The Graubünden government supports a candidacy for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Graubünden. It has adopted the corresponding message to the Grand Council and has provided concrete information on investment projects in the canton for the first time. The people of Graubünden will vote on a Graubünden Olympic candidacy on March 3, 2013. The bill receives broad support in the canton: The non-partisan committee “Yes to Grisons 2022" has been constituted and continues to grow daily.
The message from the Graubünden government published on Monday provides information for the first time on the planned investments in Grisons infrastructure. The rail network in particular could benefit from important improvements as a result of the Olympic Games. In Grisons, investments would be made in the Rhaetian Railway network and rolling stock and outside the canton in SBB's infrastructure. The continuous half-hour service between Zurich and Chur and a direct connection to Zurich Airport, which has been required for a long time, are finally within reach. The connection of the entire canton to Switzerland would be significantly improved, and the location of Graubünden would be strengthened far beyond the tourism sector.
”Graubünden 2022 will only launch investment projects that we need in the long term. None of this is only intended for the Olympic Games; the projects have been necessary for a long time and will bring long-term benefits to the entire canton,” underlines Gian Gilli, Director of the Grisons Association 2022. “The continuous half-hour service from Zurich and a direct connection to the airport is really overdue for us Graubünden, but also for our guests,” says Gilli with conviction. “They will bring real and tangible locational advantages not only to the Graubünden holiday region, but also to Chur and the Rhine Valley in particular. With their Olympic candidacy, they are finally back on the table; if they cancel, there is a risk that they will disappear into drawers again for a long time.”
The Canton of Grisons intends to contribute to the investments of around 1.5 billion Swiss francs in accordance with the financing rules provided for by law. According to the government's will, the Grand Council should set aside provisions of over 300 million Swiss francs to finance infrastructure projects and the security costs to be covered. Councillor Hansjörg Trachsel said at the presentation of the embassy on Monday: “There are numerous opportunities for Grisons.
The increase in awareness, positive effects in tourism and the implementation of numerous important infrastructure projects are leading to a sustainable improvement in Graubünden's economic performance.” It is not only the public sector that should finance the infrastructure projects: Around a third of the investments are made by private investors.
Broad support from across the canton
At the same time as the presentation of the embassy by the government, the non-partisan support committee “Yes to Grisons 2022" was formed in Chur with well-known figures from politics, sports and society in Grisons: National Councillor Heinz Brand, hotelier Silvano Beltrametti, top cross-country skier Dario Cologna, Council of States Stefan Engler, snowboarder Ursina Haller, National Councillor Hansjörg Hassler and Council of States Martin Schmid chairs the broad-based committee.
The publication of the message and the constitution of the support committee mark the start of a broad-based dialogue campaign for Grisons 2022. The initiators will discuss the idea of the Olympic Games and the resulting issues in direct contact with voters throughout the canton. Public discussion with critics is also deliberately sought. “We go to people all over the canton and answer their questions,” explains Communications Officer Christian Gartmann. “Graubünden 2022 is a generational project. It is important that people in the canton are able to obtain well-founded information and discuss their questions with us and our critics. This is the only way they can build trust and vote competently on this important proposal.”
gartmann.biz supports Graubünden 2022 in media and marketing: Christian Gartmann is Head of Marketing & Communications at the Graubünden 2022 Association.