USOC BOD member Angela Ruggiero last night told the Boston City Council that there is "'no guarantee' the USOC will stick with its choice this fall when the time comes to send a formal bid" to the IOC for the '24 Games, according to Ryan & Arsenault of the BOSTON GLOBE. Ruggiero said, "Right now the USOC is going through a similar vetting process to make sure Boston is the right city. So there’s no guarantee Boston will be the city in September.” Ruggiero’s comments, at a council hearing on the city’s Olympic bid, would "appear to be a blunt suggestion that the USOC does not intend to go forward with a Boston bid if public support does not improve." She said, "Right now we need the strong support of Boston. The USOC is hand-in-hand, we’re partnering. But we want Boston to succeed so we’re doing everything possible.” A USOC spokesperson responded to questions about Ruggiero’s comments with a statement saying, “We are 100 percent behind Boston’s bid. ... Boston can deliver a great Games. There is no truth whatsoever to the rumor that we have asked them to stand down." But Ruggiero "alluded to criticism that has undercut support for the effort." She said, “I love that democracy is alive and well in Boston. It’s good that we’re debating hard what the plan should look like, because what we get on the table will make sense for Boston and make sense for America.” Ryan & Arsenault note the hearing, called by City Council President Bill Linehan, was the "first of four forums planned to review Boston’s bid" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/19). The AP's Pells & Golen noted Ruggiero was the "first in the federation's leadership group to suggest anything other than the USOC's unwavering support." She said that the USOC is "working hard to make sure Boston succeeds in its attempt to bid for the games." Linehan said that he "took Ruggiero's message not as a threat but as an encouragement for the city to get to work on the bid." Linehan: "It was in the context: 'These things change.' I thought it was interesting, but on the front end, she talked about Boston being the city" (AP, 5/18).
PLEASE COME TO BOSTON: In Boston, Jack Encarnacao notes Boston '24 officials "assured the City Council it will produce 'Version 2.0' of its Olympics plan next month, with specifics on venue location and financing that top officials," including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin Walsh, "have been hankering for." Boston '24 CEO Richard Davey told the council, “We owe you a plan. If we can’t come up with a model that does work, we’re not going to bid. There’s too much at stake" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/19). Meanwhile, in Boston, Encarnacao & Johnson note Ruggerio's "warning came" as politicians and business leaders in L.A. said that they are "ready to pick up the baton if Boston drops it." If a "last-minute switch is made, California state Sen. Bob Hertzberg said L.A. is ready." Hertzberg: “There certainly would be the political will and there certainly is an ability to act quickly. We could do it, that’s not an issue.” L.A. Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Carl McGill said the city is ready to “jump on it” (BOSTON HERALD, 5/19).
