According to Jack Kelly, an adviser for San Antonio’s 2007 Pan American Games bid, said the vote by the 42-member nations of the Pan American Sports Organization will be “a real horse race”. Kelly is also advising Houston’s bid in its race to be the U.S. candidate for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games.
Kelly told San Antonio Press News “politics will always come into play. Look at it in very broad terms – politics is anything that isn’t infrastructure”.
San Antonio Press News reporter Dave King reports that San Antonio lacks a world-class track and field stadium but one has been promised for the campus of UTSA. He said Rio is missing several facilities, but a recent letter from the city’s mayor to several key bidders noted that Rio is prepared to take 20 per cent of its municipal budget (which is $2.4 billion in 2002) and dedicate it to Pan Am Games-related projects.
Lobbyists from both cities traveled to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England to visit officials from the Caribbean nations competing there. And officials from Rio used the opportunity of the South American Games held in the city and three other cities in Brazil earlier this month – to work on the delegates from that region.
Also, members of San Antonio’s committee met with officials from the Caribbean and Central America at last week’s North America, Central America and Caribbean Under-25 Track and Field Championships at Trinity University’s Stevens Stadium.
Ronald Russell, president of the U.S. Virgin Islands Track and Field Federation said, “it’s a matter of which countries have relationships among their sports officials. If sports officials from several different countries have relationships, they come into play when there is a vote”.
The newspaper said Rio may have its eye on another prize – the Olympics.
Rob Livingstone, founder of GamesBids.com and a consultant for Olympic bids said, “they have bid in the past. They didn’t bid for 2008, but they did for 2004, and they definitely have shown interest for 2012.
He said, “the IOC is really hot to get the Games in Africa or South America. Having a Pan Am Games would put them in the picture”.
The vote takes place on Saturday in Mexico City.
