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| Almaty, Kazakhstan, Battles Perceptions and Beijing in 2022 Olympic Bid | Almaty, Kazakhstan, Battles Perceptions and Beijing in 2022 Olympic Bid |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| ALMATY, Kazakhstan — The last time this happened — that is, the last time a former Soviet republic from Central Asia bid to host an Olympics — the entire thing was a joke. A lark. A laugh. | ALMATY, Kazakhstan — The last time this happened — that is, the last time a former Soviet republic from Central Asia bid to host an Olympics — the entire thing was a joke. A lark. A laugh. |
| This was in 1992, when Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, bid for the 2000 Summer Games. At the time, Tashkent’s committee leaders readily admitted that, should they win, they would need to build 24 venues, including a regulation-size swimming pool as well as a few other nagging items, like hotels, an airport and a hospital. Just one year after the fall of the Soviet Union, the people of Tashkent were fully aware that they were dreaming. | This was in 1992, when Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, bid for the 2000 Summer Games. At the time, Tashkent’s committee leaders readily admitted that, should they win, they would need to build 24 venues, including a regulation-size swimming pool as well as a few other nagging items, like hotels, an airport and a hospital. Just one year after the fall of the Soviet Union, the people of Tashkent were fully aware that they were dreaming. |
| More than two decades later, however, the executives in charge of bringing the 2022 Winter Olympics here, to Kazakhstan’s former capital and current commercial hub, are far more serious. | More than two decades later, however, the executives in charge of bringing the 2022 Winter Olympics here, to Kazakhstan’s former capital and current commercial hub, are far more serious. |
| They do not care that many fans (and perhaps even some International Olympic Committee members) may struggle to find their country — the ninth largest in the world — on a map. They do not care that many experts believe the oft-cited notion of using an Olympics as a means of transforming a country with any number of problems — including a troubling human rights record — is pure myth. And they certainly do not care that some observers have labeled this the worst bidding race in Olympic history after a slew of cities pulled out, leaving behind a particularly bizarre pair. | They do not care that many fans (and perhaps even some International Olympic Committee members) may struggle to find their country — the ninth largest in the world — on a map. They do not care that many experts believe the oft-cited notion of using an Olympics as a means of transforming a country with any number of problems — including a troubling human rights record — is pure myth. And they certainly do not care that some observers have labeled this the worst bidding race in Olympic history after a slew of cities pulled out, leaving behind a particularly bizarre pair. |
| The candidates? Almaty, a city you may or may not have heard of (it is pronounced al-MAH-tee), and Beijing, a city you surely have heard of but perhaps not for its winter sports history. | The candidates? Almaty, a city you may or may not have heard of (it is pronounced al-MAH-tee), and Beijing, a city you surely have heard of but perhaps not for its winter sports history. |
| “None of this concerns us,” Akhmetzhan Yessimov, the mayor of Almaty, said through an interpreter in a recent interview at his office. “We want to win.” | “None of this concerns us,” Akhmetzhan Yessimov, the mayor of Almaty, said through an interpreter in a recent interview at his office. “We want to win.” |
| He shrugged. “Once you say you are a mushroom, you might as well get into the soup.” | He shrugged. “Once you say you are a mushroom, you might as well get into the soup.” |
| And yet, still: This soup is tricky. Yes, Almaty has put together a bid that is comprehensive and original, and it has become a legitimate contender as one bidder after another has dropped out citing either costs or a lack of public support. But winning July’s I.O.C. vote, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, is another matter. And there is no question that Almaty is the underdog. | And yet, still: This soup is tricky. Yes, Almaty has put together a bid that is comprehensive and original, and it has become a legitimate contender as one bidder after another has dropped out citing either costs or a lack of public support. But winning July’s I.O.C. vote, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, is another matter. And there is no question that Almaty is the underdog. |
