The international track and field federation, the I.A.A.F., has given NYC2012's plan for an Olympic stadium in Queens its first major endorsement, the federation's general secretary, István Gyulai, said yesterday after the plan was presented at the federation's headquarters in Monaco.
"Honestly, I was very impressed because it was done in such a short time," Gyulai said in a telephone interview. "We looked at it and it was very impressive. It meets all of our technical requirements."
This was a crucial development for NYC2012 because the international federations of the two sports that would compete there, track and field and soccer, must approve the stadium plan before the International Olympic Committee executive board will allow New York to submit it to the I.O.C. as part of its bid. The new plan has to be approved quickly because the I.O.C. votes on July 6 to pick the 2012 city from among the five finalists: New York, Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow.
NYC2012's director of planning and design, Andrew Winters, and David Katz, the meet director of New York's Millrose Games, presented the plan to the I.A.A.F. in Monaco.
Soccer's governing body, FIFA, has asked that the plan be sent to it by mail, but its requirements are less exacting than track and field's. Only the men's and women's gold medal soccer matches would be played at the stadium.
"Obviously we're very pleased," Jay Kriegel, NYC2012's executive director, said of the I.A.A.F.'s reaction. "This was a critical step, an important evaluation in the I.O.C.'s approval process."
The I.A.A.F. presentation is part of what NYC2012 officials consider a relaunching of the bid after the plan to build a stadium on the Far West Side of Manhattan failed, nearly sinking New York's hopes for the Games. Today, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg leads a delegation that will present the revised bid to African Olympic officials meeting in Accra, Ghana. It is the final opportunity to reach I.O.C. members before they convene in Singapore for the final vote.
Bloomberg was en route to Ghana yesterday with Daniel L. Doctoroff, the deputy mayor and bid founder; David N. Dinkins, the former mayor; Dikembe Mutombo, the N.B.A. star and Republic of Congo native; and Adebayo Ogunlesi, the chief of investment banking for Credit Suisse First Boston. They will make a 10-minute presentation to the group as well as individually lobby the 15 or so I.O.C. members expected to attend.
This is NYC2012's first chance to gauge the international reaction to the stadium-rebirth drama. Organizers have always considered Africa a potentially important source of support, aiming to win over its I.O.C. voters by promoting New York's ethnic diversity. They hope the track and field plans for the stadium will resonate in Africa because of the sport's prominence there. The I.A.A.F. president, Lamine Diack of Senegal, is also an I.O.C. member and will be in attendance in Accra.
Kriegel said part of the presentation would be New York's ability to bounce back with a new stadium proposal, but that it would not be the dominant theme. He said he believed I.O.C. members were more interested in the overall appeal of a New York Games and that a Manhattan stadium had been but a small part of that.
Kriegel also said the bid's proposal to lend marketing help to sports leading up to the Games has found an attentive audience. Track and field is one of those sports, Gyulai said.
"Our long-term strategic plan is better marketing and promotion of the sport in the United States, to bring it back to where it was during the time of the Los Angeles Games and before," Gyulai said. "It has dropped off. With the great level of your athletes in the U.S., it is a shame."
The Olympic stadium would not become a permanent track and field facility like the Stade de France in Paris and London's proposed Olympic stadium. New York's stadium would be returned to the Mets after the Olympics as a 45,000-seat baseball park. But the track federation would welcome the increased exposure provided by an American Olympics.
Before the I.O.C. can even consider the New York bid, however, the stadium proposal has to meet its list of requirements. Most are dictated by track and field. Everything from the marathon course, which must be altered to finish in the new stadium, to the location of the warm-up track, to the configuration of the media areas must pass muster.
After a few questions about the race-walking course, which must be near the stadium, and whether the roof will cover all spectators (it will), Gyulai said the federation would submit the necessary letter to the I.O.C. indicating its approval.
"It is a major accomplishment to quickly come up with such a complete proposal," he said.
NYC2012 hopes to hear FIFA's reaction to the stadium plan next week.