NYC and SF Announced as Olympic 2012 Finalists(Texas taxpayers relieved!)

GamesBid.com ^ | 8/27/02 | GamesBid.com

[Diddle E. Squat]

66 days until the USOC elects its 2012 candidate. The USOC narrowed the list to New York and San Francisco today in Chicago.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Houston and DC are eliminated. Looks like it will be the Bay Area, the NYC proposal is just too expensive. NYC survived the cut due to the Carnahan factor.

Another feather in Lee P. Brown's cap, he's having a great month!

[mewzilla]

Might I just say, as a resident of NYS, that I don't want A DIME OF MY TAX MONEY going to this bloody boondoggle. Or to relieve the mountain of debt its going to leave behind. CA can have it. With my blessing. No offense to CA. I hope somebody files a lawsuit. Anyone in NYS who wants to try, in the event we're unfortunate enough to get this mess, count me in.

[sinkspur]

I think it'll be New York; the "Carnahan factor" will still be at work next year at this time.

Dallas actually thought it had a shot at this last year.

You're right about the Texas taxpayers. We dodged a bullet here.

[GSWarrior]

Oh man...another reason to move from this city.

[PAR35]

Excerpt from the Houston Chronicle story (note that it says that SF is in, then it says it is out):

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory/1549585

Houston out of the running for 2012 Olympic games
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle


CHICAGO -CHICAGO -- Houston's dream of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games evaporated today when the U.S. Olympic Committee's site selection team eliminated it from the competition.

The task force announced this afternoon that it will submit San Francisco and New York to the USOC's board of directors for a final Nov. 3 vote to determine the United States' candidate for 2012.

Ten months ago, Houston's bid survived the cut from eight contenders to four, but the city's technically strong bid -- most of the facilities needed for the games are already here or under construction -- apparently couldn't compete with the international appeal of Houston's competitor cities. The other city that lost out, San Francisco, had proposed a venue that was more spread out than its rivals.

[WilliamWallace1999]

CHICAGO -- Houston's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games was rejected today by the U.S. Olympic Committee's site selection team.

The USOC task force selected San Francisco and New York as finalists to become the U.S. bid city for 2012. The 123-member USOC board of directors will take a final vote Nov. 3 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The International Olympic Committee will select the 2012 host city in 2005.

Houston and Washington, D.C., were eliminated from contention after a day-long meeting by the 10-member USOC task force, chaired by 1952 track gold medalist Charles H. Moore.

The decision to drop Houston from consideration ends a decade-long dream that began with former City Councilman John Kelley and was carried forward by the Houston 2012 Foundation. Foundation chairman George DeMontrond III and foundation president Susan Bandy were present for the announcement this afternoon.

The centerpiece of Houston's 2012 bid was Reliant Park, which would have hosted 13 Olympic events. Included in the plan was a $90 million proposal to convert the Astrodome into the world's first enclosed, full-scale track and field arena.


Now it's time to vote his thieving butt out of office and get all the do-nothing lackies off the city payroll.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I don't think any US city has a chance now - the Eurocrats will mobilize world opposition against us, particularly if we are rude enough to achieve military victories in the Middle East. That said, at least in the Bay Area the athletes wouldn't risk death from heat prostration. (Houston in September...what were they smoking???)

[mewzilla]

I'm sure Houston gave good bribe.

[Cobra Scott]

"I don't think any US city has a chance now - the Eurocrats will mobilize world opposition against us, particularly if we are rude enough to achieve military victories in the Middle East."

Another sound and sober reason to invade Iraq!

[weegee]

They threatened to send over Anna Nicole Smith as an "escort".

[Coop]

There are some D.C. officials who have to be downing the tequila about now. I was reading just today that they fully expected to make the round of two. Oops.

While the convenience to the events would have been nice, I don't think I'll miss the traffic nightmares. Okay, the additional traffic nightmares.

[Pining_4_TX]

They threatened to send over Anna Nicole Smith as an "escort".

Gee, I thought she was a shot-putter.

[altair]

You misexcerpted or they changed the article around. The link does not contain the same error.

[altair]

They smelled downtown Frisco and selected it anyway? What is their plan to get the homeless to stop pissing and defecating in the street?

[PAR35]

You misexcerpted or they changed the article around. The link does not contain the same error.

I did a straight cut and paste. The error was the main reason I left that paragraph in place. They had it fixed on their web site by the time someone posted it as a new story on FR shortly thereafter.

[altair]

I don't think any US city has a chance now

I hope they don't. The '08 Olympics are in Beijing and who wants sloppy seconds after them?

By the way, for anyone planning on watching the '08 Olympics, I highly recommend doing it from Japan. There's only one hour difference so the coverage will be live and Japanese TV Olympic coverage rocks. Big time.

[Diddle E. Squat]

They smelled downtown Frisco and selected it anyway? What is their plan to get the homeless to stop pissing and defecating in the street?

Probably to make it an Olympic event.

[dougherty]

I had to laugh at the news anchors here in Houston this afternoon, they were acting as if the city were in mourning over this. Houston is too hot and humid during the summer to host the Olympics. I had a hunch SF would make the cut, and personally, I would have chosen SF as well. I have never been there, but from what I've seen from tv, movies and books, it is a beautiful city. I would not have chosen Houston, NYC or Washington DC. Anyway, I'm especially glad that Houston didn't make the cut under Lee Period Brown's term, hehe.

[altair]

"Hey Mom! I just won a Gold Medal in the Olympic Pissing Contest!"

[3catsanadog]

Well, if they have it in San Francisco, I can only imagine what the opening ceremonies will be like. I foresee something on the order of a Gay Pride parade. You know the gay rights activists will insist on being part of the celebration.