| Much of that has to do with its competition. Beijing, despite political and environmental concerns, put on a remarkable Olympics in 2008. But those were the Summer Games, Almaty advocates are quick to point out, and so Beijing would be essentially fabricating a Winter Games setup with buckets of cash, a far-flung layout and a culture for winter sports that might generously be described as “developing.” | Much of that has to do with its competition. Beijing, despite political and environmental concerns, put on a remarkable Olympics in 2008. But those were the Summer Games, Almaty advocates are quick to point out, and so Beijing would be essentially fabricating a Winter Games setup with buckets of cash, a far-flung layout and a culture for winter sports that might generously be described as “developing.” |
| Unfortunately for Almaty, I.O.C. rules resulting from a scandal related to the awarding of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games prohibit any of the 101 members who will vote on the bid from visiting either bid city beforehand. In Beijing’s case, that is probably a good thing; most people affiliated with the Olympic movement still have positive feelings from 2008. | Unfortunately for Almaty, I.O.C. rules resulting from a scandal related to the awarding of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games prohibit any of the 101 members who will vote on the bid from visiting either bid city beforehand. In Beijing’s case, that is probably a good thing; most people affiliated with the Olympic movement still have positive feelings from 2008. |
| For Almaty, though, the rules clearly hurt. The country gained its independence in 1991 and has gone through a whirlwind development process covering everything from its oil-based economy to its nascent government structure to its presence in global sports. | For Almaty, though, the rules clearly hurt. The country gained its independence in 1991 and has gone through a whirlwind development process covering everything from its oil-based economy to its nascent government structure to its presence in global sports. |
| As Andrey Kryukov, the vice chairman of Almaty’s bid, said: “There are a lot of former Soviet states — a lot of ‘-stans.’ But we are the most advanced. We are the strongest. We want to be able to show that to the voters, and we are not allowed.” | As Andrey Kryukov, the vice chairman of Almaty’s bid, said: “There are a lot of former Soviet states — a lot of ‘-stans.’ But we are the most advanced. We are the strongest. We want to be able to show that to the voters, and we are not allowed.” |
| Mr. Kryukov acknowledged that this reality is Almaty’s biggest obstacle. Old perceptions about what life is like in Kazakhstan are difficult to erase, he said, especially without the opportunity to display, say, the city’s compact downtown and the charming pedestrian shopping zone and leafy park near the area known as the Arbat. | Mr. Kryukov acknowledged that this reality is Almaty’s biggest obstacle. Old perceptions about what life is like in Kazakhstan are difficult to erase, he said, especially without the opportunity to display, say, the city’s compact downtown and the charming pedestrian shopping zone and leafy park near the area known as the Arbat. |
| Image, as in any political process, is critical. It is impossible to know how many people, for example, might have preconceived notions about Kazakhstan based on Sacha Baron Cohen’s wildly offensive (and wildly popular) character and movie “Borat.” Denis Ten, who won the country’s first figure skating medal when he claimed bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games, said he continued to hear the occasional “Borat” comment from fans and spectators. | |
| “It still happens,” he said. “People don’t even realize that movie was filmed in Romania.” | “It still happens,” he said. “People don’t even realize that movie was filmed in Romania.” |
| Almaty vs. Beijing | Almaty vs. Beijing |
| The strength of Almaty’s bid, its organizers say, lies in its compressed nature and its authenticity. (The bid’s slogan, in a not-so-veiled jab at Beijing, is “Keeping It Real.”) While some might reflexively link Almaty, as a former Soviet city, to Sochi, there are almost no similarities in their bids. The Sochi Games cost upward of $50 billion, and when construction was finished (or, in some cases, not finished), those Olympics had the vague feel of being held on a Hollywood movie set. | The strength of Almaty’s bid, its organizers say, lies in its compressed nature and its authenticity. (The bid’s slogan, in a not-so-veiled jab at Beijing, is “Keeping It Real.”) While some might reflexively link Almaty, as a former Soviet city, to Sochi, there are almost no similarities in their bids. The Sochi Games cost upward of $50 billion, and when construction was finished (or, in some cases, not finished), those Olympics had the vague feel of being held on a Hollywood movie set. |
