Big Apple wooing the Olympics Committee

Sun., Feb. 13, 2005

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a habit of combining his charm and wealth to advocate for his city, and now he and his private-sector friends are pulling out all the stops to impress the International Olympic Committee.

On the evening of Feb. 23, the 13 IOC officials evaluating the city’s bid to host the 2012 Games will be ushered from their suites at the Plaza Hotel — where they will have views of Central Park festooned with 7,500 saffron-colored, banner-waving “Gates” assembled by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude — to horse-drawn carriages.

The carriages will take them to Bloomberg’s Upper East Side townhouse for dinner and drinks. The guest list includes Gov. George Pataki and Donald Trump.

The group will then be treated to a gala evening of musical stars at the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in the glass-walled Time Warner Center, overlooking Central Park at Columbus Circle.

IOC rules, tightened after the scandal over Salt Lake City’s bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics, forbid candidate cities and their backers from giving IOC members gifts and prohibit most direct lobbying.

But the IOC allows a city to treat IOC victors to a single night of entertainment extravagance.

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Big Apple wooing the Olympics Committee

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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