# 2020 Olympics in Baku, Azerbaijan?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 23, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894 "2012-05-23T23:58:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/1 "2012-05-23T23:58:05Z")
[They’re actually putting in a bid.](http://www.aljazeera.com/video/europe/2012/05/2012523142717684538.html) I dunno. Sochi, Russia, might have snagged the [2014 Winter Games,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Winter_Olympics) but the Summer Games belong in a world-city, which I doubt [Baku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku) will be in a hundred years. And, [they’re bidding against Istanbul, Tokyo, and Madrid.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Olympics#Candidate_cities) (And Doha, Qatar.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/2 "2012-05-24T00:01:11Z")
I should talk . . . I live in Tampa, Florida, which put in a bid, once, for the 2012 games. Didn’t get far. But it was an exciting bit of civic-boosterism while it lasted. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/3 "2012-05-24T00:06:56Z")
I can’t see it going to Tokyo; they’ve had so many Games already. I was surprised to see that Madrid has never hosted the Games. I’d love to see Istanbul get the Games; there’s never been one in a Muslim country. Oh, and Baku was rejected already. Don’t get too outraged. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/4 "2012-05-24T00:26:30Z")
If Qatar can host a World Cup…or maybe I should say, if Qatar can win a World Cup bid, no reason why Azerbaijan can’t host the Olympics. Well, there are probably lots of reasons, but I assume the IOC is as corrupt as FIFA. Maybe not, that’s a lot of corruptness, but why not give it a shot? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/5 "2012-05-24T00:56:44Z")
Doha and Baku are out. [http://www.olympic.org/news?articleid=160523&articlenewsgroup=-1](http://www.olympic.org/news?articleid=160523&articlenewsgroup=-1) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/6 "2012-05-24T01:27:48Z")
They’re hosting this year’s Eurosong contest. It’s basically the same idea. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/7 "2012-05-24T01:30:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [They’re actually putting in a bid.](http://www.aljazeera.com/video/europe/2012/05/2012523142717684538.html) I dunno. Sochi, Russia, might have snagged the [2014 Winter Games,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Winter_Olympics) but the Summer Games belong in a world-city, which I doubt [Baku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku) will be in a hundred years. The Sochi thing is going to be a disaster. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to do Winter Games in a southern Black Sea resort town needs to have his head examined. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/8 "2012-05-24T10:57:16Z")
Basically they heard “Russia” and decided it would be perfect for the winter games. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/9 "2012-05-24T13:45:40Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > The Sochi thing is going to be a disaster. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to do Winter Games in a southern Black Sea resort town needs to have his head examined. What’s wrong with Sochi? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/10 "2012-05-24T14:20:08Z")
> [@mkecane](#): > > What’s wrong with Sochi? Take a look on the map where Sochi is. It’s a Black Sea resort, with subtropical climate, lots of beaches and sun. It has never been a winter sports destination. The average temperature in the winter in Sochi is 52. There are some mountains nearby. That’s about it for the snow. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/11 "2012-05-24T14:29:07Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Take a look on the map where Sochi is. It’s a Black Sea resort, with subtropical climate, lots of beaches and sun. It has never been a winter sports destination. The average temperature in the winter in Sochi is 52. > > There are some mountains nearby. That’s about it for the snow. Nonsense. Vancouver and Turin aren’t exactly snow paradises either, and that didn’t stop them from hosting the Winter Olympics. The headline city rarely actually hosts the alpine events. The skiing will be in the nearby resort of [Krasnaya Polyana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krasnaya_Polyana,_Krasnodar_Krai) which has been a thriving ski area since the break-up of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, and has already hosted World Cup races very successfully. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/12 "2012-05-25T04:13:59Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > **I can’t see it going to Tokyo; they’ve had so many Games already.** I was surprised to see that Madrid has never hosted the Games. I’d love to see Istanbul get the Games; there’s never been one in a Muslim country. > > Oh, and Baku was rejected already. Don’t get too outraged. Bolding mine. Uhm “So many Games already?” Just once…in **1964**. Madrid hasn’t hosted but Barcelona did just 20 years ago. They won’t get it. Even though I live in Tokyo, I’d prefer Istanbul get the 2020 Games. I wouldn’t want to see or hear Tokyo Governor Ishihara gloating. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-olympics-in-baku-azerbaijan/622894/13 "2012-05-25T04:59:43Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > Even though I live in Tokyo, I’d prefer Istanbul get the 2020 Games. Really? I think it should go to Constantinople. [cue They Might Be Giants]