| In Almaty, every venue is within a radius of about 18 miles. One hockey arena has been built and another will be completed — with or without the Olympics — for the University Games, which are set for 2017. The speedskating events would be held at Medeu, an outdoor oval perched on the shelf of a mountain more than a mile above sea level, and the ski jump venue will be visible from office windows in the city’s metropolitan center. | In Almaty, every venue is within a radius of about 18 miles. One hockey arena has been built and another will be completed — with or without the Olympics — for the University Games, which are set for 2017. The speedskating events would be held at Medeu, an outdoor oval perched on the shelf of a mountain more than a mile above sea level, and the ski jump venue will be visible from office windows in the city’s metropolitan center. |
| When inspectors from the I.O.C. visited Almaty a few months ago — in a particularly convoluted process, these officials do not vote on the bids but instead report to executives who do — Mr. Kryukov claimed that the feedback was virtually all positive. | When inspectors from the I.O.C. visited Almaty a few months ago — in a particularly convoluted process, these officials do not vote on the bids but instead report to executives who do — Mr. Kryukov claimed that the feedback was virtually all positive. |
| Last week, when Almaty and Beijing gave presentations to about 85 of the I.O.C. members, Almaty’s, which featured numerous photographs of deep snow — another apparent dig at Beijing’s bid — seemed well received. | Last week, when Almaty and Beijing gave presentations to about 85 of the I.O.C. members, Almaty’s, which featured numerous photographs of deep snow — another apparent dig at Beijing’s bid — seemed well received. |
| “I think they attracted the attention of people who may not have been convinced before,” the Canadian I.O.C. member Dick Pound told reporters afterward. “It looks to me like they figured out all of the weaknesses of the competitors and they just nailed the differences — snow, water, air, experience.” | “I think they attracted the attention of people who may not have been convinced before,” the Canadian I.O.C. member Dick Pound told reporters afterward. “It looks to me like they figured out all of the weaknesses of the competitors and they just nailed the differences — snow, water, air, experience.” |
| Much of the optimism from Almaty’s organizers stems from the positive response to how it has hewed to the ideals laid out by Thomas Bach, the president of the I.O.C., whose Olympic Agenda 2020 initiative seeks to reform a bidding process that had become particularly onerous and unappealing to potential Olympic hosts. | Much of the optimism from Almaty’s organizers stems from the positive response to how it has hewed to the ideals laid out by Thomas Bach, the president of the I.O.C., whose Olympic Agenda 2020 initiative seeks to reform a bidding process that had become particularly onerous and unappealing to potential Olympic hosts. |
| High costs and waning public support were a significant part of the reason other potential bidders for the 2022 Games — including Munich, Stockholm, a combined bid from the Tyrol region in Austria and Italy, and, very late in the process, Oslo — fell over one another while backing out. Concerns about useless infrastructure, overcrowded streets and white-elephant venues have made Winter Olympics bidding a hard sell to voters. | High costs and waning public support were a significant part of the reason other potential bidders for the 2022 Games — including Munich, Stockholm, a combined bid from the Tyrol region in Austria and Italy, and, very late in the process, Oslo — fell over one another while backing out. Concerns about useless infrastructure, overcrowded streets and white-elephant venues have made Winter Olympics bidding a hard sell to voters. |
| “The trend that ought to be worrying lovers of sport,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, “is that it is increasingly autocrats who aren’t going to face any domestic criticism that are the only ones who want to pay for these mega sporting events.” | “The trend that ought to be worrying lovers of sport,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, “is that it is increasingly autocrats who aren’t going to face any domestic criticism that are the only ones who want to pay for these mega sporting events.” |
