Topic: News: Los Angeles one of two finalists for 2011 Word Championships

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Los Angeles one of two finalists for 2011 Word Championships

Los Angeles is one of two finalists to become the host city for the 2011 Weightlifting World Championships, the Los Angeles Sports Council announced on Wednesday.

The International Weightlifting Federation's executive board will select either Los Angeles or Paris when it meets in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Saturday.

If Los Angeles is selected, the event will be held at the Shrine Auditorium near downtown.

Los Angeles Sports Council President David Simon is among those in Thailand to present the city's bid to the international federation.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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L.A. is ready for some heavy lifting
City is in the running to play host to the 2011 Weightlifting World Championships.

It wasn't quite bait-and-switch -- more like lift and snatch, since this is the sport of weightlifting.

There was a sudden flurry of activity in the run-up to city selection for the 2011 Weightlifting World Championships. This week, the French weightlifting federation abruptly moved its proposed venue about 250 miles away, shifting from Strasbourg to Paris.

Will the last-minute gambit be enough to leap past Los Angeles, the only other competitor in the field?

That won't be known until later today in Chiang Mai, Thailand, when the 22 members of the executive board of the International Weightlifting federation listen to the two presentations and renders a decision.

The late move could either be viewed as a shrewd gamble or something slightly more reminiscent of New York's late scramble with a new stadium plan a few weeks before the International Olympic Committee's vote for the 2012 Summer Games.

This decision is being made during the ongoing World Championships in Thailand, and officials from both countries had to scramble to get the bids ready because the timetable for the choice was moved up from its original target in 2008.

"We think the fact we bid before is a plus," said Los Angeles Sports Council President David Simon, who is among the delegation leaders in Thailand. "It's an event that hasn't been in the U.S. for 35 years and it's never been in L.A.

"The reason we're bidding again is that the most attractive year is the year before the Olympics. You can't compete in the Olympics if you're not in the World Championships."

The last time the event was held in the U.S. was actually in 1978, in Hershey, Pa.

If Los Angeles wins the bid for 2011, the competition would be held in the Shrine Auditorium, which was also the proposed weightlifting venue for Los Angeles' bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. About 600 competitors and 400 coaches and officials would be in town for the event.

Still, the French delegation wasn't alone with a last-minute surprise. L.A. has its own secret weapon -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- for its final push in Thailand.

Not that he'll be there in person, but Schwarzenegger, who took up weightlifting at age 15 and won the Mr. Universe title, did the next best thing by filming a 1 1/2 -minute spot for organizers.

Schwarzenegger has considerable clout in the sport.

As for the bid presentation, Simon said that when Schwarzenegger got to the end of the script, he said something along the lines of, "Now let me tell you about L.A. . . . you'll feel like I do. . . I'll be back."

Of course.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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L.A. is beat out by Paris
French decision to switch bid site helps land 2011 weightlifting championships.
By Lisa Dillman

Paris, not Los Angeles, will play host to the 2011 World Weightlifting Championships, it was announced Saturday in Thailand.

French weightlifting federation officials decided to submit Paris as the proposed site, rather than Strasbourg, France, in the final days before the decision. Paris reportedly got 10 votes and Los Angeles eight.

"While we were disappointed not to have won the bid, the result demonstrates that we have a good relationship with the [International Weightlifting Federation] and have reason to be optimistic that we will host a future IWF world championship," Los Angeles Sports Council President David Simon said in a statement.

Simon said in an e-mail that the reason for L.A.'s loss "appeared to be strong doubts on the part of several IWF voters that their countries' athletes and officials would be able to obtain visas to enter the United States for the competition. . ."

Simon said those concerns came across "quite strongly" during the question-and-answer portion of Los Angeles' presentation. The Shrine Auditorium would have been the venue, and it was believed Los Angeles was in a strong position, having previously bid for the world championships.

Though Simon and other delegation members told the executive board that there is a new State Department program to help expedite visa requests in sports-related matters, those assurances were not enough.

". . . Their negative experiences of the last few years could not be overcome," Simon said.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Proof positive that there is no separation whatsoever between politics and sport.....

[Shaun Le Conte]

Simon said in an e-mail that the reason for L.A.'s loss "appeared to be strong doubts on the part of several IWF voters that their countries' athletes and officials would be able to obtain visas to enter the United States for the competition. . ."

Simon said those concerns came across "quite strongly" during the question-and-answer portion of Los Angeles' presentation. The Shrine Auditorium would have been the venue, and it was believed Los Angeles was in a strong position, having previously bid for the world championships.

I have no idea if their concern about VISAS was valid, but if so it would be a very compelling reason to vote against LA
I wonder which were the 18 voting countries, and whether the objectors have performed well at the Worlds in the recent past