Copenhagen braces for Olympic invasion

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-25 10:02

COPENHAGEN: For a city that has never held an Olympics, Copenhagen will become an Olympic capital of sorts next week when it hosts an international meeting to decide the site for the 2016 Summer Games.

Thousands of people — including government leaders, heads of state, royalty, sport officials, athletes, sponsors and media — are expected to attend the International Olympic Committee meetings from Oct. 1-9.

"On some days, it's going to be crowded," said Niels Nygaard, president of Denmark's national Olympic committee.

The main focus will be the vote for the 2016 host city on Oct. 2. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are locked in a tight contest that could be decided by just a few votes.

Each candidate is bringing a high-power delegation to impress IOC voters.

First lady Michelle Obama is to spearhead the team lobbying for her native Chicago. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish King Juan Carlos are set to come to support Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Tokyo's Olympic bid organizers have urged Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to join them in Copenhagen.

The biggest speculation has been over whether President Barack Obama will attend. The White House has indicated he could make the trip if there is no conflict with the health care debate.

Danish police say they are ready for any situation.

"Our planning is based on the fact that we do not know yet for sure who's coming. We must therefore plan on Obama coming and scale it down if necessary," police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch said.

In line with Danish practice, Munch declined to say how many of Denmark's 11,000 police officers have been assigned to the event.

"In our planning we assess if there is a concrete threat against any of the visitors and act accordingly," Munch told The Associated Press.

The meetings will draw some 1,200 delegates and their aides, plus as many media representatives. In addition, the bidding cities will each bring up to 400 people, Nygaard said.

Invitations also have been sent to 205 national Olympic committees, international sports federations, athletes, coaches, referees, officials and sponsors.

The event is costing Denmark at least $9.1 million.

After an opening ceremony on Oct. 1 at the Opera House on Copenhagen's waterfront attended by Denmark's Queen Margrethe, the spotlight swiftly will shift to the Bella Center, a convention facility a few miles away.

The Bella Center was the venue for another major sports meeting in 2003 when Copenhagen hosted a global anti-doping summit.

About 20 television stations are setting up studios at a center where they will transmit live from the Oct. 2 vote. Organizers say 1 billion television viewers worldwide are expected to follow the election.

Following the 2016 vote, the IOC will hold its 23rd Olympic Congress to address issues facing the future of the movement. That will be followed by the IOC session, or general assembly, where the committee will be briefed on preparations for the Olympics in Vancouver, London and Sochi.

IOC president Jacques Rogge, who was elected in 2001, is seeking a second term in Copenhagen, and as the only candidate, his re-election is a formality. The IOC will also vote on whether to include golf and rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympics.

The assembly also will elect six new members to the IOC. The candidates include Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik. The 41-year-old heir to Denmark's throne is being lined up to replace Kai Holm, who has reached the IOC's retirement age of 70.

"It is important that we have a Danish representative in the IOC leadership," Nygaard said. "The crown prince is a very good representative for Denmark."

This Olympic gathering comes two months before another major international event in Copenhagen: the UN Climate Change conference in December. Government members from about 190 nations are expected in town to try to agree on a broader global pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Activists have planned several demonstrations, including efforts to crash the conference center.

"You cannot compare that to the IOC meetings," Munch said. "There is not so much opposition out there to what they do and say."