By Nick Butler

Krakow will hold a referendum over its proposed Olympic and Paralympic bid on May 25 ©AFP/Getty ImagesApril 3 - Kraków 2022 have insisted they are "confident" their Olympic and Paralympic bid will pass a referendum on its fate set for May 25. 


Following a meeting of Councillors, the decision to hold the referendum was approved and set to coincide with the European Parliamentary election on the same day so as to ensure a high turnout.

Kraków Municipal Government spokesman Filip Szatanik has confirmed to insidethegames that the referendum will be a simple yes/no vote regarding an Olympic bid.

The referendum will consist of three other questions as well as the Olympic one, encompassing whether to build more bicycle roads, whether to build a metro train line, and whether to install more vision cameras around the city.

The spokesman added that although they do not have the legal power to extend the referendum outside Kraków, they have asked other involved cities in the surrounding Małopolska region to organise similar local votes.

But there appears little prospect of a referendum being held across the border in Slovakia where Alpine skiing events are due to be held, with the bid seeking to become the first Winter Games where events are held in two different countries. 

Kraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski was criticised after announcing the referendum last month ©Getty ImagesKraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski was criticised after announcing the referendum last month ©Getty Images



The referendum takes place just six weeks before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting in Lausanne on July 8 to 9, where the decision will be made over whether Kraków - or the other 2022 contenders Almaty, Beijing, Lviv and Oslo - are put forward into the Candidature phase of the contest.

With Lviv struggling to keep their bid alive given current events in Ukraine and Oslo yet to receive Government endorsement due to doubts over public support, Kraków's bid is seen as a potential dark horse behind the early front runner Almaty.

In this context, it was a surprise the referendum was demanded last month by Kraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski.

Majchrowski claimed that, despite supporting the bid, he felt for such an important event a referendum must be held, and insisted he was confident the bid would be approved by the public. 

Kraków 2022 repeated this confidence and a spokesman told insidethegames today that they are beginning public consultation sessions later this month as a way of bringing more people behind the bid. 

The decision to hold the election on the same day as the first elections for the European Parliament since 2009 is seen a way to boost turnout and therefore further raise prospects.

This is particularly because a turnout of 30 per cent is required for the referendum result to become valid.

Referendums have already been a key feature of the 2022 race, with proposed bids from Munich and Davos/St Moritz failing such votes last year, while one in Oslo narrowly passed.

But in comparison with these Western European contenders, support in Poland has always seemed higher, and there have been repeated endorsements from figures including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, along with Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico.

Kraków 2022 are seeking to hold Alpine events over the Slovakian border in the Jasna Resort...although only citizens of Krakow will be consulted in the referendum ©AFP/Getty ImagesKraków 2022 are seeking to hold Alpine events over the Slovakian border in the Jasna Resort...although only citizens of Krakow will be consulted in the referendum
©AFP/Getty Images



Following the referendum, the IOC will decide on an unspecified number of Candidate Cities at the Executive Board meeting in July.  

Following that, a series of visits will be held by the IOC Evaluation Commission, headed by Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov, before a final decision is made at the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31, 2015.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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