| Human Rights an Issue | Human Rights an Issue |
| That is one of the larger criticisms of Almaty. Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has been leading the country since 1989, and while public elections are now held — Mr. Nazarbayev won another term in April by gaining roughly 98 percent of the votes — the idea that Kazakhstan is anything close to a full, free democracy is a long way off, experts said. | That is one of the larger criticisms of Almaty. Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has been leading the country since 1989, and while public elections are now held — Mr. Nazarbayev won another term in April by gaining roughly 98 percent of the votes — the idea that Kazakhstan is anything close to a full, free democracy is a long way off, experts said. |
| “In terms of human rights, it’s not as bad as in China, it’s not as bad as in Russia,” Dina Baidildayeva, who works as an activist in Almaty, said in an interview. “But that doesn’t mean it is good here. And the No. 1 issue is freedom of speech.” | “In terms of human rights, it’s not as bad as in China, it’s not as bad as in Russia,” Dina Baidildayeva, who works as an activist in Almaty, said in an interview. “But that doesn’t mean it is good here. And the No. 1 issue is freedom of speech.” |
| She added: “I know two opposition writers who were jailed for trying to attend an event that was for pro-government bloggers. Two of my friends who were opposition bloggers fled to Ukraine after being arrested twice and harassed. I have protested recently, holding a poster asking for the resignation of the Almaty mayor. And I was arrested.” | She added: “I know two opposition writers who were jailed for trying to attend an event that was for pro-government bloggers. Two of my friends who were opposition bloggers fled to Ukraine after being arrested twice and harassed. I have protested recently, holding a poster asking for the resignation of the Almaty mayor. And I was arrested.” |
| Mihra Rittmann, who covers Kazakhstan for Human Rights Watch, said her organization had seen a sharp decline in basic freedoms there since 2011, when a prolonged strike by oil workers ended in government-sanctioned violence and reports of torture. | Mihra Rittmann, who covers Kazakhstan for Human Rights Watch, said her organization had seen a sharp decline in basic freedoms there since 2011, when a prolonged strike by oil workers ended in government-sanctioned violence and reports of torture. |
| Since then, Ms. Rittmann said, there have been tighter restrictions on religion and freedom of assembly, as well as an even greater obscuring of governmental accountability. | Since then, Ms. Rittmann said, there have been tighter restrictions on religion and freedom of assembly, as well as an even greater obscuring of governmental accountability. |
| “In some ways, it is what we call a quiet repression in Kazakhstan, but the crackdown that took place after the 2011 episode was a very, very low point,” Ms. Rittmann said. “People were killed.” | “In some ways, it is what we call a quiet repression in Kazakhstan, but the crackdown that took place after the 2011 episode was a very, very low point,” Ms. Rittmann said. “People were killed.” |
| Other groups are concerned with the ecological situation in Almaty. Beijing’s choking pollution is well documented, but Almaty’s is not much better, according to Abay Yerekenov, an environmental activist in the city, who called the air quality “appalling.” | Other groups are concerned with the ecological situation in Almaty. Beijing’s choking pollution is well documented, but Almaty’s is not much better, according to Abay Yerekenov, an environmental activist in the city, who called the air quality “appalling.” |
| There is also significant concern about a law, passed by the country’s senate this year, that is believed to have language similar to Russia’s “sexual propaganda” statute, according to Amnesty International. The law, which has not entirely been made available for review by outside organizations, is said to be under consideration by Mr. Nazarbayev. | |
| In its call for opposition to the law, Amnesty International said that “the potent combination of legal discrimination and street homophobia seen over the past few years in Kazakhstan’s northern neighbor is now brewing as well in the Central Asian giant.” | In its call for opposition to the law, Amnesty International said that “the potent combination of legal discrimination and street homophobia seen over the past few years in Kazakhstan’s northern neighbor is now brewing as well in the Central Asian giant.” |
