South Islanders plan 2010 Winter Olympics bid

Press release 23 January

South Islanders plan 2010 Winter Olympics bid
Magazine uncovers bid for $4 billion event

Christchurch and Queenstown may host the 2010 Winter Olympics, if two South Island business people get their way.

Christchurch-based Bruce Ullrich and Cardrona ski-field founder John Lee are hoping to bid for the $4 billion event, reveals the February issue of business magazine Unlimited. "The winter Olympics have never been held in the southern hemisphere before -we've certainly got a shot at being short-listed at the very least," says Ullrich.

Sports observers and Olympic officials have their doubts, especially as it has been investigated before - in 1996, with Bob Jones as chair of the investigation committee. However Ullrich has a heavy-weight team behind him including Law Society president Austin Forbes, Olympic medical specialist Richard Edmond and John Lee, founder of the Cardrona and Wanaka's Snow Farm. Ullrich himself was vice-chair of the organising committee for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. He even wrote an MBA thesis on getting the winter Olympics here, the magazine reports.

"But the facilities? Don't we need ski runs, bobsled tracks, ski jumps and ice skating facilities?" asks Unlimited. "Not a problem," replies a confident Ullrich. "The first step is to tell the IOC we want to put in a bid. That has to be by September 2001."

Vincent Heeringa
09 302 8759
025 936 739
vincent@unlimited.net.nz

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