Media Watch -- Munich Bid Rejection

Munich Referendum

"Munich’s referendum on whether to host games was smart," says an editorial in Financial Times. The editorial explores the divide between the "governing elites" and the people in a city that considers a bid for the Olympic Games. "Munich deserves a gold medal for consulting its residents before taking a bid to the IOC," Financial Times says.

Reuters reporter Karolos Grohmann also explores the split between a government’s desire to host the Olympics and the opinion of its citizens. Furthermore, Grohmann writes that Munich’s "spectacular 2022 Olympics snub" exposes the need to "review the process of bidding for the Games."

Leonid Bershidsky writes for Bloomberg and echoes Grohmann’s sentiments on Munich’s referendum: "Governments should ask people more often about the desirability of huge sporting events."

Bershidsky adds, "The least financially burdensome Olympics were those that avoided a bidding war for hosting rights."

The Local asks, "What is Germany’s Olympic problem?" Writer Tom Bristow highlights reactions from German sporting figures to Munich’s 2022 bid rejection.

In Other News

National Public Radio reporter Howard Berkes discusses a trend in the Olympic bidding process: "With the upcoming Winter Olympics set in a subtropical, palm tree-lined resort city on Russia's Black Sea, it's no surprise that two former Summer Olympics hosts are now seeking the 2022 Winter Games."

Boston Globe writer Shirley Young discusses the "Olympic-size elephant in the room." While Young affirms that Boston should "think big" in its quest to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, she predicts that the city will face a few "hurdles" along the way.

The Korea IT Times says the Gangwon province is becoming a "big priority" ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Gangwon province governor Choi Moon-Soon sat down with Korea IT Times to discuss preparations for the 2018 Winter Games, a new railway system, development in the Okgye district, as well as his "plan for tourism and economic growth" in the Gangwon area.

Compiled byNicole Bennett.

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