Lack of Daylight Threatens Norwegian City’s Winter Games Bid

OSLO, 21 February 2004 — Too little daylight may pull the curtains on the Norwegian Arctic city of Tromso’s chances of hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics, a report said yesterday.

In mid-February Tromso, located 300 kilometers above the Arctic Circle, has so few hours of daylight that it would be difficult to broadcast several attractive events, the online edition of the Nordlys newspaper said. Broadcasting rights constitute a sizeable share of the budget. Norwegian television producer Odd Kaldeforss, who has advised the Tromso bid committee, said that the television companies would not want attractive events such as the downhill, ski jumping and cross-country skiing to take place at the same time, causing a complicated schedule.

An idea to postpone the start of the games to March would probably get the broadcasters onboard, but would clash with the International Ice Hockey Federation since the playoffs in the National Hockey League begin around that time.

Ice hockey and figure skating are among the most popular sports at Winter Games. Tromso edged out 1994 Winter Olympics host Lillehammer as Norway’s choice for the 2014 bid earlier this year. A formal decision to apply for the Games has yet to be taken. Applications must be sent to the International Olympic Committee by the autumn of 2005.

Swimming Roof for 2004 Olympics Deemed a Must

In Athens, International Swimming Federation officials yesterday urged the Greek government not to back down from plans to put a roof onto the Olympic Games’ swimming stadium. “A roof is indispensable and we’re optimistic it will be finished in time,” International Swimming Federation (FINA) President Mustapha Larfaoui said during the diving World Cup, a test event for this summer.

“The roof is important for viewers and athletes. People can not stay under the sun. Everybody knows temperatures are very high in Athens in August,” FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu said.

Greek government officials announced Tuesday the roof project was in a limbo, and that an alternative solution will have to be found, after the contractor chosen to build it said he could not carry out the project.

“We’ll try to find a common solution... a temporary roof would do,” Cornel Marculescu said. “We had received the plans in 2001 and had also ourselves presented them to others,” Marculescu said.