2022 Olympic Games: Smash or Flop?
Andrzej Walczak, a husband of Krakow's engine of the Olympic Committee, Jagna Marczułajtis-Walczak, MP, fell to a journalistic provocation, revealing some dirty PR games in favour of the event.
Pawel Salamon, a journalist of lovekrakow.pl portal revealed that he was offered a PR job to develop content promoting Krakow 2022 Committee by Walczak, who is not officially a part of the committee, but a local businessman in Podhale region.
Marczułajtis-Walczak has been the main "warrior" for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Zakopane cause. It was her who managed to persuade the authorities of Krakow and Malopolska to apply for the organization of 2022WO, and obtained a preliminary "go" from the Polish government. Marczułajtis-Walczak is also responsible for developing an expertise to assess the total cost of the Olympics.
The incident with Andrzej Walczak was the straw that broke the camel's back for Krakow 2022 Committee. Since October 2012, when Zakopane, back to back with Krakow, officially started preparing for applying for a 2022 Winter Olympics host city nomination, the controversy has not ceased. Local media have been reporting of millions of zlotys spent under the table, costly video clips, and a Swiss company accussed of corruption.
Local politicians convince that the several billion zlotys cost of organization would pay back as the region's promotion, both immediately and years after the WO, however the social protest, mostly of the residents of Krakow, is becoming more and more audible, as no doubt serious billions of zlotys will be needed to organize the Winter Olympics in Poland (from a 480,000 entry fee for the IOC, and another of 1,6 million, to several billions of zlotys of expenses on modernizing roads and railroads).
Zakopane has already been applying for the Olympics before: in 2006 it lost to Turin. This time, in liason with Krakow and Slovakia, it hopes to prevail. In October 2012 an official pact was signed between the authorities of Malopolska and Slowakia, to lobby for the 2022 WO. The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as skating competitions would take place in Krakow, Zakopane would host biathlon, snowboard and Nordic skiing competitions, and Slovakia would take Alpine skiing contests and, partly, the hockey tournament. The Slovak city of Poprad has lost triply: in 1984 to Sarajevo, in 2002 to Salt Lake City and in 2006 to Turin.
In October 2012 the budget committee of Krakow has approved the expense of 150,000 $. With that amount of money in view, it didn't take long for the social protests to start. In December 2012 a group of young people protested in the magistrate's floor with a banner "Bread and no games". "No one has asked the residents if they want the Olympic games in Krakow. The financial data is incorrect and huge money is about to be spent without our consent" they claimed pointing out to Vancouver, where the estimated cost of 2010 WO went from 2 to 6 billion dollars.
The magistrate officials, as well as Malopolska politicians in Warsaw claim unanimously that the pros will be really worth the while, and the earliest the next opportunity might come no sooner than in eight years.
After touring sports objects in Zakopane itself, Malopolska and Slowakia in June 2013 Michael Payne, one of the most renowned out-and-outers in organizing mass sports events assessed that Polish roads are the weak point in organizing the 2022 Winter Olympics. He was invited by the Marshall of Malopolska, Jagna Marczułajtis-Walczak. According to Payne, a former marketing director of the IOC, and now a sports marketing expert, the International Olympic Committee will focus on Europe to maintain balance between various international sports events coming up in a few next decades. "With your beautiful city and almost ready sports facilities might turn out the most serious applicant" said Payne. The expert pointed out to, i.a. ski runs in Slovakia, the Wielka Krokiew ski jump in Zakopane, or the almost ready Czyzyny Arena in Krakow that would host the speed skating contests.
After the journalist provocation involving Andrzej Walczak, the MP has stepped down from the committee. The Krakow 2022 Committe members are to be laid off and replaced with a new crew. Temporarily, its head is to be Magdalena Sroka, the mayor's deputee for promotion.
The official submission of the 2022 Winter Olympics host city application of Zakopane and Krakow will take later this year. Apart from Krakow/Zakopane five other cities have revealed considering to become a host city for the event: Sankt Morritz, Barcelona, Oslo, Nice and Lvov. Announcing the final decision will take place during an IOC session in 2015 in Kuala Lumpur.
The spot above is not an official one, though, and will not be showed outside of Poland, as the IOC forbids to advertise candidate cities outside their countries until this autumn. It is also doubtful that the video will convince Krakowians before the referendum planned for May this year.
