Small event, Tuesday March 19, in the streets of Madrid. Without consequence but not without interest. On the second day of the IOC Evaluation Commission's visit to the Spanish capital, a group of opponents of the Iberian candidacy for the 2020 Games displayed signs and banners in front of the small troop of experts and Olympic officials. . On one of them, this message: “Please eliminate us. »
According to witnesses, this colony of protesters was “few in number but noisy. " Never mind. Despite support from the Madrid population announced at 81%, the Spanish candidacy raises questions in a country undermined by the crisis, where the unemployment rate exceeds 25%. Do Madrid and Spain really have the means to apply for an event whose cost amounts to billions of euros in public spending?
The opposition demonstration on Tuesday, March 19, gave Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. the opportunity to provide his share of answers. Member of the IOC and first supporter of the Madrid 2020 file, he released his figures and deployed his arguments. “The money has already been invested,” he explained, adding that nearly 80% of the Olympic facilities had already been built. Unlike Rome, which withdrew from the race under the pretext that the city did not have the means to continue, Madrid cannot afford not to continue the adventure. »
According to the bid team's estimates, hosting the 2020 Summer Games in Spain would cost around 1,5 billion euros, to be paid between the end of 2013 and the summer of 2020. But the The impact of the event on Spanish GDP would reach around 3,8 billion euros. Preparing for the event would also allow the creation of 83 jobs.
“In exchange for a minimal investment, the Games would help revive our economy,” insisted Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. “There would be no financial risk in entrusting us with the Games, because the expense has already been incurred. »
After the doping, on Monday, Madrid and Spain undertook on the second day of the visit of the IOC envoys to destroy another of their alleged weak points. We are impatiently waiting for what comes next.
