Norway is making a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. My town Tromsø has won the national vote for support in applying to the IOC. There is a couple of years to go but fingers crossed.

Having the Olympics in my home town would be very exciting. Not only would our population double for the two weeks but it would put ‘above the Arctic circle’ on the map. The international exposure would be good for Tromsø and Norway (maybe even great) but I do feel a little apprehensive in giving away Norway’s best kept secret on such a grand scale.

Like always there has been some controversy over the city selection -

The capital, Olso, is saying that the voting was rigged and demands another vote.

Tromsø is worried about the rise in real estate prices and the effect on the natural environment.

Others say that it’s too early for Norway to apply again as it had the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer – so why bother spending all that money to apply.

Outlanders say that there won’t be enough light as Tromsø is above the Acrtic Circle and the sun returns only four weeks before the Olympics is supposed to start.

Erlend Rian, former Mayor of Tromsø, is the advisor for Tromsø 2018. Of course he can rebut everything to support the games. I like the one where he says that by 2018, above the Arctic Circle, (namley Tromsø), will probably be the only place on earth that has decent snow.

I guess global warming can come in handy, in a Norwegian-Olympic-bid kid of way.