Iceland’s Minister for Education, Culture and Sport Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir traveled twice to the Olympics in Beijing with her husband, her undersecretary and his wife for almost ISK 5 million (USD 60,000, EUR 41,000), which her ministry covered.
The cost included plane tickets, hotel accommodation and traveling allowances for the minister and the undersecretary. After her first trip to the Olympics, Gunnarsdóttir decided to return to Beijing when the Icelandic handball team made it to the final.
Those who criticize the cost of the minister’s trip have compared it to how much the trip for President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson and his wife cost, which amounted to ISK 2.8 million (USD 33,000, EUR 23,000). They were in Beijing August 18 to 26, Fréttabladid reports.
It was however more expensive for the presidential couple to travel abroad than what it usually costs because Chinese authorities had selected special hotels for heads of state for the Olympics.
