Although USOC officials have instructed board members not to reveal their intentions before today’s official vote for the U.S. 2012 Summer Olympic Games candidate, its reported that two of those members, who asked not to be identified, said they sense the decision will favour New York.
“It’s still speculation because obviously I haven’t spoken to all my colleagues, but what talk I have heard clearly points toward a New York victory. I think few would (dispute) that San Francisco has the better technical bid, but too many of (the board members) view New York as a U.S. giant with the money and prestige to win this thing at the international level”.
If this is true, the 25 people from San Francisco attending today’s vote will be very disappointed. They include the Mayors of San Jose and San Francisco, and Anne Cribbs, president and chief executive officer of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee.
New York’s 25-member group is headed by New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor (who is also the bid founder) Daniel Doctoroff, and bid director Jay Kriegel. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will be included in the presentation.
Each city will show videos. Among New York’s five short video’s is one that depicts a staged Olympic torch run and ticker tape parade.
Meanwhile, Bill Hybl, a president emeritus who serves on the board, said the Bay Area shouldn’t be dismissed so quickly. “How much validity can you give to what’s being said. For every member who is discussing the bid there’s at least one other member who isn’t saying anything”.
And USOC president Marty Mankamyer, who also sits on the board, said she won’t even decide between the two cities until after today’s presentations.
According to ABC the city that becomes the U.S. candidate will have to defuse some strong anti-American sentiment within the IOC, where some members still bristle at being investigated and painted as criminals by a congressional committee and the FBI over the Salt Lake City bribery scandal.
Mankamyer said she believed the scandal was old news and behind the Olympic movement. She said IOC members at a recent meeting said they were impressed with how well the Salt Lake Games went in February.
