SINGAPORE, Thursday, July 7 - New York's failed plans for a West Side stadium severely hampered its quest to be host of the 2012 Summer Games, several International Olympic Committee members gathered here said Wednesday night.
These members said several factors were likely to blame for the city's poor showing during the vote Wednesday. But in discussing the city's fourth-place showing in the five-city competition - which London won over New York, Moscow, Madrid and Paris - the scuttling of the stadium was a common thread.
"I mean, the bid was good," said Nawal el-Moutawakel, an I.O.C. member from Morocco who led the evaluation commission that visited all the cities this year. "Maybe it was hurt because of the late changes. Hopefully, in the future, things will be well thought out so that this type of late problems will not happen, because it may have harmed the bid."
Earlier this year, Moutawakel agreed with Bloomberg that New York's bid would be damaged if the West Side stadium plan was not approved.
After a state panel rejected the West Side stadium plan last month, New York's bid officials responded by quickly coming up with a fully approved alternative, the conversion of a new Mets stadium in Queens for the Olympics.
But Jim Easton, a United States Olympic Committee member, said of the switch: "I think it confused people. They tried to correct it at the end - but the first impression is the one that people hang with."
The problems were apparent during a question-and-answer session that followed New York's presentation. Prince Albert II of Monaco asked the city's bid leader, Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff, whether other changes were in store.
Doctoroff answered emphatically that everything was finally in place.