IOC Evaluation Commission Wraps N.Y. Visit: Stadium Critical

IOC Commission Chair Emphasizes Importance Of West Side Stadium

IOC Evaluation Commission Chair Nawal el-Moutawakel at the group’s news conference ending its five-day visit to N.Y. on Thursday indicated that the proposed West Side stadium will be “a key factor in the IOC’s ultimate choice” on the host city for the 2012 Olympics, according to Zinser & Rutenberg of the N.Y. TIMES. Moutawakel: “It is important to have the stadium. All the cities are aware of this. They gave us all assurances. [Mayor Bloomberg] is a winner and his team is a winning team.” Moutawakel added, “The bid committee must be congratulated on the quality of its candidature, of the quality of its presentations and its teamwork and professionalism.” Moutawakel also “stressed that the commission was not influenced by concerns about [U.S.] foreign policy.” N.Y. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & NYC2012 Founder Daniel Doctoroff said, “The visit was seamless and we managed to demonstrate the things that are really important for us” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/25). USOC Chair Peter Ueberroth said the NYC2012 bid “is alive and well and I think you’re going to be surprised by the time July comes around” (L.A. TIMES, 2/25).

THE WEST IT YET TO COME? Moutawakel said of approval for the West Side stadium, “We trust that between now and March, end of March, or even July, this project hopefully will come to an end” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/25). While Athens did not have a stadium when it won its bid, Swiss IOC member Gilbert Felli indicated that the IOC “is no longer likely to award an Olympics to a city that does not have a stadium in the works.” Felli: “The process has changed since 2000” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/25).

OTHER VENUES: In N.Y., Topousis & Lisi report three members of the Evaluation Commission attended a Knicks game Thursday as guests of Cablevision President & CEO James Dolan. While IOC rules prohibit members from accepting gifts, a source said that three IOC members were at MSG “to research what the venue is like during an actual basketball game, and not for fun.” Another source said the delegates spoke with Dolan, but “the stadium did not come up in any way. Jim was very pro-Olympics and made sure they knew that” (N.Y. POST, 2/25). Moutawakel indicated that venues such as MSG and Arthur Ashe Stadium are a “strong point” in the N.Y. bid. Moutawakel: “What we have seen so far is an infrastructure of high quality caliber. ... The existing infrastructure is something that is very important to us. And even the proposed venues that are contingent on your getting the Games are high quality also” (Westchester JOURNAL NEWS, 2/25).

NYC2012 Spends Approximately $3M On IOC Visit

OVERRUN GUARANTEES: In N.Y., Charles Bagli notes London, Paris, Madrid and Moscow “have offered open-ended agreements to cover any cost overruns or deficits, in most cases underwritten by their national governments.” But with NYC2012 “lacking such a guarantee from the federal, state or city government, it has offered to cover all excess costs up to $492[M], which organizers say should be sufficient.” It “far from clear, however, that that limit will be sufficient” for the IOC commission. Moutawakel “gave a noncommittal answer to the question of whether the city had met the committee’s requirements.” Former SLOC member Roger Cutler said, “The IOC will not accept those limitations, at least that’s my impression. I went to Europe twice trying to get them to modify the requirements. They’ve required a broad-based and unlimited indemnification of the IOC and all its officers.” Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said, “In the U.S., there’s never any doubt it can be done, but they’ve got to produce a guarantee from someone” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/25).

START SPREADING THE NEWS: In Atlanta, Karen Rosen notes NYC2012 member Jay Carson and the group also attempted to “impress the 200-plus journalists on hand.” Carson said, “Would we not mind if an IOC member picked up a great story about the [N.Y.] bid and read it? That’d be great for us” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/25). In L.A., Alan Abrahamson notes NYC2012 spent about $3M for the IOC’s visit, compared to $1M spent last week by London 2012. The IOC “picks up the panelists’ expenses” (L.A. TIMES, 2/25). IOC President Jacques Rogge, on the selection process: “Ultimately, the choice of the organizing city is a political choice by the IOC. In the evaluation commission, you want to have a mixture between political members and technicians giving advice” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/25).

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