A DISCUSSION document issued yesterday on the proposal to host the Olympic Games in Dublin calls for massive funding by the public and private sectors.
While stopping short of putting a figure on the cost of staging the games, it concedes that the capital investment required to fund the project would be substantial. Against that, however, a preliminary survey predicts there would be a profit of £20 million on operational costs of £680 million in presenting the event.
Costs are based largely on the refurbishment of existing sporting facilities and the use of temporary ones, but the document concedes that in addition to the projects currently being proposed, the construction of two new 5,000-7,000 and two 10,000-15,000 seater arenas would be imperative.
From a situation in which 2004 was the year originally targeted by the proposal's sponsors, Dublin International Sports Council (DISC), the schedule has been revised and the council's chief executive, Mr Jonathan Irwin, said 2016 may be an "emotional year to bring the Olympics to Dublin.
Asking for the document to be received with open minds, Mr Irwin said a recent survey showed 61 per cent were in favour of the idea with a much higher rate of approval among those under 25. "The Olympic Games are not just about 17 days of competition. They are about the nine years before the games and the 50 years afterwards and the proposal should be viewed in that light."
He admitted, however, that problems of finding suitable accommodation, estimated at 166,500 bed nights, would be formidable and suggested places as far apart as Belfast, London and Manchester could be used as basses. Cruise liners berthed in Dublin port could provide an additional 6,500 beds, an idea borrowed from the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 1932.
The chairman of DISC, Mr Tony Hanahoe, said one of the main objectives of the organisation was to establish sport in the minds of politicians and business people as a vehicle which transcends political and religious divides.
The Minister for Sport, Mr Bernard Allen, attended yesterday's presentation and said the project was realistic enough to merit consideration.
Eamonn Coghlan, himself a triple Olympian, said: "DISC is not saying that we should go ahead and stage the games, merely posing the question, why not?"