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USOC Decides To Bid For '24 Games, But Competing Cities Still Locked In "Four-Way Tie"

The USOC "has thrown a hat in the ring" for the '24 Games, but its BOD yesterday "unanimously decided to go only so far as to say there will be a U.S. candidate" in either L.A., S.F., Boston or DC, according to Philip Hersh of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The decision to bid follows yesterday's meeting in Redwood City, Calif., where the finalists "made hour-long presentations of their plans." Formal application papers "do not need to be filed" until Sept. 15 with the IOC, whose exec board "will, if necessary, trim the field to about four finalists" in the spring of '16. IOC members then "will choose the winner" at their September '17 annual meeting in Lima, Peru. The city that winds up being chosen to represent the U.S. "will face formidable opposition, some spurred by changes the IOC approved eight days ago to help lower the costs of both bidding for and staging the now gargantuan Summer Games" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/17). USA TODAY's Erik Brady notes there will be a "strong international field including Rome, which Italy announced as its entry this week." Germany also "has announced intentions to bid for Berlin or Hamburg -- or jointly, as the IOC recently voted to allow shared bids by cities, or even countries, to hold down costs." Other bids "could come from France (for Paris), Australia (for Melbourne) and South Africa, among others" (USA TODAY, 12/17).

CITY SELECTION IN '15: USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said that the group "doesn't need much more information" from the four U.S. bidders. USOC execs said that the major factors for a winning proposal "include bid leadership, community support and a strong venue plan that uses existing facilities to help control costs" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 12/17). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Matthew Futterman reports the USOC "won’t officially select the candidate city until early next year." Each of the cities yesterday "made a 40-minute presentation" to the BOD, whose entire membership "wasn't present." USOC execs "had visited each city multiple times in recent months to evaluate the bid teams and plans," and they also "collected polling data to gauge the level of public support for a bid." USOC Chair Larry Probst: "This is going to be [a] really, really difficult decision. ... We think it’s our time to move forward with a bid. We’re optimistic about our chances" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/17).

SAN BOX: Blackmun: "It's a four-way tie." In S.F., John Cote reports the city's committee, led by MLB Giants President & CEO Larry Baer, "left the presentation feeling upbeat." Baer: "It’s exciting to make the case just given what’s happening in this region right now with all of the growth and the new facilities and a vibrancy that’s palpable." In addition to Levi’s Stadium, both Stanford and UC Berkeley "have recently renovated stadiums, the Earthquakes are nearly finished with a soccer stadium in San Jose," and the Warriors "plan to open a basketball and multiuse arena" in Mission Bay in '18. S.F. organizers project that to host the Games, it will cost about $4B, which "would come from private sources, with additional public funds to complete planned infrastructure improvements" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/17). Meanwhile, in L.A., David Wharton notes the decision to bid comes despite the fact that the USOC is still "regrouping from a recent history of failed attempts and frustration." The last two times the U.S. bid for the Games, Chicago and N.Y. "lost during early rounds" of IOC voting. USOC officials "have spent the years since then working to improve relations with the IOC" (L.A. TIMES, 12/17).

CITY OF ANGLES: In L.A., Rick Orlov reports Wasserman Media Group Founder, Chair & CEO Casey Wasserman, who is leading the city's campaign, "pointed out all the changes" in L.A. since '84, when it last hosted the Games. While the L.A. Coliseum "would continue to serve as the main facility, nearly every other venue is new" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 12/17). In California, Scott Reid reports L.A.'s bid "revolves around existing, and in the case of the Coliseum iconic, facilities, the entertainment industry and a thriving downtown in one of the world’s unique and most diverse cities." The "so-far low-key" bid has mirrored a similar approach by the USOC after failed bids and "tense and often dysfunctional relations between the USOC and IOC" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 12/17).

DISTRICT STANDARDS: DC bid group Chair & CEO Russ Ramsey said that all five members of the DC contingent -- himself; Wizards and Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis; DC Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser; former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue; and Gold Medal-winning Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky -- "played an active role in the bid presentation." Ramsey: "I couldn’t have been happier with our presentation or our team." Ramsey yesterday was "singling out Bowser as someone who connected with the board." He said the BOD found her "sincere, knowledgeable and enthusiastic." Although DC's bid "leans heavily on existing venues, its proposal calls for a new, permanent Olympic stadium to be constructed on the current site of RFK Stadium" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/17).

BEAN COUNTERS: Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said that he "was pleased with the city’s presentation." Walsh: "The USOC is very difficult to read, so I can’t say how we did compared to the other cities. I know the other cities, they felt pretty good too walking out." He added that he was the only member of his administration who "spoke, addressing the committee for seven or eight minutes" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/17).  When speaking to the USOC BOD, Walsh acknowledged that the No Boston Olympics group, which "displayed what it called a 'pop-up billboard' outside the meeting place, is concerned about the cost of the Games and potential overruns." Boston's bidders have said that they "hope to make maximum use of college facilities that are near mass transit, to build a stadium that later can be downsized, and to erect a modular Olympic village next to UMass Boston" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/17). Meanwhile, in Boston, Jon Chesto writes under the header, "Unions Would Be Big Beneficiaries Of A 2024 Boston Olympics." The '24 Games "could represent the city’s biggest group of construction projects since the Big Dig." The estimated price tag of $4.5B "would mean a bonanza for union work" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/17).

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