"This latest Power Index indicates that it really is anyone's race to win. While there are plusses and minuses for each country, it will be interesting to see if Rio follows China's lead as an emotional favorite, given that South America has never hosted an Olympic Games," commented ATR Editor Ed Hula.
The Around the Rings Olympic Bid Power Index is the only authoritative ranking of its kind outside one compiled by the IOC Evaluation Commission. The index is based on 11 criteria that include subjective criteria such as ambiance and public support, and objective details such as accommodations and transport.
The latest index takes into account the cities' presence at the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. It also focuses on a report issued in June by an IOC panel which reviewed each of the applicants. Based on this report, Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar and Prague, Czech Republic were cut from the field.
The index is not meant to predict but to compare some of the major points that go into a successful Olympic Games. Judgments are based on nearly 20 years of covering Winter and Summer Olympics and the bids that led to them.
Around the Rings.com is the only publication devoted to providing original, on-the-scene reporting about the $5 billion dollar business of the Olympic Movement.
The full ATR Power Index will be released at midnight on Monday, Sept. 22 and can be viewed online at AroundTheRings.com.
