SWITZERLAND: SION FAVOURITE TO HOST 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS.

Record ID: 990104

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: SION FAVOURITE TO HOST 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS.
  • Date: 17th June 1999
  • Summary: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SWITZERLAND (RECENT) 1. COUNTRYSIDE NEAR SION. 2. TOWN OF SION. 3. SOUNDBITE (French) LOCAL MAN COMMENTING ON THE BID "With the environment, the great natural resources we have around us and the support of the people... we have to win" 4. SOUNDBITE (French) LOCAL WOMAN SAYING "I think Sion deserves to win because they have a much better bid than the first time. I sincerely hope we will get it" 5. SOUNDBITE (French) LOCAL WOMAN SAYING "The Games will bring more jobs to the region". 6. SOUNDBITE (French) LOCAL WAITER SAYING "It will change our lives. It will boost our economy. It is great." 7. SION STREETS. 8. SOUNDBITE (French) LOCAL WOMAN SAYING "New infrastructures are left after the games, people complain about the money spent... What are we going to do with all the infrastructure?" 9. AERIAL ALPINE VALLEY. 10. SOUNDBITE (French) JEAN-DANIEL MUDRY, THE FORMER SWISS ARMY GENERAL WHO HAS BEEN DRAFTED IN AS DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE 2006 OPERATION SAYING "The region is our greatest advantage. We are at the heart of the Alps and we can see almost all the sites from Sion except for St Moritz and the Conches Valley. All the events take place within half an hour's travelling distance from the site of the proposed Olympic Village" 11. SION VALLEY 12. SOUNDBITE (French) MUDRY SAYING "Sion is a small town's bid like Lillehammer was. We are a rural touristic region as opposed to a big city's bid like Turin, that has one million inhabitants. It is a different concept" 13. TURIN AND SION FLAGS 14. SION'S SMALL RAILWAY STATION, AIRPORT AND STADIUM. 15. (SOUNDBITE) (French) MEMBER OF SWITZERLAND'S WORLD WILDLIFE FUND (WWF) IN CHARGE OF SION 2006 PROJECT SAYING "The major problem is that the Alps are not adapted to the organisation of events on the scale of the Olympic games. It cannot withstand new infrastructures, new installations, ski lifts,... They are usually to the detriment of the inhabitants, favouring only the tourism". 16. NEW INSTALLATIONS AND BUILDINGS IN CRANS MONTANA. 17. CUT DOWN TREES. 18. (SOUNDBITE) (French) MUDRY SAYING "Since the beginning, the protection of the environment has been a strong feature of our candidature. All competition sites have been chosen after considering the effects on nature. To every site we made studies of impact. We have done everything we could. We have done more than the law requires." 19. IOC OLYMPIC MUSEUM BESIDE LAKE GENEVA IN LAUSANNE. 20. FLAME BURNING AT MUSEUM. 21. (SOUNDBITE) (French) MUDRY SAYING "This is clearly the last time we try to get the games. At least for this generation. Maybe in 50 years another team will try. This is our third bid, we have corrected all the mistakes the IOC wanted. We have a concept that corresponds to the desire of the IOC and international federations. We have political, economical and the people's support. We have an excellent report from the IOC evaluation committee" 22. CHILDREN PLAYING 23. MUDRY PRESENTING PASSPORT AT AIRPORT CHECK-IN. Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 1st July 1999 13:00
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  • Location: SION, CRANS MONTANA AND LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Reuters ID: LVA4FLIOJAJO0XJKHAE48IR58ETL
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  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
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