New York - Denial of Stadium Fnding Puts 2012 Olympic Bid at Risk

[hkskyline]

New York's Olympic Hopes Fade in One Day
By SARA KUGLER, Associated Press
June 7, 2005

NEW YORK - In a matter of hours, New York City slipped from being a worthy contender for hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics to a long shot, contemplating a forfeit.

A state panel denied an essential chunk of funding for a proposed $2 billion stadium on Manhattan's West Side — the centerpiece of the city's bid to host the Olympics. Rules dictate the city cannot change its proposal, which the International Olympic Committee is considering along with bids from Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow. The
IOC will choose a host city on July 6.

"We have let America down," Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a stadium proponent, said Tuesday. "The (U.S. Olympic Committee) selected us, New York, to represent the country. Other American cities wanted to have the privilege of competing at the world level."

One day earlier, New York officials were boasting about the Big Apple's strong chance in the showdown to host the games. The IOC issued a report Monday morning evaluating each bid, giving Paris, London, Madrid and New York positive ratings.

But by midafternoon, when lawmakers on the state Public Authorities Control Board indicated they would not approve $300 million in stadium funding, a clearly disappointed Bloomberg acknowledged New York's fading hopes and said it was unlikely New York would be selected without an Olympic stadium guaranteed.

When asked Monday if he would request that the USOC yank New York from consideration for the IOC's decision next month in Singapore, Bloomberg said he would discuss the matter with USOC leaders.

USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said officials are studying how to proceed.

Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, founder of the NYC2012 bid committee, said the stadium defeat was "deeply disappointing, especially because it comes on the day when the International Olympic Committee verified the strength of New York's bid."

While NYC2012 can request to take New York out of the running, the USOC has final say on whether to pull out. It is considered an unlikely move, in part because quitting could devastate U.S. chances at hosting future Olympics for many years.

The sports complex also would have served as a home for the New York Jets, and the team's president said the setback wasn't the final chapter in the team's quest to build in Manhattan.

"Four years of hard work and planning will not be washed away in a single day," Jay Cross said.

The powerful three-member state board — which comprises representatives for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Gov. George Pataki and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno — shot down the funding in a vote late Monday afternoon. The board's actions must be unanimous, and only Pataki's representative voted yes.

Pataki had long supported the proposal for the stadium. Until Monday's vote, Bruno and Silver said they had serious concerns but indicated they could be swayed.

In recent weeks, the mayor courted Silver with various economic development projects in his lower Manhattan district, trying to convince him that the area devastated by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks would not be neglected in favor of the stadium.

"Am I to sell out the community I have fought for?" Silver said Monday.

Bloomberg said Silver mistakenly assumed the two Manhattan neighborhoods, about 3 miles apart, could not be developed simultaneously.

The stadium plan has spurred fierce debate from the beginning.

Supporters say it will create jobs, stimulate economic activity and revive a long-ignored swath of Manhattan's far West Side. Opponents — including the owner of nearby Madison Square Garden — question the use of any public money for the project, as well as the potential environmental and infrastructure problems that come with a large sports complex.

Bruno said he was willing to let the state board approve the stadium funding if the IOC approved New York's Olympic bid. He offered that as an amendment at the PACB meeting, but the motion failed to gain a second.

[Zaqattaq]

Yes I heard, good news indeed

[elletijanii]

Doesnt matter anymore! The bids are strictly looked upon as a competition between London and Paris now!

[Sexas]

^ LOL sure you want London win

I still think Houston have a much better plan for stadium and funding that NYC, guess if NYC2012 fail, it will be Houston2016.

[Zaqattaq]

Cape Town 2016!!!
nice avatar though

[FFCP4EVER]

This sucks.......

[DarkFenX]

I didn't think NYC would have won anyway.

[hkskyline]

There have been some strange voting patterns from the past. As recently as the 2010 Winter Olympics vote, the underdog - South Korea - almost won on the first vote. The next favourite, Salzburg was dead last in the first round. In the second round, Vancouver only won by 3 votes.

[Jose Luis]

I was very disappointed when i read this, somehow i'd rather see NYC holding the games than Paris or London. My vote goes for London, i think Paris has the bid almost won though.
Eitherway those games are gonna kick ass.

[The PhantoM]

it sucks, i hoped to see NYC holding the olympics. If only for eye candy

[conorworld]

This is unfortunate. Although I didn't expect New York to win teh fact that now, at the final hurdle it has failed to bring up that vital piece of Olympian architecture is such unfortunate. New York would have been a great place to stage the worlds greatest sporting competition. It would have been a fntastic place , an amazing vista to live out the Olympics but this sort of this was bound to happen.

These sort of things dont work out without strong central government.

[samsonyuen]

I think NYC will hold an excellent games. It just wasn't in the cards. Just keep trying, and when the right bid hits, you'll get it.

I am overjoyed that I will never see that jock trash inflicted on my beloved city. The Republican Convention was bad enough, thanks so much.

GO LONDON!

[hkskyline]

NYC Olympic hopefuls work on plans for new-look bid
By ERIN McCLAM
13 June 2005

NEW YORK (AP) - Their Olympic dream suddenly revived and drastically revised, New York planners were immersed Monday in the tedious work of putting together technical proposals for a 2012 Games centered on a stadium in Queens.

NYC2012 bid committee executive director Jay Kriegel said he hoped full documentation of the new plan could go by next week to the International Olympic Committee, which will choose a host city for 2012 in Singapore on July 6.

"We have no question that this plan technically will be outstanding, will demonstrate the Games will be an outstanding Games," Kriegel said in a telephone interview.

The revised bid hinges on a $600 million stadium to be built by the New York Mets in Queens, next to the existing Shea Stadium, that would be converted into an Olympic stadium should New York City be selected.

The city and state would provide about $160 million in infrastructure and $100 million to convert the stadium from 45,000 seats to 80,000 for the Games.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's dream of a stadium on the West Side of Manhattan for $2 billion, including $600 million in city and state funding, died last week when powerful Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he could not support it.

The new proposals NYC2012 must submit to the IOC are highly detailed, described by a spokesman for the bid committee as even including where trash cans will be placed and how camera angles would be configured.

New York organizers also must work quickly with international federations for soccer and track and field to get them to sign off on the new plans before they go to the international committee.

The new plan would put the Olympic stadium near the Olympic village and the International Broadcast Center, also planned for Queens.

Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow are the other finalist cities for the 2012 Games. IOC evaluations of the five bids released last week appeared to give Paris the edge.

Kriegel and Bloomberg suggested on Monday that the IOC should be impressed with the city's ability to make quick changes to unforeseen circumstances.

"Faced with adversity, New York has gotten back up off the mat very quickly and has demonstrated the capacity to put something big, bold and incredibly complicated together in just a few days," Kriegel said.

Bloomberg said all New York City construction unions have signed a no-strike pledge for Olympic-related projects, soothing an IOC concern.

The mayor, appearing at an unrelated event in Queens, also said New York could offer unmatched diversity, with hometown crowds speaking the languages and waving the flags of the athletes.

"And they would have all gotten there by the subway," he said. "No one else can possibly do that."

[PotatoGuy]

i thought it would've been pretty cool if they were in New York, oh well Paris or London sound good

London sounds PERFECT.

[Effer]

Paris will win it