San Francisco abandons 2016 Olympic bid

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The Golden Gate Bridge and famed cable cars won't serve as a backdrop for the 2016 Olympics. San Francisco dropped out of the running for the Summer Games, leaving Los Angeles

Tuesday, November 14th 2006, 6:15 am

By: News On 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The Golden Gate Bridge and famed cable cars won't serve as a backdrop for the 2016 Olympics. San Francisco dropped out of the running for the Summer Games, leaving Los Angeles and Chicago as the only possible American candidates.

San Francisco abandoned its Olympic bid Monday after plans for a new bayfront stadium collapsed when the city's NFL team said it intended to move to Silicon Valley.

John York, owner of the San Francisco 49ers, told city officials last week he was breaking off negotiations for a new stadium at Candlestick Point and was considering a move to Santa Clara.

``There's been a tremendous amount of uncertainty created around the stadium process which has made our bid untenable,'' said Peter Ragone, spokesman for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Scott Givens, managing director and chief executive officer of the San Francisco 2016 Bid Committee, said the 49ers' decision created a ``perceptual gap'' that hurt the city's reputation in the eyes of the Olympic committee.

``The damage has been done and the damage can't be pulled back,'' he said.

The International Olympic Committee will select the host city in 2009. Madrid, Spain; New Delhi; Prague, Czech Republic; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rome; and Tokyo are among those to have expressed interest. The Summer Olympics will be in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

The 49ers said Monday they had encouraged the bid committee not to build its entire proposal around a new 49ers stadium at Candlestick Point. Still, members of the city's Olympic organizing panel were jolted by the team's decision.

``We're numb and we're very disappointed at the recent turn of events,'' said Anne Cribbs, a committee member who won a swimming gold medal in the 1960 Games.

The U.S. Olympic Committee is eager to avoid a repeat of New York's failed 2012 Olympics bid. Financing for the New York stadium fell apart about a month before the final vote, and the city didn't get nearly the votes it needed to host the games.

Now, only Los Angeles or Chicago will be the American candidate if the USOC decides in December to nominate a city. The candidates must give a detailed presentation of their plan to the USOC by March 31. The USOC would choose its candidate in April.

``While the decision to withdraw was undoubtedly a difficult one, it underscores the commitment made by the San Francisco 2016 bid committee to lend its full support to any U.S. city that may ultimately be selected,'' USOC vice president Bob Ctvrtlik said.

Los Angeles is the only American candidate with a stadium in place. The host of the 1932 and 1984 Games would use a refurbished Los Angeles Coliseum. The extent of the restoration will depend in part on whether the NFL returns to Los Angeles.

The city also has permanent venues in place for every sport that needs them, save shooting. They propose using housing at UCLA and USC for the Olympic village. They believe the package they offer _ with more venues in place and fewer financial questions _ will outweigh concerns about bringing the Olympics back to Southern California a third time.

Chicago proposes a new stadium in its Washington Park area, the centerpiece of an Olympics that would be based around Lake Michigan and downtown. The Chicago committee has not given specifics of how the privately financed venue would be paid for, other than to say the USOC would be comfortable with its plan.