Bidding for 2024 Summer Olympics -- Media Watch

(ATR)San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius says,"The idea that San Francisco might try to host the Summer Olympics in 2024 has been in the wind for some time.

"Now that Giants president Larry Baer has officially said he’d like to spearhead the effort, the concept has some real buzz."

Nevius adds one point for supporters of San Francisco's Olympic aspirations: "Be careful what you wish for."

Germany's international broadcasterDeutsche Welle discusses Berlin's campaign for a 2024 Olympics bid, which the city launched on Monday. "Marketed as the 'Berlympics,' the capital has put a huge social media campaign in motion as part of the initiative, which is backed by 30 companies and 70 individuals," DW says. "The campaign has highlighted the economic benefits the games would bring to the capital, making particular reference to the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

"The campaign also acknowledged that Berlin will need to spruce itself up if it's going to step out onto the world sporting stage."

Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The Vancouver Observer's Hamish Stewart says London, Vancouver, and Tokyo can share Olympic-sized lessons."Following London’s example," Stewart writes, "a major focus of planning for the Games is the 'legacy,' something which the city of Vancouver knows about."

Guardian architecture and design critic Oliver Wainwright examines a "blistering attack" launched on the 2020 Olympic stadium by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki."In a lengthy open letter to the Japan Sports Council," Wainwright explains, "Isozaki rails against the 'distorted' process that has led to 'a dull, slow form, like a turtle waiting for Japan to sink so that it can swim away.'"

The AFP also disusses Isozaki's critique of the 2020 Olympic Stadium which, according to the AFP, just "adds to the row over the controversial venue." In response to an AFP inquiry, Isozaki said via email,"Two years ago, I felt that the Zaha Hadid proposal was a design that presented an excellent image of a 21st century urban architecture.

"When I saw the revised proposal, I was shocked to see that the dynamism presented in the original had gone."

Winter Olympic Games

Business Insider reporter Tony Manfred says, "Beijing is the favorite to host the 2022 Olympics because no one else wants it." Beijing is in the running to host the 2022 Games alongside Almaty, Kazakhstan. Manfred takes a closer look at concerns laid out in the IOC's report on Beijing, which was released in May of this year.

The list of concerns includes: "it barely snows there;nearly half the venues will have to be built from scratch; there are less than 600 hotel rooms around the alpine skiing venue; and China isn't used to hosting winter sporting events."

NBC's Nick Zaccardi spotlights German speed skater Claudia Pechstein who, at age 45, is eyeing her seventh Olympic Games."Pechstein could become the oldest Winter Olympic medalist in an individual event ever in 2018," Zaccardi explains.

Gregory Strong, a reporter for The Canadian Press, speaks with Olympic curling gold medalist Ryan Fry."Our team is hungry," Fry says. "We want to be known as one of the best teams to play the game and we want to hold on to that No. 1 spot as long as we possibly can."

Compiled byNicole Bennett

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