Bay Area Business Leaders Celebrate United States Olympic Committee Decision to Short List Bay Area for 2016 Olympics; Polling Show Region's Business Leaders and Residents Strongly Support Future Bid.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Eighth graph should be removed.

The corrected release reads:

BAY AREA BUSINESS LEADERS CELEBRATE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DECISION TO SHORT LIST BAY AREA FOR 2016 OLYMPICS; POLLING SHOW REGION'S BUSINESS LEADERS AND RESIDENTS STRONGLY SUPPORT FUTURE BID

Today the Bay Area Council applauded the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) decision to visit the Bay Area on May 18, 2006 as one of the five locations short listed for consideration for a potential U.S. bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The Bay Area Council also released polling that shows the business community will offer solid support for a Bay Area bid.

"Strong business and public support are critical to winning an Olympic bid and the good news is that this region already has it," said Jim Wunderman, the president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, which represents more than 275 of the region's largest employers who employ more than 495,000 workers, or 1 of every six private sector employees in the Bay Area. "The previous 2012 bid provides a strong foundation to prepare us for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Due to strong community support, our experience hosting international sports, and our region's quantified international appeal; no place better represents the United States on the international sports stage."

Sixty-five percent of Bay Area CEOs and top business executives surveyed by the Bay Area Council want the region to submit a bid for the 2016 summer Olympic Games, according to a poll conducted July 11-25, 2005 with 515 Bay Area CEOs and top business executives. The region submitted a bid for the 2012 Olympics and narrowly placed in second behind New York in voting by the USOC. Business community support is deemed critical for any bid because of the required financial backing.

Support was strongest among business leaders in San Mateo County, where 80 percent supported a 2016 bid, followed by San Francisco executives at 70 percent. The survey also revealed that 69 percent of business leaders would attend the Olympics if the Games came to the Bay Area.

Another important element for an Olympic bid is local public support. In a poll of Bay Area residents conducted by Corey, Canapary & Galanis Research for the 2012 bid, 88 percent of registered voters said that they favored hosting the Olympic Games in the Bay Area.

The Bay Area has been a major player in international sports for decades. During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the region hosted the soccer competition. Similarly, in the 1990s both men's and women's World Cup games were played at Stanford and San Jose state. Both World Cup sessions and the Olympic soccer drew large crowds demonstrating the Bay Area's large appetite for sports. In fact, during Olympic Games the Bay Area consistently has the highest ratings for Olympic TV broadcasts of any major metropolitan market in the United States. The region also is the home to seven professional teams (second only to New York).

A final important qualification for the region is its international reputation. Besides being the United States' gateway to Asia, in 13 of the past 14 years the international readership of Conde Nast Traveler named the Bay Area and San Francisco the "World's Favorite U.S. City." The Bay Area also hosts more than 80 foreign consulates and three international airports.

About the Bay Area Council:

Founded in 1945, the Bay Area Council (www.bayareacouncil.org) develops and drives regional public policy initiatives and critical infrastructure issues. Led by CEOs, the Bay Area Council presents a strong, united voice for more than 275 of the largest employers throughout the Bay Area region who employ more than 495,000 workers, or 1 of every six private sector employees in the Bay Area.