NEW YORK – Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said that he believes building a $1 billion stadium on the west side of Manhattan is a good idea. He has been pushing hard in recent weeks for a facility that could be used for the 2012 Olympics, which the city is seeking to host. The stadium could also be used for the Jets, the Yankees and large conventions.
Just a few days after opening of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and NYC2012 President Daniel L. Doctoroff unveiled a plan outlining the proposed sites and facilities that would be used if New York City is chosen to host the 2012 Olympic Games. At the same time NYC2012 Launched an Official Olympic Website at www.NYC2012.com
by December 15, 2000, NYC2012 will submit its 600-page bid, including details on each competition site, to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
In the fall of 2002 the USOC will select the U.S. Candidate City from eight competing bids. In 2005, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the Host City for the 2012 Games.
The plan calls for competition venues in the City’s five boroughs and the New Jersey Meadowlands to be located along an “Olympic X,” comprised of two intersecting transit axes. Ferry terminals would be built along the waterfront at the Olympic venues which on the north-south water axis of the “Olympic X,” would follow the Harlem and East Rivers and then cross the Hudson Bay to Staten Island.
The east-west rail axis would follow the Long Island Rail Road commuter rail line from Flushing Meadows, across Queens and Manhattan, and link to New Jersey Transit to the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The plan would allow athletes to reach their events by traveling on high-speed Olympic Ferries and an Olympic Rail line that would eliminate any travel on City streets or highways.
In addition, NYC2012 announced the launch of its official website located at www.NYC2012.com. The site features maps and photographs of the Olympic venues along the “Olympic X,” as well as additional information about New York City’s Olympic bid.
“This plan for the 2012 Olympic Games in New York makes use of our City’s greatest assets – its waterways, mass transit, wonderful parks, world-class facilities and scenic vistas,” said Mayor Giuliani. “This would be an exciting event, set in spectacular venues and an international city that would spotlight the extraordinary feats of Olympic athletes and the ideals of the Olympic movement. These Olympic Games would also bring lasting benefits to communities in all five boroughs. I want to thank Dan Doctoroff and his staff at NYC2012 for their efforts and hard work in submitting the City’s proposal to the United States Olympic Committee.”
NYC2012 President Daniel L. Doctoroff said, “We are making this plan and our website public on the eve of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. As New Yorkers watch the extraordinary feats of Olympic athletes in Sydney’s stunning Olympic venues, this information will help them visualize how exciting and dramatic an Olympic Games in New York in 2012 would be.
“We remain grateful to Mayor Giuliani and the many City officials who continue to provide support for our efforts,” Mr. Doctoroff continued. “On behalf of NYC2012, I would also like to thank Governor Pataki and various State officials, as well as New Jersey Governor Whitman and her staff, who have also been constant sources of assistance in the development of this plan.”
The plan calls for an Olympic Stadium – to be used for track and field events, as well as for the opening and closing ceremonies – to be built on the West Side of Manhattan, over the Long Island Rail Road yards.
Proposed sites along the “Olympic X” include:
The North-South Axis of the “Olympic X”
Each venue on the north-south axis will be reachable by a high-speed Olympic Ferry:
Columbia University’s Baker Field, in northern Manhattan, would be used for field hockey
Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx, would be used for baseball
The 369th Regiment Armory at 142nd Street, on the Harlem River, would be renovated into a 10,800 seat multi-sport community facility, and would be used for boxing and trampoline gymnastics events
Pelham Bay Park, in the Bronx, would be used for shooting competitions, the modem pentathlon and water polo, in a series of facilities including a new swimming pool at a renovated Orchard Beach Pavilion
Astoria Pool in Queens, the site of the 1936 and 1964 Olympic trials, would be renovated for diving, swimming and synchronized swimming
South of Queensbridge Park, on the river near the Queensboro Bridge, a new 5,000 seat community sports facility would be constructed for Olympic track cycling and badminton
A new 25-acre Williamsburg Waterfront Park will be built just north of the Williamsburg Bridge, and would be used for archery and beach volleyball events
The East River Arena, a 12,500 seat, multi-sport indoor facility, would be constructed on the Brooklyn waterfront, for indoor volleyball
At Greenbelt Park, in Staten Island, a modern equestrian center would be built and a portion would be used for mountain biking events
The St. George area in Staten Island would be used for road cycling
The Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George would serve as an alternative site for softball
A new Breezy Point Marina, located in the Gateway National Recreation Area in Queens, would serve as the sailing launch site, with the sailing events to be held in the Atlantic Ocean, directly south of Brooklyn’s Coney Island and the Rockaways in Queens.
The East-West Axis of the Olympic X
The east-west axis follows the commuter rail lines of the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit, extending from Flushing Meadows-Corona Park through Manhattan under 33rd Street and out near the Meadowlands. Along it, from west to east, are these venues to which the athletes will travel by a high-speed Olympic Rail:
Continental Airlines Arena, at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, would be used for basketball
Giants Stadium, at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, would be used for soccer
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan would be used for fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling events
The Olympic Stadium would be used for track and field events, as well as for the opening and closing ceremonies
Madison Square Garden would be used for artistic and rhythmic Gymnastics
Central Park would be used for the Triathlon
At Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, in Queens, a new rowing center would be built for rowing and flatwater canoeing, and another new facility would be built for whitewater canoeing and kayaking events
The National Tennis Center, in Queens, would be used for tennis
Shea Stadium, in Queens, would be used for softball
Nassau Coliseum, on Long Island, would be used for team handball
The Marathon would take place on the streets of New York and end, as required, at the Olympic Stadium.
Most spectators would reach events using the City’s subway system, which NYC2012’s transportation studies have concluded can easily handle the hundreds of thousands of spectators expected to attend daily Olympic events.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 27 through August 12, when the number of daily commuters is estimated at more than 800,000, well below the autumn high of 4.2 million daily commuters.
NYC2012 will submit its 600-page bid, including details on each competition site, to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) by December 15, 2000. In the fall of 2002 the USOC will select the U.S. Candidate City from eight competing bids. In 2005, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the Host City for the 2012 Games.
