FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF SOCHI

A bad example is contagious". This well-known saying takes on a somewhat different meaning in the light of the recent victory of the Russian town of Sochi in bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. First of all, this is certainly relevant to the bid by the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Sochi's win came as a complete surprise to many experts. According to projections and statistical data, the Russian town had initially lagged behind its two key rivals - Pyongyang of Korea and Salzburg of Austria. 

Sweeping win

The voting procedure to select the city to host the 2014 Winter Olympics was very simple. In the first round, 97 members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the right to vote were to select one of the three bidders. The right to vote is also reserved for the IOC President Jacques Rogge, but he traditionally abstains. Only in the case that votes are equally split among the bidding cities does his vote decide the winner in the second, final round. 

It was announced beforehand that the representatives from Russia, Korea, Austria and Germany, as well as several delegates who failed to arrive in Guatemala, would not take part in the voting. A city must collect at least 49 votes to win the first round of the contest, otherwise the candidacy with the least number of votes is eliminated from the race, as eventually turned out to be the case.

In the second round, it is enough for a bidder to gain an absolute majority of the votes. The IOC members representing the country that exits the race gain the right to vote in this round. 

Shortly before the voting, the three bidding cities were assigned permanent numbers - Pyongyang (4), Salzburg (3) and Sochi (5). The fact that these numbers were used is rather odd, given that there were only three bidders. However, it should be noted that a total of seven cities had submitted bids.

Also vying for the status of bidder at the outset of the pre-Olympics race were Almaty (Kazakhstan), Borzhomi (Georgia), Sofia (Bulgaria), and Haka (Spain). However, on 22 June 2006, the IOC Executive Committee approved only Pyongyang (4), Salzburg (3) and Sochi (5) to take part in the final round. Ultimately, Salzburg, which received only 27 votes, left the race to host the 2014 Olympics. Pyongyang of Korea topped the list with 36 votes, with Sochi only two votes behind. However, in the second round, the Russian town overtook Pyongyang by four votes, sealing a 51:47 win. The victory was largely the outcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts; he delivered a convincing speech in Guatemala. 

Sochi's win is quite significant, considering that the town does not have a single facility suitable for the Olympics games, while Salzburg, on the contrary, boasted of their readiness, security and location at the very heart of Europe.

As for Korea, it is noteworthy that its representatives were unfortunate to lose in the final round of the contest for the second time running. The Korean city was previously beaten by Canada's Vancouver in bidding for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Koreans therefore reacted to the bad news with tears in their eyes, with a local governor even confessing that he cried after hearing about Pyongyang's loss. But none of this affected the final outcome, as the Russians did not conceal Sochi's shortfalls and even succeeded in presenting them as advantages. One of their arguments was the fact that the town's new Olympics facilities would be the most up-to-date in the world and would be equipped in line with cutting-edge technological standards.

Chances there 

Baku and Sochi have a lot in common in this respect. Baku is the capital of a rapidly developing country, which is among the leaders of the CIS for the rate of economic growth. Just like the Russian town, Baku does not have many sport centres yet that would be suitable to host competitions on an Olympic scale, although some of the existing facilities would meet the requirements. For instance, the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex hosted the European Gymnastics Cup this year, and is set to host the Olympic-licensed world wrestling championship in September. Lately there has been news that a football stadium with a capacity of 70,000 spectators is soon to be built in one of the districts of Baku. The facility could serve as the main venue, not only for the country's football matches, but also for the 2016 Olympics. But most importantly, Baku's bid to host the Olympics is supported by a government guarantee which, as was the case with Sochi, is often a crucial factor for International Olympic Committee officials during the vote. 

According to the vice-president of the National Olympics Committee, Cingiz Huseynzada, the active involvement of the bidding committee and an extensive public relations campaign organized to back Sochi's bid contributed a great deal to the historic win. 

"True, Korea has Olympic facilities, but the work of Sochi was very energetic and convincing, and the direct assistance of the country's president greatly improved its chances of winning," Huseynzada said.

"Quite frankly, I personally believed that Sochi would win," he told R+. "We could capitalize on Russia's experience as we vie for the right to host the 2016 Olympics, considering that we have a lot in common. Sochi's experience shows that despite the scepticism of many international experts, we stand quite a good chance of winning. We just need to approach the issue in all seriousness - by professionally organizing our bidding campaign and doing our utmost to secure victory. I am convinced that, with this in mind and with the attention being given by our government to sport, Baku's chances of hosting the Olympics are quite high."

The capital city to host the 2016 Summer Olympics will be announced by late 2009 at the 121st session of the International Olympic Committee. It is therefore time to act now, and there is no time to waste…