Prague in running for 2016 Summer Olympics

Mayor Pavel Bem says chances of hosting slim, eyeing 2020 Games

Last Updated: Tuesday, September 4, 2007 | 12:55 PM ET

CBC Sports

Prague Mayor Pavel Bem and Czech Olympic Committee chairman Milan Jirasek announced their intentions Tuesday to bid as host city for the 2016 Summer Games.

"We are all part of a single national team," Bem said at a ceremony attended by a dozen Czech athletes, including newly crowned world track and field champions Roman Sebrle and Barbara Spotakova.

"It's a truly historic moment," Jirasek said. "We're at the beginning of a long journey and we are ready to persevere."

Jirasek signed a declaration of interest to the International Olympic Committee and unveiled the official logo for the capital city's candidacy that consists of green numbers in the year 2016 shaped like a laurel branch as a symbol of victory.

"All sports fans would be delighted if the Olympics were staged in Prague," said Sebrle, who is also Olympic champion in decathlon.

Prague joins a formidable field that includes the United States, Japan and Brazil. Other contenders include Chicago, Ill., Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Madrid and Doha, Qatar.

Candidate cities must submit their initial bid files to the IOC by Sept. 13, and the winner will be announced in 2009.

When Prague's municipal assembly approved the bid in March, Bem acknowledged the city's chances of getting the 2016 Olympics were slim due to geographical reasons. London will be staging the 2012 Olympics, and the IOC is considered unlikely to award the games to a European city twice in a row.

Bem said Prague would bid to increase its chances of eventually staging the Olympics in 2020.

Prague, which has never staged the Olympics, made an unsuccessful bid for the 1924 event awarded to Paris.

Private interests to help in funding

An analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers said staging the Olympics in Prague would cost 135.9 billion koruna ($7.1 billion Cdn), with about half of the money privately funded. Bem has previously indicated the total figure could rise.

The analysis estimated that 21 billion koruna ($1.08 billion Cdn) would be spent on security.

Greece spent about one billion euros ($1.44 billion Cdn) on security for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Many facilities would have to be built from scratch. The main stadium for track and field would likely be located in the capital's northeastern Letnany area.

Some competitions would take place in other Czech cities, including Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc and Plzen. The Lipno dam near the border with Austria would host sailing and yachting.