Flag-waving supporters of New York’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games greeted delegates of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sunday night, the start of a fast-paced four-day visit.
The members of the IOC’s evaluation commission arrived at John F Kennedy International airport and later were welcomed by the cheering New Yorkers at the Plaza hotel.
New York is the third stop for members of the IOC after Madrid and London. They will also visit Moscow and Paris before selecting the host for the 2012 Games on July 6 in Singapore.
Events were to kick off on Monday with a pep rally at Rockefeller Centre, near the famed skating rink, and the IOC members will spend the day in meetings at their hotel. Former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, a member of the United States Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Games, will address the group on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the delegation will take in jazz at the Lincoln Centre and then have dinner at mayor Michael Bloomberg’s townhouse. From their hotel, members of the IOC can see Central Park and The Gates, an art installation spread across 37km of the park’s footpaths.
The IOC members hold a press briefing on Thursday before leaving.
New York is already swathed in Olympic logos and signs promoting its bid. Billboards, bus shelters and street poles are decorated, along with the city’s 4 000 subway cars, 7 000 buses and 13 000 taxi cabs. — Sapa-AP