The Olympic Games site decision

In five previous studies, the author examined the host selection process for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The findings from these studies are discussed in this article. Focus has been placed on a comparison between the views of the bidding cities and those of the bid selecting members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the design of the bids and the way of communicating them. The analysis shows that there is little compatibility between these views. However, the winning bid and the bid which succeeded better than its technical qualities motivated, were most congruent with the TOC members' views. This finding led to the following statement: 'The better the fit between the bidder's and the IOC members' perceptions of the bid offers, the greater the chance the bid has of winning'. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.