U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL : San Antonio Avoids Los Angeles Pitfalls

Two years after suffering poor attendance and resulting financial disaster at Los Angeles, the United States Olympic Festival, which begins here with opening ceremonies tonight, appears to have been revitalized.

With more than 3,000 athletes ready to compete in 37 sports over 10 days, the city seems caught up in the festival.

The 1991 festival played poorly in Los Angeles, a city used to Olympics, Super Bowls, NBA finals and World Series, drawing the worst attendance in 10 years and losing nearly $1 million.

Here, officials point to better ticket sales, more prominent athletes and the smaller, more manageable city as reasons to predict success.

“By bringing everybody together, we’ve created a tremendous energy in this town,” said Robert Marbut, president of the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee. “When you compare it to some of the other festivals, you’re going to walk in and say, ‘Wow, this is like the Olympics!’ ”

Officials have set a goal of $2.6 million in ticket sales, which would be $1.15 million more than the total at Los Angeles. They expect to top $2 million alone before tonight’s opening ceremonies at the new 65,000-seat Alamodome.

More than 200,000 tickets already have been sold, as many as were sold--total--two years ago. The opening ceremony is expected to be a sellout.

One reason the festival seems to be faring better here is that it does not have to compete with so many other activities and sports events.

And among the athletes are 125 Olympians, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Gail Devers, Mike Stulce, Mark Lenzi and Shannon Miller.

It is unusual for so many stars to compete because the festival is meant to be a showcase for the nation’s developing talent. Many of the athletes are young and relatively unknown.

In swimming, for instance, the nation’s best will compete at the national championships at Austin, Tex., next week for spots on the Pan Pacific team. The festival roster, therefore, is composed of the top 18-and-under swimmers who did not qualify for the national meet.

In gymnastics, however, Miller and Kerri Strug, also a 1992 Olympian, are using the festival as a tuneup for the national meet at Salt Lake City, Aug. 26-29. Also, Miller’s grandparents live in the area.

Although most of the nation’s top track athletes are competing in Europe, Bob Kersee, coach of both Joyner-Kersee and Devers, chose to use the low-key atmosphere of the festival to prepare his runners for the World Championships, Aug. 14-22, at Stuttgart, Germany.

Four events will make their festival debuts--women’s ice hockey, women’s triple jump, women’s running target shooting and in-line roller skating.

Typical byproducts of the festivals are new sports facilities for the host city.

The San Antonio Sports Foundation and the city spent $270 million on venues to get the festival. The $182-million Alamodome, where the ice skating events will be held, will be the new home of the San Antonio Spurs and the site of college football’s new Alamo Bowl.

The $15-million Palo Alto Natatorium also was built for the festival.

By pouring so much money into facilities, officials here hope to attract future events.

San Antonio recently was awarded the 1998 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four, and the Alamodome will be the site of the upcoming Julio Cesar Chavez-Pernell Whitaker fight.

“We are working really, really hard to improve the quality of life by using sports,” Marbut said.