Australia bid for Olympics unlikely before 2030 despite Rogge encouragement
By Duncan MackayBritish Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 5 - Australia is unlikely bid again to host the Olympics and Paralympics for another 20 years despite being given encouragement to do so by Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Brisbane is the leading Australian city that wants to put in a bid to follow Melbourne and Sydney, who hosted the Olympics in 1956 and 2000 respectively, but have been warned that they must wait by John Coates, the President of the Australian Olympic Committee.
"There were 44 years between our two Games last time," Coates told The Australian.
"It could happen, but it is unlikely to come our way until probably 2030."
Australian hopes have been raised by an interview Rogge gave to The Australian to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Olympics.
"We have a high respect for Australia." said Rogge, who was head of the IOC Coordination Commission that oversaw preparations for Sydney 2000.
"You are a population of 22 million which ranks fourth or fifth in the world [in Olympic medals].
"There is no reason why Australia should not bid in the future."
Rogge even offered as further encouragement how close Madrid had come to being awarded the 2012 and 2016 Olympics less than 20 years after they had been staged in Barcelona.
"There is no mathematical formula, but if you see what Madrid has been able to do - coming close to victory within 20 years of the previous Games - this is about the range of possibilities," Rogge told the newspaper.
But Coates claimed that there were several regions of the world who would be ahead of Australia in the queue to host the Olympics.
"Africa will get a go, the Middle East at some stage will get a go and Europe has to be slotted back in there as well," he said.
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