Eight U.S. Cities Bid For 2012 Games
Eight U.S. cities submitted bids Friday to host the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The U.S. Olympic Committee received bids from Cincinnati; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; San Francisco; Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, Md. by Friday's deadline.
"The United States Olympic Committee and America's Olympic athletes are thrilled by this tremendous outpouring of enthusiasm for the Olympic Games by eight tremendous communities," USOC president Sandra Baldwin said.
"The delivery today of the eight bids doubles the previous level of interest by U.S. cities in hosting the games. I know we will have a competitive and spirited process ahead of us, and I am convinced that we can bring the 2012 Olympic Games to the United States, and stage these games in the same successful way that previous American cities have."
As part of the bid package, each city was required to address 19 themes relating to the city's ability to handle an event the size of the Olympics. That includes security, medical and health services, environmental conditions and protection, customs and immigration formalities, accommodations, media and transportation.
Each city also was required to address issues relating to the athletes, their accommodations and "Olympism" and culture, as well as issues such as marketing, finance, technology and legal matters regarding the games themselves.
The USOC's International Relations Department will review each bid for structural compliance and send letters to each city by March 1 indicating any revisions that need to be made to meet bidding requirements. Each city will then have until June 1 to make any necessary changes and resubmit the bid.
The USOC will make its final choice for the United States' candidate city at its 2002 board meetings. The International Olympic Committee will choose a host city in September 2005.
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