As Madrid preps for the IOC to come evaluate its potential as an Olympic host city next week, spirits are high despite the financial woes that have plagued the country’s economy in recent years.
In fact, the Olympics have garnered overwhelming support from the country’s citizens, as a new poll shows that 83 percent of Madrid, and 76 percent of Spain, believe the Games will have a positive impact on the country’s current situation.
“The most encouraging statistic is that 90 percent of people aged under-35 favor the bid,” said Spanish Olympic committee head Alejandro Blanco. “This shows that it is a bid looking to the future and young people see it as the best way to help the country towards economic recovery.”
Blanco also claims that Madrid will bring the most “realistic” bid to the IOC’s table before they vote in September, which will leave “the best legacy for the city, the country, and the Olympic movement.”
With 28 of the 35 venues already standing, the cost for a Madrid Olympics is estimated below $2 billion, which is less than half that of Tokyo’s $4.5 billion budget, and nowhere near Istanbul’s $19 billion earmarked for venues and government infrastructure projects.