POSTED: February 9th 2011
NewsUpdate
Drut insists mini French revolution has turned 2018 prospects around
LAURA WALDEN & KEIR RADNEDGE in Annecy / Sports Features Communications
ANNECY, Feb 09: Guy Drut believes Annecy is developing a new momentum just at the right time in the 2018 Winter Olmpics bidding race - which ends at the IOC Session in Durban on July 6.
So far it has been a rocky road for the French Alpine campaign but it took a positive turn at the new year with the appointment of a new president in Charles Beigbeder, renewed support from the French government, more funding and the personal, public commitment of IOC members and Olympic champions Drut and Jean-Claude Killy.
The first challenge for the ‘new campaign’ is the current visit of the IOC’s evaluation commission which is making a first stop in Annecy before going on to PyeongChang next week and then Munich at the end of the month.
Drut, assessing Annecy’s prospects after its mini French revolution, said: “We will need a bit of luck and team spirit to show the IOC members both that we can do it - and that we want to do it.
“With the new chairman and a new atmosphere the bid has becomes more solid and we have put in place the str8ctures to sell it as well as possible – above all to the IOC members and the Olympic family and to the other National Olympic Committees.
“The first test after the evaluation commission visit will be SportAccord in London when we will be in front of the whole Olympic family.”
Drut confirmed that the bid planned only essential construction to minimise environmental disruption. He said: “There will ne no new roads, we don’t need any. We will use what is already in place. Our goal is to stage a ‘natural’ Games which is why we are trying not to build anything new unless we really need it, such as the Village.”
Keywords · 2018 Winter Olympics · Drut · Annecy
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