POSTED: September 9th 2009

NewsUpdate

Madrid aims to brighten up the 2016 Olympic and Paralympics

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications

MADRID: The city of Madrid is a riot of colour and passion which would bring an added vibrancy and vitality to the Olympic movement, according to a passionate appeal from 2016 bid leader Mercedes Coghen.

“Madrid is one of the most dazzling and lively cities in the world," says the 1992 hockey gold medallist. "But, important as is winning medals, we know that an Olympic and Paralympic Games in Madrid would be about so much more than gold, silver and bronze. 

"This is an amazing city in which to compete, inspiring athletes to achieve their best and have an amazing time while doing so.  The red hot sporting passion of Madrileños, sunshine-filled blue skies and the great green credentials of our city would give the Olympic movement one of the best events and most enduring legacies in its history.”

Madrid is renowned for its fiesta vibe, with thousands of bars, clubs and parties open 24 hours a day.  Red, the colour of Madrid’s city flag, is the colour associated with the fiery flamenco spirit and the bid team want to ensure that the rest of the world understands how Madrid embodies all the drama, elegance and excitement of the dance. 

High support levels

Coghen says: “Madrid burns with passion, for life, for love and now for the Olympics. We have unbelievably high levels of support for the games all across the city and country.  As an athlete, I cannot think of anything better than competing to the sounds of thousands of cheering spectators. 

"Our whole city will become an Olympic Village with enthusiasm and excitement for the Games pouring out of every street, park and building across the city."

She expects - assuming Madrid win the IOC vote on October 2 - that spectators and visitors will be able to soak up a unique atmosphere in a city which boasts 14 hours of daily summer sunshine and very little rainfall.

Tourist directors understand that 8m annual visitors pour in to enjoy the pavement cafes, designer boutiques, local markets and parks in a compact city whose numerous attractions can be accessed on foot or by bicycle. The evolution of Madrid into an environmental city of the future takes in the historic Retiro Park which complements the innovations the Games would leave as an urban legacy.

Green ambition

Coghen adds: “We are determined that Madrid will be the greenest Games ever. We are planting hundreds of thousands of trees, creating thousands of hectares of new parkland and building thousands of kilometres of bicycle lanes to really help transform the city.  The Olympic Village will serve as a world-class model of sustainable building.”

September each year brings the Noches Blancos (White Nights), a celebration of culture and entertainment which offers free all-night events, parties and entry to some of the world's most famous museums and in the safety offered by the city’s famously low crime rate. Also known as Los Blancos are Real Madrid, one of the world's greatest football clubs, whose matches as popular as ever.

Coghen concludes: “Every day in Madrid is full of colour and life. The coloured Olympic rings symbolize the diversity of continents, countries and people who participate in the Games.  From smiling faces to football team colours, from the golden triangle of art galleries to the sparkling river undergoing regeneration, Madrid’s colours symbolise the variety our city offers.

"We hope to show the world this by finding the ultimate pot of gold at the end of our city’s rainbow – the honour of hosting the 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games.”

Keywords · Madrid 2016 · Olympic bids · Mercedes Coghen

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