VA-based Mobil Corp. has agreed to donate $500,000 over
three years to the Exploratory Committee of Greater
Washington to help bring the Olympic Games to Washington,
DC, according to Elissa Leibowitz of the WASHINGTON POST.
The money will be used to pay for consultants and studies
(WASHINGTON POST, 10/21). In other 2012 news, Tampa Bay
paid its $150,000 bid to the USOC and officially joins
Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Houston, New Orleans, New
York, San Francisco and Washington, DC, in bidding for the
2012 Games (Wayne Washington, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 10/18).
In TX, Arlington officials faxed an application Monday for
the region to compete as a host for the 2012 Olympics, after
local resident Grady Hicks raised the $150,000 application
fee from private sources (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/21).
NOTES: Japanese meteorologists say a recurrence of low
air pressure systems in February, could "wreak havoc" with
the weather in Nagano "on a daily basis" during the Olympic
Games. Japan Meteorologist Kenichi Yuda said that he is
"worried about ... strong winds and even rain" (KYODO NEWS,
10/21). ....In Utah, Lisa Riley Roche reported that the SLOC
has spent "as much as" $1M on consultants from the '94
Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The SLOC Board of
Trustees authorized a contract with budget experts from the
'94 Winter Games, and this week SLOC President Frank Joklik
is in Sydney meeting with officials from the 2000 Summer
Games organizing committee (DESERET NEWS, 10/19).
