Indonesia Jumps Into The 2032 Summer Olympics Bidding Race

IOC needs new applicants.

 

 

Indonesia is the first country that has thrown its hat in the ring and is bidding for the 2032 Summer Olympics. Last September, Indonesia’s President announced that his country wanted the 2032 Summer Games. Joko Widodo thought Indonesia was ready after hosting the 2018 Asian Games which ended on September 2, 2018. Apparently, President Widodo and others in Indonesia didn’t see the reports that South Korea’s government was asked to bail out Gangwon Province because the 2018 South Korea Winter Olympics just didn’t produce the type of revenue that games organizers claimed it would get for the local government. There was no real need for the venues built for the 2018 Games and the local province needed about $18 million US to maintain the structures. Even though the distress signal was sounded, IOC leadership claimed the South Korea Winter Games made money. Indonesia Olympics backers have also ignored that no government wants to subsidize the 2026 Winter Olympics. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has the reason for that. Bach has declared that the press is the enemy of the IOC and is the cause of cities pulling out of the bidding for the IOC’s crown jewel events.

The IOC failed to find enough interested cities for the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics and was forced to give the 2024 Games to Paris and 2028 Games to Los Angeles because those two cities were the only cities that wanted a money losing event that has forced generations of taxpayers to pay off debts. Germany is putting together a 2032 bid as is Egypt. India is also reportedly thinking about attempting to land the Games and Shanghai is readying a bid despite the fact that China has hosted the 2008 and will host the 2022 IOC sports gatherings. North and South Korea could bid as well on a money losing event.

 

Photo: AP Photo/File