GamesBids.com has updated BidIndex numbers for the 2010 Olympic Bid applicants – and the race is tightening.
Berne, Switzerland (BidIndex 58.63) continues to have the highest rating but Vancouver, Canada (58.62) has closed the gap to one one-hundredths of a point and Salzburg, Austria (55.56) posted the highest gain but remains third-best. Vancouver has recently demonstrated improved transportation plans and additional bid financing while Salzburg continues to mount an aggressive media campaign.
Jaca, Spain (47.91) and Pyeongchang, Korea (41.16) also boasted improved BidIndex scores but remain far behind the apparent leaders.
Both highly questionable bids – Harbin, China (36.48) and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (27.97) have fallen further back. Many believe a 2010 Games in Harbin is unthinkable since China will have just hosted in 2008 in Beijing, and Sarajevo will have too many financial and infrastructure challenges to properly prepare for the Games.
Andorra la Vella’s index is still “halted” due to the committee’s announcement that it may withdraw its bid by May 15 pending the results of a feasibility study. Andorra may consider bidding for the 2014 Games instead.
BidIndex is a model that when applied to an Olympic Bid, produces a number that can be used to rate a bid relative to others – and possibly gauge it’s ultimate success.
