The USOC on Wednesday insisted that it "hasn’t asked" L.A. to "wait in the wings as an Olympic understudy in case Boston’s beleaguered bid for the 2024 Summer Games is panned by the public," according to John Powers of the BOSTON GLOBE. USOC CEO Scott Blackmun: "We categorically deny that any such discussions are taking place. We also categorically deny that any such discussions have taken place in the past. If I could say that more strongly, I would." L.A. Office of Mayor Communications Advisor Jeff Millman on Thursday said that the USOC "had not spoken with the mayor’s office about the possibility of the city stepping in as a substitute candidate." The USOC "still could change its mind before the mid-September application deadline if the polling numbers in Greater Boston ... don’t improve significantly." The IOC "historically expects at least two-thirds of the local citizenry to support a bid." IOC member Dick Pound: "Having picked Boston, it would probably be very difficult to change that unless Boston said, ‘We can’t muster enough support here'" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/8).
HEAD HUNTING: In Boston, Matt Stout cites a 12-page operating plan draft as showing that Boston '24 execs "initially eyed Diane Patrick, the wife of then-Gov. Deval Patrick, and Red Sox and Boston Globe owner John Henry for high-ranking roles in its" bid push. The plan "features 27 names in the bid committee’s 'partnership structure,' including many who have long been connected to the Olympic movement" and Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, whom the group initially listed as a director on state filings. Boston '24 officials "did not address why they included their names or if they actively recruited them." A spokesperson for Henry in an e-mail wrote that he "has not been a board member or 'attended any 2024 meetings'" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/8).
