IOC President Pitches Progressive Agenda
09-26-15 STFLA #306
http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/ioc-president-pitches-peace-health-and-education-initiatives
Global political leaders have assembled in New York to discuss world problems at the United Nations but there is one leader who will be talking who has no country, represents no people but has a flag and permanent observer status at the United Nations. I'm Evan Weiner with the Politics of Sports Business.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach really has no business addressing world leaders. However the IOC has United Nations privileges as a permeant observer and Bach can advance IOC ideas which apparently he will do with a Saturday speech before the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015. Somehow Bach will try and pivot his talk to show how sports programs to lead to peace, and can help people's health and education. Just how a group such as the International Olympic Committee can pull off the notion that athletic events can lead to peace is unknown but participating in athletics can lead to better health but not necessarily educational opportunities.
The IOC has kicked in about $2 million to help situate Syrian refugees throughout Europe. Bach probably won't discuss the difficulty in attracting cities and nations to host the Olympics. Cities such as Stockholm, Munich, Oslo, Boston and Toronto have decided the IOC demands of picking up the tab of Olympic cost overruns are not worth the effort and using taxpayer’s money and have told the IOC they are not interested. The IOC had just two bidders for the 2022 Winter Games. Those games will take place in Beijing. It is unclear whether the IOC cares about human rights violations in China. The Olympic Games have become a major loss leader around the world. No one knows what the 2012 Summer Olympics in London really cost and it is estimated the 2014 Sochi Russia games cost $51 billion. But Bach can speak alongside world leaders which is rather strange for a president of a sports organization at the United Nations.