While not promising a candidate, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) decided Saturday to meet leaders from about six American cities this spring to gauge interest in hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The next step is determining whether a U.S. city will submit a bid.
The USOC received positive feedback from International Olympic Committee (IOC) members at a meeting last week in South Korea and is now sending representatives to talk to mayors and other business leaders and give them parameters for a possible bid.
Peter Ueberroth, USOC chairman said, “there’s a lot of issues we want to get clear. We want to be sure we get as fair a shot for our city” as possible.
Ueberroth, chief executive Jim Scherr, and international vice president Bob Ctvrtlik will travel to the cities. Ueberroth said he hopes to have all the meetings completed by the end of May.
Ueberroth stepped short of guaranteeing a U.S. city would make a bid. Among the factors weighing in is the amount of revenue the 2016 Games can be expected to produce and how much a host country will retain.
The list of musts the USOC expects from any bid city is stadiums for the Opening Ceremonies and track and field, an Olympic and media village, and adequate hotel and convention space.
According to Ueberroth all the infrastructure must be “already built or fully committed”.
Ueberroth has said the USOC would only nominate a city if it had the support of the private sector along with that from local, state and federal governments, and a realistic chance to win against international candidates.
Ctvrtlik said choosing an American candidate cannot be a drawn-out process. The USOC hopes to know whether it will submit a bid before the end of the year.
Ueberroth warned that no city should begin putting together committees or raise money until meeting with the USOC so “we can give them a candid look at the bid process”.
