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    What Could Have Been

    by Matt Biddle May 2, 2008

    With all the controversy surrounding this year’s Summer Olympics, it’s interesting to see what other cities were in the running to host the games and what’s happening in each this summer.
    From the start of the bidding process, Beijing looked to be the frontrunner. The city was passed over in 2000 in favor of Sydney, Australia, but this time it seemed poised for victory.
    The selection process begins when cities put in their bids. For this selection process, cities could place bids as early as Feb. 1, 2000. After this phase, the cities must pass an initial selection phase to determine if the city possesses the basic technical elements required to host the Games. Of the ten cities put forward to the International Olympic Committee, five were selected as official Candidate Cities: Beijing; Osaka, Japan; Istanbul, Turkey; Toronto, Canada; and Paris, France.
    Afterwards, the IOC visits each city and submits a report on their facilities. Two months later, a session was held in Moscow to vote for the host city. Beijing narrowly beat Toronto on July 13, 2001, becoming the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
    So, what are the other four cities up to this summer? And, did they resubmit their bids for later games? Let’s see.

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