A BidIndex U.S. update released today by GamesBids.com indicates that the New York 2012 Olympic bid lead is quickly eroding. While San Francisco (up 3.23) and Washington (up 2.07) have strengthened on improved candidacies, New York (down 1.21) has dropped for the second consecutive update. Houston (down 0.20) dropped slightly but swapped second for last place with San Francisco.
New York’s BidIndex weakened on uncertainties surrounding the proposed Olympic Village location and negative comments about the bid from a high-ranking IOC member. The USOC has made it clear that it will select the bid with the greatest appeal to the IOC.
New York has a BidIndex value of 67.76 followed by San Francisco with 66.65 and Washington with 65.76. Houston trails with 63.77. Next week, the USOC will begin conducting critical evaluation visits of the four cities with the intention of narrowing the field to two this fall.
BidIndex is a mathematical model that when applied to an Olympic Bid, produces a number that can be used to rate a bid relative to others – and possibly gauge it’s ultimate success. The USOC will determine the winner on November 2, 2002.
