L.A. GOES FOR GOLD THIRD TIME IN 2012 OLYMPIC BID.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

With memories of the successful 1984 Olympics bolstering its case, Los Angeles hosts United States Olympic Committee members today in a bid to hold the 2012 Summer Games and become the first city to three-peat.

The USOC's site evaluation task force is seeing Los Angeles last out of the eight cities it will consider for submission to the International Olympic Committee next year. The IOC is expected to make its decision in 2005.

Los Angeles is the only one of the eight U.S. contenders to have hosted the Games before - in 1984 and 1932 - and officials hope that will add momentum to their bid. No city worldwide has hosted the modern Games three times.

``It (the '84 Olympics) was considered successful on every level,'' said David Simon, president of the Los Angeles 2012 Bid Committee. ``We have experienced people here. The people who are still here have good memories of it.''

At the same time, much has changed since 1984, he added. About 60 percent of the facilities the USOC task force is visiting were built since the last Games, such as Staples Center and Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. That means very little construction will be needed, keeping the costs down, he said.

The task force visited Orange County locations Thursday, looking at Edison International Field, Arrowhead Pond and the Bren Center at the University of California, Irvine. Today, task force members will be in Los Angeles looking at Staples Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

On Saturday, they will visit Long Beach and see the Long Beach Convention Center & Arena and the Pyramid at California State University, Long Beach.

The committee has about 18 different criteria, grading each city in each category on a scale of 1-10 - similar to the scale used by Olympics judges.

The other cities competing for the U.S. bid are Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

Experience is one of the key factors - and Los Angeles clearly has an advantage there, USOC spokesman Bob Condron acknowledged.

``That's one of the big areas - one of the highest categories,'' Condron said. ``They'll ask if you had experience hosting a multisport event, and they can say, Yeah - the Olympics. That's pretty strong. In addition, L.A. hosts something international every weekend.''

Besides looking at transportation, financing, sports infrastructure and government support, the committee also will be checking the intangibles each city has to offer - the unique charm and culture that gives a city its character.

``That's the toughest part of it,'' Condron said. ``To win the bid, both from us and especially from the IOC, you need a bit of magic in your area.''

The L.A. bid committee has received statements of support from local political leaders, including Mayor James Hahn. Those statements were easier to make because the bid committee is not seeking taxpayer money to bring the Games to Los Angeles.

Condron said the USOC doesn't expect a public subsidy - but the IOC requires a backup plan in case private funding falls short. In some cases, that means a government guarantee, but the Los Angeles bid organizers plan to obtain a private insurance policy.

Both Condron and Simon said it is unlikely and rare for the Games to lose money. The L.A. bid committee has projected that a Los Angeles Olympics would cost $1.9 billion to hold and would earn $2 billion in revenue from tickets, broadcasting and sponsorship. The profits are split among the host city, the IOC and the USOC.

The 1984 Games cost $546 million and earned $769 million. Los Angeles used its share in 1984 to fund youth sports programs.

While many say the Games would be a big boost to the city's civic pride, others point to the significant economic impact, including the role of money in generating interest from private-sector groups that would help back the Games.

``I think pride and image and all that stuff is nice to talk about, but at the end of the day in this city we don't need it. It's an international sporting event that gets a lot of media attention which ... generates dollars,'' said Kathryn Schloessman, president of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, which is not involved in the Olympics bid.

Media attention can bring unwanted visitors as well. Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said threats of violent protests have escalated in recent years at large international events.

``It's a huge venue with a lot of people coming in and a lot of media attention,'' Kyser said. ``This is in Los Angeles, an international media center, so Los Angeles would be like honey to bees. So that's something we have to think about.''

Among those on the USOC's site evaluation group are: Charles H. Moore, a 1952 gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles and executive director of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy; Stacey Johnson, a member of the 1980 Olympic Fencing Team and president of the U.S. Fencing Association; and Christopher Cole, a world champion racquetball player.

The task force will narrow the contenders to three or four by the end of the year, and then select one finalist by fall 2002 to submit to the International Olympic Committee.

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Photo:

The L.A. Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1984 and 1932 Summer Olympics, could be a key venue again if L.A. wins for 2012.

Associated Press

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HOST CITY HOPEFULS

Source: Associated Press