Oslo Talks Public Support; Toronto Searches for Mascot; FEI Ousts Guadalajara

Bid Leader Cites "Good Numbers" for Oslo 2022

Oslo 2022 bid leader Eli Grimsby tells Around the Rings public opinion is still on the side of a bid.

A recent poll from Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten found 42 percent of citizens in favor of Oslo 2022, 33 opposed and 25 percent with no opinion.

She notes that the last poll was done following the 2011 Nordic Skiing World Championships, and the city was still "vibrant" from the event. But she sees positive signs from the results.

"These are good numbers compared to many other countries who have hosted the Olympics. It will be 10 years until we may be hosting the Olympics. Experience indicates that it is difficult to create the ultimate excitement and engagement around major projects when people do not grasp the complete outline."

She added: "We have a big potential to enthuse even more Norwegians with our application, and have faith in an even stronger popular support. The survey inspires and motivates us to go wide and say what the Olympics and Paralympics can be for Oslo, Norway and the world at large. For us it is now important to be specific and convey to the Norwegian people that we will create a much-needed boost for the capital and build the necessary sports facilities to accommodate children and young people who want to be active."

Almaty, Kazakhstan; Barcelona, Munich and Oslo are some of the cities expected to bid, while applications from Poland, Switzerland and the Ukraine are also being finalized.

Before Christmas, Oslo unveiled its "Games in the City" campaign, which outlined details of the Games. Competitions would take place in an axis around the city center, where Games-related festivities would take place.

Toronto 2015 Launches Mascot Contest

The search is on for schoolchildren to design the mascot for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

The design contest launched Thursday is open to teams of between two and six Canadians ages 16 and under.

"We’re looking for entries made by teams of young people working and collaborating together," said Toronto 2015 CEO Ian Troop.

"The idea is for kids to play together and let their imaginations run wild. We can hardly wait to see what they come up with."

Entry forms, creation tips and contest rules are available here.

Mascot sketches and 250-word life stories are due March 8 with an expert panel selecting the top six designs to advance to an online vote conducted nationwide. The winner will be revealed Aug. 7 as part of two-year-to-go celebrations to Toronto 2015.

FEI Strips World Cup Finals from Guadalajara

Guadalajara will go without the FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals in 2015.

"The FEI truly appreciates the efforts that the Guadalajara organizers put in to try and meet all the requirements, but as they were unable to fulfill them within the agreed timeline, the FEI Bureau was left with no choice but to withdraw the Finals," FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said Friday in a statement.

"In spite of this set-back, we hope that the Mexican Federation will consider hosting a major FEI event in the future, as we are very keen to see a world class equestrian event organized in the region."

Las Vegas was the other bidder back in June 2012, but FEI says hosting rights will not automatically transfer to the U.S. city.

"The FEI has contacted the Las Vegas organizers to see if they are still interested in staging the double Final in 2015 and, if they confirm their continued interest, allocation of the Finals to Las Vegas will be dependent on the organizers fulfilling all the requirements," explains Friday’s statement from FEI.

"Following receipt of this information from Las Vegas, the ultimate decision on allocation of the Finals will be made by the FEI Bureau."

Claude Nobs, Montreux Jazz Founder

Claude Nobs, the creator of the Montreux Jazz Festival died Jan. 10 from injuries suffered in a cross country ski accident Dec. 24. He was 76. Nobs, a music producer, founded the festival in 1967. Former IOC director general Francois Carrard is chairman of the Montreux festival, which is held every July in the resort town on the eastern tip of Lake Geneva.

Written by Ed Hula III.

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