Former field hockey gold medallist named head of Madrid 2016 bid

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This article was published 14/11/2006 (7275 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MADRID, Spain (AP) – Mercedes Coghen, an Olympic gold medallist in field hockey, will lead Madrid’s proposed bid for the 2016 Summer Games.

“It’s a great responsibility and an exciting challenge for the future that I’m looking forward to doing my best with,” Coghen said Tuesday. The Madrid 16 foundation made the unanimous selection after weeks of speculation that Coghen would get the job.

“It’s not really the same situation as being on the podium and winning a gold medal, but to be all of my life involved in Olympic sports and to continue this way, it’s very important for me,” she said.

The 44-year-old Coghen, vice president of the Spanish field hockey federation, was a member of Spain’s gold-medal winning team at the’92 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Coghen worked on Madrid’s unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Games. Madrid finished third behind winner London and Paris in the IOC vote, ahead of New York and Moscow. Coghen lost a tight race for the Spanish Olympic Committee presidency last September to Alejandro Blanco.

She ruled out major changes from the 2012 bid, but said some aspects were flawed.

“We don’t need a lot of changes – we did the 2012 bid very well,” she said. “I do want athletes more involved with the bid, and my ambassadors to have more time spreading our image around the world.”

The Spanish Olympic Committee still has to officially endorse the Madrid bid. It will announce a Spanish candidate in May 2007.

Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been approved by their national Olympic committees as 2016 bidders. Chicago and Los Angeles are vying to become the United States’ official bidder after San Francisco dropped out of the race on Tuesday. Rome is another likely contender.

The International Olympic Committee will select the 2016 host city in 2009.

Coghen believes the Spanish capital has a head-start on the competition.

“The advantage is we can work with what has already been done – cities, ports, places we were already thinking of using the last time,” she said. “But we need to plan our strategy very carefully and decide what we want to do in the next few months.”

Madrid vice-mayor Manuel Cobo, who presided over the Madrid 16 foundation meeting, said Coghen’s experience was a big advantage.

“She is a well-known athlete, she speaks several languages perfectly, and she knows many of the IOC members, including president Jacques Rogge,” Cobo said.