Long shot NYC works new angle

SINGAPORE – New York’s bid leader is clear on what his city must do to land the 2012 Olympics – convince IOC members that New York represents not just an American bid but an international one.

“Imagine you’re an athlete and you wake up in an Olympic Village on the East River right across from the United Nations,” New York Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said Friday.

“You see your flag being raised in the village and at the U.N. right across the river. And no matter what sport you compete in, no matter where you’re from, you’re going to compete in front of thousands of your hometown crowd.”

But even with Muhammad Ali and about 40 other Olympians in its corner, New York remains a long shot in Wednesday’s vote, the most glamorous and closely contested one in Olympic history. New York is listed at 25-1 odds by international betting agencies.

“What a bunch of British bettors say about the Olympic Games makes no difference to us at all,” Doctoroff said after arriving Friday in Singapore. “In virtually every one of the Olympic bidding contests, there’s been an upset, there’s been a surprise.”

British-based Ladbrokes has listed Paris at 2-9, London at 7-2 and Madrid at 12-1. New York is at 25-1 and Moscow at 50-1.

“This is the last five days, you got to give it everything you got,” Doctoroff said. “One thing about New York is that you never, ever discount the power of New York.”

The city’s bid already has survived an 11th-hour upheaval after state officials rejected a proposed showpiece Olympic stadium on Manhattan’s West Side. New York quickly came up with another plan to use a stadium in Queens. Doctoroff contends public support is strong now that the stadium controversy is gone.

“We’ve had some ups and downs in the last month with our stadium,” he said. “But we’ve solved that problem. Our sense is, coming into the event, we have tremendous momentum.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and Spanish leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will be in Singapore to back their countries. President Bush will not be there – although Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be part of the delegation – but Doctoroff says the president’s absence does not diminish New York’s bid.

“He will be appearing in our presentation via video,” Doctoroff told the Associated Press. “He’s been there when we need him, we’re very proud of that.”

Bush has called the Olympics a “national security special event,” meaning Washington will pick up the security costs, Doctoroff said.

With five days before the secret ballot by 115 IOC voters, Doctoroff says plenty of work remains.