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The bid concept of Salzburg 2014 greatly appeals to the world’s athletes. Salzburg’s excellent geographic location with over 150 million people living within a day’s drive or train ride guarantee an enthusiastic crowd and full stadiums. Athletes will find best conditions and expertise in Salzburg. Austria has organised more than 250 World Championships and World Cups in the last ten years. A survey, first published by Around The Rings, of about 100 athletes at the Torino Olympics shows that most athletes picked Salzburg as the most qualified place to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics among the six other cities that were in the race at that time. The survey from Germany-based proSport, a publishing and research firm, shows 44.7 percent of the athletes ranked Salzburg as best-qualified to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2014. Gernot Leitner, Executive Director Salzburg 2014 and former professional volleyball player: “Despite the fact that I am not a winter sport athlete, I know what athletes need to perform at their best at possibly the most important competition of their lives – short distances, knowledgeable, enthusiastic fans, and organisers with great expertise. Salzburg can offer all of that to the athletes and therefore I am not surprised about the athletes’ compelling vote.” Felix Gottwald, two-time Olympic Champion in Torino 2006 and Salzburg 2014 Ambassador: „No doubt, the Winter Games in Torino, where I won two gold and one silver medal, were my most successful ones. But, looking back, I experienced the most emotional moments at the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer where the atmosphere was breathtaking. I am convinced that Salzburg can offer exactly that to the athletes – magic moments that they will never forget in their lives. Salzburg is a bid having organised numerous world class events in the last decades which has proven that athletes can perform at their best whenever they compete at venues in the Salzburg Olympic region. I fully understand why the athletes chose Salzburg during the Torino Games as the most qualified bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2014: Because they appreciate the reliability, the passion, and the warm winter welcome that they could experience in Salzburg in 2014.” |
