the three cities). Tokyo drops two notches in the category.

ATR Olympic Bid Power Index - June 2012
Categories:	Istanbul	Madrid	Tokyo
Ambience (out of 5)	5 (4)	4 (4)	4 (4)
Accommodation	7 (7)	7 (7)	8 (8)
Bid Operation	5 (6)	7 (6)	7 (6)
Finance	6 (6)	5 (5)	7 (7)
Last Games (out of 5)	5 (5)	4 (5)	3 (3)
Legacy	6 (6)	5 (5)	7 (6)
Marketing	6 (6)	6 (6)	7 (7)
Public Support	7 (8)	7 (7)	4 (6)
Security	6 (6)	6 (6)	6 (6)
Transportation	5 (5)	8 (7)	8 (7)
Venue Plans	6 (6)	8 (7)	8 (7)
POWER INDEX TOTALS	64 (65)	67(65)	69 (67)

 The Categories Explained

10 points for each category, except Ambiance and Bid Operation, which are scored 5 points each, due to more subjective aspects of these categories. This results in a total possible score of 100 points across the 11 categories.

Accommodation: Quantity, quality

Ambiance: Is the city comfortable, tourist-friendly, a pleasure to visit?

Bid Operation: Leadership, strategy and public relations

Games Cost and Finance: Projected bill for the Olympics and infrastructure, unusual finance risks. Higher scores indicate lower costs, strong financials.

Last Games in the Country: Years since last summer or winter Olympics. The higher the score, the longer since the last Games.

Legacy: Impact of the Olympics in a city; sustainable venues

Marketing: The size and impact of marketing programs

Government & Public Support: The commitment of government and population to a Games

Security: Reputation and quality of security, perceptions of risk

Transportation: Ease of travel, multiple transport options, airports, quality of public transit, taxis

Venues and Experience: Overall plan for the Games, experience handling other large scale events.

Written by Ed Hula and Mark Bisson.

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