Cabinet supports Bern-Montreux Olympic bid
The cabinet has decided to inject SFr300,000 into the Bern-Montreux bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The cabinet said on Wednesday it would invest the sum in the organising committee’s budget for 2003.
The Bern-Montreux bid is to be submitted to the Swiss Olympic Association on Friday. If the bid is deemed valid, the dossier will be forwarded before Monday’s deadline to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne.
The Swiss bid, however, has six potential rivals for the 2010 Winter Olympics, including the city of Harbin, in north-eastern China, Vancouver (Canada), Jaca (Spain), Kangwon (South Korea), Salzburg (Austria) and Sarajevo (Bosnia). The IOC is expected to announce the winner in Prague in July next year.
So far, Vancouver is the only candidate to have submitted its bid.
Swiss bid
Bern and Montreux plan to spend SFr12.5 million on their bid over the next 12 months, with the bulk of the money coming from sponsors, while cantons and communes will inject SFr700,000.
If Switzerland is chosen to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, the organisers say they will ask the government for SFr79 million to cover infrastructure costs and to act as a deficit guarantee.
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