After losing out on the 2006 Winter Olympic Games to Turin, Italy, the Poprad Municipal Council passed a resolution on June 25 officially endorsing the continuation of the their bid to host the 2010 Games. An upcoming referendum will give the citizens of Poprad the opportunity to vote on the continuation of the bid.
Štefan Kubík, the Mayor of Poprad, said "our municipal council expressed the town's desire to press on with the efforts to try and secure the 2010 games. If you want to win, you have to compete and it is of great interest to our town and the entire region. I think it would be a pity if the candidacy were abandoned, since it publicises Slovakia for a relatively small amount of money."
Kubík then criticised environmentalists who opposed the bid because the High Tatras - the projected Olympic site - are a protected natural area. Kubík challenged his environmental opponents to become involved in the bid process rather than "being spoon-fed information."
