If the International Olympic Committee accepts a joint U.S.-Canada bid it would be the first time the U.S. has collaborated with another country, said New York Governor George Pataki, in announcing the proposal. Sports venues around Lake Placid and the Montreal area would be used. The cities are about 140 miles apart.
Suzanne Morris, a spokeswoman for Pataki said, “we believe the modern-day Olympics have grown so substantially that a village the size of Lake Placid probably wouldn’t be able to compete in today’s market. Combining the assets, amenities, infrastructure and the facilities of both Montreal and Lake Placid makes the most sense”.
But the bid faces many obstacles and the timing of the announcement even caught the Quebec government off guard.
Richard Legendre, Quebec’s Minister Responsible for Sports said, “we find the idea of having our two nations welcoming the world’s athletes quite interesting. But the idea is still in the early stages. We have to examine the feasibility of the project”.
Legendre said the idea is to submit a bid for either the 2014 or 2018 Winter Games. He said the timing would depend on whether Vancouver is selected to host the 2010 Games and on the success of New York City’s 2012 bid.
Mike Moran, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee said the USOC is putting its resources behind New York’s 2012 bid and isn’t planning a winter bid.
And Mike Chambers, the head of the Canadian Olympic Committee dismissed the idea.
One of the more immediate results of a joint Olympic bid would be better facilities for local Olympians, said Saratoga Winter Club Coach Pat Maxwell. Maxwell has coached Olympic speedskaters in five winter Games.
Previous Winter Games bids that involved more than one country have been rejected by the IOC. Klagenfurt in Austria put forward a bid for the 2006 Games that would have seen sports played in Austria, Slovenia and Italy.
