Other U.S. cities may bid for 2016 Olympics

BY MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

NYC2016? Not so fast.

Rigor mortis had barely set on New York's bid for the 2012 Olympics, when U.S. Olympic Committee officials suggested yesterday they would allow other cities to challenge New York as the country's presumed nominee for the 2016 Games.

That decision, officials admitted, is a significant breach of recent USOC precedent in which a defeated city maintained its nominee status for a second crack at Olympic glory.

Salt Lake City, for example, lost the 1998 Games but was renominated, without open bidding, and won the 2002 Winter Games. Anchorage lost the 1992 Winter Olympics, was renominated and lost again.

USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth stressed yesterday that the decision to go forward with an open bidding process for the 2016 Summer Games bears no reflection on the quality of New York's 2012 bid.

"We had a great mayor and we had a great group that handled this bid and they did a hell of a job," said Ueberroth, who lavished praise on Mayor Bloomberg and bid founder Daniel Doctoroff.

"There's land available now and there's stadiums that can get built now and, you know, four years from now is a whole different game. Who will be there?" said Ueberroth, noting Bloomberg faces reelection in November.

"We hope the mayor wins, but if he wasn't to win, what do we got? And who's going to be our lead horse? Are there quality people available? Our country deserves to have the best."

Even if Bloomberg wins, a 2016 bid could be complicated by his status as a lame duck in 2009, the same year the host city is selected. "When they win, you'd want to have a mayor that's there, not be term-limited out," Ueberroth said.

Bloomberg and Doctoroff both said yesterday that no decision had been made whether to try for the 2016 Games. Still, both said, they viewed 2012 as a once-in-a-lifetime shot.

"The land that we need, for example, to build an Olympic Village is vacant now. Probably won't be later on. All of the venues are available now," Bloomberg said. "We have the legislation and the funding we need to do the Olympic part of the stadium. We have it now. I don't know what the future would bring and whether we could mount a challenge."

Doctoroff, who has spearheaded the city's bid for the past 11 years, said "obviously you never say never" about 2016. Nevertheless, he said, "I think this was our moment."

USOC officials revealed yesterday that the nation won't have a bid for the 2014 Winter Games; so, the 2016 Summer Games will be the first following yesterday's loss.