Salzburg Mayor Heinz Schaden. (ATR)

Salzburg Mayor Heinz Schaden assertive about the Salzburg Bid following his recent trip to Asia

Returning from a tour which took him to a number of Asian countries, where he held meetings with many influential figures, Heinz Schaden, the Mayor of Salzburg and the head of the Salzburg 2014 supervisory board, is very confident about Salzburg's assets. Enclosed, please find a statementfrom the Mayor on the subject of the Salzburg Bid.

"As we enter the home stretch of the 2014 bid campaign, I am more confident than I have ever been that the IOC will recognize the extraordinary advantages that Salzburg 2014 offers to the Olympic Movement and to the athletes of the future."

Every once in a while, history delivers a host city to the Olympic Movement that combines the ability to produce a competitive environment of true excellence with the potential to capture the world’s imagination in remarkable ways beyond the walls of the arena. Salzburg is one of those cities.

When the IOC Evaluation Commission visits us in March, they will find a bid city in a maximum state of readiness. With all but three of our venues in place and our transport and accommodations infrastructure ready right now for Games-level capacities, Salzburg is presenting a realistic, achievable, low-risk plan with a credible promise of true technical excellence. Our compact plan—and Salzburg’s world-renown tradition of hosting sold-out winter sports events—add up to an incredible experience for the athletes.

But that incomparable technical advantage is only the beginning of Salzburg’s promise.

Thanks to our unprecedented dimension of readiness, Salzburg can eliminate the unceasing demands of construction deadlines and the rising costs that have often dominated OCOG activities in the recent past. In place of these pressures, Salzburg offers the IOC the ability to concentrate on creating a magical experience for the athletes, the Olympic Family, the spectators and the worldwide television audience, working to perfect the core product and atmosphere that gives the Olympic Winter Games their unique distinction.

The benefits extend to the entire Olympic Family. With its enchanting storybook setting, and the qualities of its true winter sports heritage, we believe Salzburg can help renew, revitalize and reenergize the Winter Games in ways that will strengthen the entire Olympic Movement. We believe the global appeal of Salzburg as a destination will help lift the appeal of the Winter Games to new heights, drawing greater interest from broadcasters, sponsors and the worldwide television audience, strengthening in the process the vital revenue streams that the IOC shares with the Olympic Family.

More importantly, perhaps, we believe Salzburg has a unique opportunity to reignite the interest of the young in the Winter Games. We have designed a cultural programme dedicated entirely to the youth of the world. We intend to produce an interactive Olympic street festival that will bring the Games to life in new

As we prepare for the visit of the Evaluation Commission, our leadership is united at all levels of government, all of our guarantees are in place, our National Olympic Committee is fully engaged, our Bid Team is operating at a high level of efficiency and the enthusiasm of our people is growing stronger every day.

All in all, Salzburg is ready to meet all the challenges of hosting the Games—while becoming one of the best and most prepared Winter Games organizing partners the IOC has ever had.

I believe our advantages are becoming clearer and clearer every day. And I am confident that in Guatemala City, the IOC will do what is best for the athletes and the Olympic Movement—and I hope that spells out an advantage for Salzburg on the day of the vote.”

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