Guatemala hosts Olympic meeting over 2014 Winter Games
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-07-03 08:19
GUATEMALA CITY - The world's eyes will be on Guatemala City because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is meeting here to decide the venue of the 2014 Winter Olympics, with Russian Sochi, South Korean Pyongyang and Austrian Salzburg as the leading candidates.
Austria's Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer arrived on Sunday to try and persuade the 119th IOC session, which runs from Wednesday to Friday, that Salzburg is the best candidate.
South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun arrived late Sunday night to push Pyongyang's bid, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive on Monday for the same reason.
More than 600 print journalists and nearly 300 broadcasters arrived in Guatemala to report the details of the session.
According to the organizers, the three candidate cities mobilized 350 reporters, and Guatemala has accredited some 117 of these.
Eleven television channels spanning Asia, Europe and the Americas will broadcast the ceremony giving the decision live, and another 350 channels will broadcast the story with some delay.
The three cities' promoters have each placed campaign material in the hotels hosting the international press and IOC's 4,000 delegates.
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