Friday,
August 6, 2004
In
a blink of an eye, the 2004 Olympic Summer Games will be a distant memory,
but fortunately, the Olympic spirit lives on. Just as these Games will
quickly come to a close, all eyes will turn toward the 2006 Olympic Winter
Games in Torino, Italy and the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China.
But it doesn't stop there, candidate sites have already been discussed
for the next two Olympics following 2008... and one of those sites is
in our own backyard.
Beginning
almost four years ago, several cities in the United States began campaigning
to be the overall United States candidate for the 2012 Olympic Summer
Games. After several discussions and votes by the US Olympic Committee,
the winning candidate was none other than New York City. Following additional
votes at the international level, New York City is now one of five finalists
in a pool of impressive international sites.
I,
along with tens of thousands of other grass roots American team members
nationwide, have been notifying others of New York City's viability as
a excellent site candidate. Below I've posted a recent article that outlines
the finalist process for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games. If you are interested
in getting involved at a grass roots level or just finding out more about
New York City's bid, click on the logo icon below.
Long
live the Olympic spirit!
IOC
Selects NYC2012 as Finalist
By International Olympic Committee // May 18, 2004
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Paris, New York, Moscow, London, and Madrid
were today accepted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive
Board in Lausanne as Candidate Cities to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad
in 2012. The decision was made following discussions that led to a unanimous
consensus. The cities were accepted from a total of nine Applicant Cities,
which also included Leipzig (GER), Istanbul (TUR), Havana (CUB), and
Rio de Janeiro (BRA).
The
Candidate Cities were selected after a study of their application submitted
earlier this year on 15 January. The study was made by a working group
comprising Olympic Games experts who made a technical assessment of
each Applicant City's ability to stage successful Olympic Games in 2012.
The
technical assessment was based on 25 questions which included the areas
of Government Support and Public Opinion, General Infrastructure, Sports
Venues, Olympic Village, Environmental Conditions and Impact, Accommodation,
Transport, Security, Experience from Past Sports Events, Overall Project
and Legacy. The full report made by the working group is available on
the IOC website, www.olympic.org.
The
five Candidate Cities now have until 15 November 2004 to submit their
Candidature File to the IOC. Candidate Cities will benefit from a detailed
Observer Programme throughout the Games in Athens. The Candidature Files
will be analysed in detail by an IOC Evaluation Commission, which will
also visit the Candidate Cities, before issuing a report one month prior
to the election.
The
final decision on the host city for the Games of the XXX Olympiad will
be made by the full IOC (International Olympic Committee) membership
during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore in July 2005.
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