Scheduling could challenge Olympic bid

When Beijing launched its joint bid with Zhangjiakou in Hebei Province to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, it was initially intended as a setup bid for a later Olympic Games. However, as a succession of other bids have pulled out for a variety of reasons, China now only needs to see off Kazakhstan’s Almaty to win the top prize.

But that prize may turn out to be considerably smaller than expected if the rumors coming out of Europe are to be believed. That is because there is now a real possibility that the 2022 World Cup may clash directly with the Games – and soccer will win out over winter sports every time when it comes to attracting the world’s attention.

The 2022 Winter Games are slated, as is customary, for the month of February, but FIFA is looking at moving the World Cup from its traditional summer slot to an alternative time frame, due to the unbearable summer heat in Qatar. One of the leading slots being considered is January/February.

The IOC claims it has received repeated assurances from FIFA President Sepp Blatter that there will be no clash, but this is a man who once said women should wear tighter shorts and low-cut shirts, told gay fans to refrain from sexual activities in Qatar, and claimed that on-field racism could be rectified with a handshake. In other words, Blatter’s word is worthless.

UEFA President Michel Platini, a man whose word is far more believable, implied last week that a scheduling clash between the World Cup and the Olympic Games is still very much a possibility. If the two do overlap, TV executives around the world will be faced with some harsh choices – and may look to renegotiate their lucrative broadcast deals for these major sporting competitions.

Even if the two events take place consecutively in January and February, fans would have a degree of burnout by the time the Winter Games begins, not to mention the fact that they would likely be watching broadcast “B” teams of second-rate reporters and anchors, as the “A” teams recover from Qatar.

Even in China, a domestic Winter Games would be less popular than a World Cup overseas. Beijing may well find it faces more competition from soccer than from the other possible host, Almaty, but both cities will be desperately hoping the World Cup’s slot on the calendar is placed as far from February as possible.