OLYMPICS IN L.A.? UEBERROTH, BUSINESS LEADERS SEEK 2012 GAMES.Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. launched an ambitious new campaign Friday to host the Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in 2012, with the goal of replaying the city's unprecedented success with the 1984 games. Backing Los Angeles' bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics are some of the city's most powerful civic and business leaders, including Peter Ueberroth Peter Victor Ueberroth (born September 2, 1937 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American executive. He served as the 6th commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989, and is currently head of the United States Olympic Committee. and the heads of Atlantic Richfield Co., Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. Co., The Walt Disney Co. and the Los Angeles Dodgers "Dodgers" and "Brooklyn Dodgers" redirect here. For the American football team, see Brooklyn Dodgers (football). For the Eastern Basketball Association team, see Brooklyn Dodgers (basketball). . Also participating are former Olympic athletes such as Rafer Johnson, John Nabors, Willie Banks, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Janet Evans, Cathy Ferguson and Lisa Fernandez, among others. The campaign is being coordinated by LA2012, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. with a 61-member board of directors. No Los Angeles city official is included on the board, but the City Council has gone on record in support of the effort, as has Mayor Richard Riordan. ``The mayor is the biggest champion of Los Angeles and he sees this as a win-win situation,'' said Riordan's spokeswoman, Noelia Rodriguez. ``These are people who know how to get things done.'' The group's first goal is to win the United States Olympic Committee “USOC” redirects here. For USOC in telephony, see registered jack. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the backing as the country's nominee to the International Olympic Committee “IOC” redirects here. For other uses, see IOC (disambiguation). The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23 . A decision on the 2012 host city is expected to be made in 2005. Each country is allowed to nominate only one city. Eight cities are challenging Los Angeles for that right in 2012: Dallas, Cincinnati, Houston, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C.-Baltimore. ``The first thing we have to do is reach out to City Hall and the community,'' said David Simon, president of the Los Angeles Sports Council, who was involved in the 1984 Olympic Games and will serve as president of LA2012. ``Then we have to prepare a budget and get ready to win the bid from the United States Olympic Committee,'' Simon said. As in 1984, the committee plans for the Games to be funded completely by private sources. John C. Argue, who is president of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, will serve as chairman of LA2012. In addition to Ueberroth, who headed the 1984 Olympic Games and changed the way they have been marketed since, the board includes Mike Bowlin, chairman of Arco; John Bryson, chairman of Southern California Edison; John Cooke, executive vice president of Disney; Richard Corgell, partner of Arthur Anderson; David Fleming of Latham and Watkins; and Bob Graziano, president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, among others. David Carter, a sports management consultant, also had praise for those involved in the 2012 effort. ``It's not just the people on this committee, it has a strong group working behind the scenes,'' Carter said. ``This is quality leadership that will stack up against any of the other cities in the United States. They have proven experience of having got this thing done before.'' As founder of the Sports Council, Simon has been involved in winning events for the Southern California area, including the World Cup, Super Bowl and the Breeder's Cup. Los Angeles has had a remarkable record with the Olympics, dating back to 1932 when it was the first Games to show a profit despite the Great Depression. In 1984, the Los Angeles Summer Olympics showed its largest profit, even with a boycott by the Soviet Union. Because America has been the host of so many Games, the USOC (Universal Service Order Code) An equipment coding system created by AT&T. The number was applied to telephone equipment and to wire termination patterns. See 568A. decided it would not submit an American city to bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Simon said he did not believe it would be realistic for the United States to host the event since Atlanta held the 1996 Games. Carter said that also could play against a U.S. city in 2012. ``That's one of the potential drawbacks, not just for Los Angeles, but any North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. city,'' Carter said. ``We have been the beneficiary of so many Games, that at some point you have to wonder if North America can make a compelling case for some time.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) Peter Ueberroth is helping an effort to bring the 2012 Olympics to Los Angeles. |
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