| Ms. Worden, of Human Rights Watch, said her organization generally stayed away from ranking or directly comparing the situations in different countries, but she sighed when asked about the reality of the 2022 vote. Come July, someone will win: either Almaty, whose human rights record is lesser known but still poor; or Beijing, which is enduring China’s “worst crackdown in the post-1989 period across the board,” Ms. Worden said. | Ms. Worden, of Human Rights Watch, said her organization generally stayed away from ranking or directly comparing the situations in different countries, but she sighed when asked about the reality of the 2022 vote. Come July, someone will win: either Almaty, whose human rights record is lesser known but still poor; or Beijing, which is enduring China’s “worst crackdown in the post-1989 period across the board,” Ms. Worden said. |
| “This isn’t a situation where it’s one country that’s O.K. against another that’s not,” she said. “This is something that ought to be keeping the I.O.C. up at night.” | “This isn’t a situation where it’s one country that’s O.K. against another that’s not,” she said. “This is something that ought to be keeping the I.O.C. up at night.” |
| A Changing City | A Changing City |
| On a brisk April morning, Askar Valiyev, a high-ranking executive with the Almaty bid, stood near the top of the ski jump complex and looked down on the city below. | |
| He pointed to the gleaming Ritz-Carlton hotel tower and its neighboring shopping mall, then waved his hand toward the grittier areas at the edges of the city. | He pointed to the gleaming Ritz-Carlton hotel tower and its neighboring shopping mall, then waved his hand toward the grittier areas at the edges of the city. |
| “Everything is already changing in Almaty,” he said, “but if we win these Games? It will change faster. And better.” | “Everything is already changing in Almaty,” he said, “but if we win these Games? It will change faster. And better.” |
| His was a common refrain among any smaller city or country bidding for an Olympics or a World Cup. | |
| And there are, to be sure, examples of cities or countries hosting big sporting events being pushed forward in terms of development; the most notable instance is Seoul, South Korea, which was awarded the 1988 Summer Games “when it was still a military dictatorship,” Ms. Worden said. “The I.O.C. communicated that they would not be able to host the Olympics if it was a blood bath, elections were held six months before and it’s been an enduring democracy ever since.” | |
| Such a transformation, though, is hardly the rule. Certainly China and Russia were not converted in any sort of similar way by the Beijing Games and the Sochi Games, and activists question just how proactive the I.O.C. will be with either 2022 bid city in terms of enforcing the human rights requirements that are in Mr. Bach’s Agenda 2020 plan. | Such a transformation, though, is hardly the rule. Certainly China and Russia were not converted in any sort of similar way by the Beijing Games and the Sochi Games, and activists question just how proactive the I.O.C. will be with either 2022 bid city in terms of enforcing the human rights requirements that are in Mr. Bach’s Agenda 2020 plan. |
| At this point, it seems difficult to imagine any substantive pushes being made before the bid is awarded next month. And so when the voters, including the under-fire president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, consider their ballots, they will be faced with what some might consider an impossible dilemma. | At this point, it seems difficult to imagine any substantive pushes being made before the bid is awarded next month. And so when the voters, including the under-fire president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, consider their ballots, they will be faced with what some might consider an impossible dilemma. |
| Beijing has environmental problems, political problems, civil liberties problems and an image problem. | |
| Almaty has money problems, experience problems, civil liberties problems and (different) image problems. | |
| “It’s too early to say,” Gian-Franco Kasper, a Swiss I.O.C. member and the head of international skiing’s governing body, told reporters recently. “But it’s going to be close.” | “It’s too early to say,” Gian-Franco Kasper, a Swiss I.O.C. member and the head of international skiing’s governing body, told reporters recently. “But it’s going to be close.” |
| At the very least, this much is sure: 23 years after Tashkent joked about bringing the Olympics to Central Asia, there is nothing funny about the possibility any longer. | At the very least, this much is sure: 23 years after Tashkent joked about bringing the Olympics to Central Asia, there is nothing funny about the possibility any longer. |