The report elaborated by a group of 20 specialists from the DNV, Advansia AS and the Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration shows that the Olympics 2018 will be twice as expensive as budgeted by the Tromsø Olympic project group.
While the Tromsø 2018 budget includes 9,5 billion NOK (1,14 billion EUR) of state subsidies, the specialists in their report estimate the necessary subsidies to 19,1 billion NOK (2,29 billion EUR). That sum is likely to be considered unacceptably high for the government.
The Olympics in Tromsø will require 28,6 billion NOK of state guarantees, the report reads.
Game over
Chief editor of newspaper “Nordlys” Hans Kristian Amundsen now say that the Arctic Olympic plans are likely to wreck and that the local Tromsø Olympic office soon will have to turn off the lights.
Also town mayor Arild Hausberg now admits that the Olympic chances look slimmer. –This is incredibly surprising, Mr. Hausberg says to Nordlys. –Afterall, there is a huge difference between our figures and the figures presented in the report, he adds.
Government support in jeopardy
Meanwhile, the Norwegian government is reluctant to take the bill for the expensive games. Minister of Culture Trond Giske underlines that the sport associations will have to guarantee for 22,3 percent of the games.
-This is not negotiable, Mr. Giske underlined, Nordlys reports.
In the Olympic presentation made in Oslo today, the minister did not show enthusiasm about the Olympic plans. -It will be more difficult to grant a state guarantee when the price is twice as high, he said to journalists.
Government prestige project
The Olympic plans in Tromsø have been met by a major level of scepticism in Norwegian sport environment, especially in the southern parts of the country. Also several prominent politicians have expressed a negative attitudes towards the project.
At the same time, the Olympic project has won heavy support in government circles. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is believed to be among the staunchest supporters of the games, seeing them as part of his ambitious High North policy.
Also people in the Norwegian North have supported the plans. Town mayor Arild Hausberg says the question is: Do we want modern sport facilities in northern Norway, or not?
He believes the fight for the games is not yet over.
Read the report on Tromsø 2018 here (in Norwegian)
Read also:
Norway’s Tromsø Olympics 2018 versus Russia’s Sochi 2014 BarentsObserver October 1, 2008
