Olympics? Stadium?
Hopes still alive

OIC will allow New York to submit alternative plan

By MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

The International Olympic Committee will allow New York to submit a Plan B for the Olympic Stadium - saving the city's bid for the 2012 Games from certain defeat.

"The IOC would allow an alternative proposal," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies told the Daily News. "It would need to go to the executive board for review [and] approval."

In a message to Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, leader of the city's Olympic bid, Davies explained that as a "general rule" the city's bid was closed when the IOC evaluation commission completed its visit to New York in February.

"Since, at that time, New York could not provide the guarantees for the stadium, it was explained to you that you had up until the time of the IOC session in Singapore [on July 6] to provide such guarantees," Davies wrote.

"As we now understand the situation, New York is not able to provide such guarantees," Davies wrote. "In such an exceptional circumstance as this, a bid city has the right to address the issue in front of the executive board."

The possibility of a backup site comes after months of Mayor Bloomberg's insistence that an alternative was impossible.

On Monday, a state panel rejected plans to build a stadium on Manhattan's West Side, prompting Bloomberg to woefully raise the specter of New York withdrawing from the global competition.

"There's no chance the stadium could be built elsewhere and help us with the Olympics because what the rules of the IOC are - you have to submit a plan," Bloomberg said Tuesday. "It can't have backups or anything. It can have one plan, and you have to follow that plan."

Ed Skyler, Bloomberg's communications director, declined yesterday to comment on the development.

Jay Kriegel, the bid committee's executive director, said, "We are making every effort to find a way to ensure that New York's bid can continue and be successful."

The IOC's executive board will meet in Singapore beginning July 3. The 115-member committee will select the host city on July 6 by secret ballot, after final presentations by each of the five finalist cities. New York is competing against Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow.

Kriegel and other Olympic officials refused to provide any details about a Plan B, but as The News first reported yesterday, officials are investigating alternate sites for the stadium.

The Olympic Stadium is the marquee venue of any Olympics - it plays host to the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the track and field competitions in Summer Games.

Shea Stadium is one of the few sites in the New York area that the bid committee had not planned to use for the Games, but officials at NYC2012 refused yesterday to say if they've reconsidered using the Mets' home.

Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon declined to comment through team spokesman Jay Horwitz.

It also was unclear whether the bid committee would go to Singapore with a modified Plan A that would include the West Side stadium and an alternate site. Even though a state board has rejected the West Side project, the Jets - who want the facility as their new home - have vowed to pursue the site.

While bid officials remained tight-lipped yesterday, they were optimistic enough to send out a press release inviting New Yorkers to demonstrate their Olympic spirit by appearing in a short movie that will be filmed this weekend.