Flevoland wants to hosts 2020 Olympics

27 August 2004

AMSTERDAM — Flevoland province has become the third Dutch region to express an interest in hosting the Olympic Games.

The official in charge of sport in Flevoland, John Bos, has written to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Chairwoman Erica Terpstra of the Dutch sports council NOC-NSF to say the province would be willing to partner a city such as Amsterdam or Rotterdam to host the 2020 Games.

North of Amsterdam, Flevoland is the newest Dutch province. It was officially founded in January 1986 and comprises the main body of the land reclaimed from the former Zuiderzee, which was closed off from the sea by a dam in 1932. Lelystad is the capital and other cities in the region are Almere, Emmeloord and Urk.

Bos argues that the province has plenty of open space on which to build and attracting the games to the region would provide the impetus to improve the region’s infrastructure.

Officials in Rotterdam indicated in December the city was considering bidding for the games. Earlier this month, Balkenende suggested the Netherlands and Belgium could make a joint bid, initially suggesting 2016 as a good target year.

Subject: Dutch news