L.A. POURS ON THE GLITZ IN BID TO LURE 2016 OLYMPICS.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

Staff Writer

With high-profile fervor, Los Angeles rolled out its most enthusiastic salesmen Thursday to wine, dine and shepherd U.S. Olympic Committee officials on a two-day tour as the city bids to host the 2016 Games.

A grinning Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, business leaders and former Olympians Janet Evans and Peter Vidmar led Olympics officials on a tour of UCLA, where athletes would stay if Los Angeles is chosen to host the games.

"Los Angeles is the city of America's dreams," Villaraigosa said. "This is a city where people come to invent themselves. This week we had the Academy Awards show here and (Best Actor) Forest Whitaker talked about how the city nourished him and allowed him to pursue his dreams.

"We can do that for the athletes and the Olympics. We want to put on an Olympics where the athletes are the stars."

In trying to persuade USOC officials to recommend Los Angeles over rival Chicago to the International Olympics Committee, city officials planned a dinner at the Getty Center, a luncheon at the Staples Center Grand Reserve Club and overnight accommodations at the landmark Beverly Hilton.

They also provided some star power. With Disney Studios and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games released a three-minute stylized commercial illustrating why Los Angeles should be selected.

Like one of the opening credits of a Bruckheimer film with montages of Los Angeles -- a jet landing at sunset at LAX, surfers, movie stars and landmarks -- it featured local Olympians touting the city and their experience as athletes.

"One of the concerns we hear from the USOC and ... the IOC, is that the Olympics have lost their appeal to young athletes, particularly young men," SCCOG Chairman Barry Sanders said. "What we are saying with this is that we have the talent, the creativity, to appeal to young people to get them involved with the Olympics once again."

Evans -- a swimmer who won three gold medals in the 1988 Games in Seoul and a gold and silver in 1992 in Barcelona -- said most of the USOC delegation's questions centered on facilities that would be available.

Vidmar said he and the athletes stressed that the city is ready to host the games and only needs to build a single new facility -- for shooting.

"We have everything here and all but a couple of our venues are new," said Vidmar, a gymnast who won two golds and a silver medal in the '84 Games in L.A. "From an athlete's perspective, it is invaluable to have these facilities open and available now.

"It means we can hold world-class events before the Olympics and the athletes will have an idea of what to expect."

The USOC team also is scheduled to go to Chicago to view that city's plans, which call for a compact area for the games that would need major venue construction.

"We are not competing against Chicago," Villaraigosa said. "Chicago is a great city. We just believe Los Angeles is better suited to serve as host of the games."

Unlike the controversy that marked Los Angeles' efforts to win the 1984 Games -- with a threat to block it if public funds were used -- this year's effort has received wide support mainly because the '84 Games ultimately were a success.

Those games poured millions of dollars into the local economy and realized a $235 million profit that was used to create an endowment to fund amateur athletic events citywide.

Officials say they think the 2016 Games, using the same model as the 1984 event, could bring in more than $1 billion to the local economy.

Sanders said polls show that 85 percent to 90 percent of residents support the city's bid to host the games.

The USOC is scheduled to decide in April which U.S. city to nominate to the International Olympic Committee.

That group has said it will make its announcement in October 2009 from among as many as 20 cities from around the world.

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(color) Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa talks to the media Thursday as U.S. Olympic Committee members tour the city to evaluate L.A.'s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games.

Nick Ut/Associated Press