OLYMPIC FESTIVAL ROUNDUP : This Time, Event Ends With Optimism

Even after the U.S. Olympic Festival played 10 successful days here, officials could not forget Los Angeles.

The L.A. festival in 1991 was fraught with problems, most notably a lack of attendance. It drew 200,000, the worst showing in 10 years of festivals, and losses reached $1 million.

“The festival is alive and well, and Los Angeles was an anomaly rather than a result of the event itself,” said Gary Alexander, director of festivals for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Although Sunday’s figures were not included, the San Antonio festival was on pace to reach about 400,000 in attendance. Ticket revenue was more than $2.47 million through Saturday. Officials expect the event to break even.

Although San Antonio compared favorably to Los Angeles, it was slightly behind the previous three festivals, in 1987, 1989 and 1990, which all attracted more than 420,000 and generated more than $3 million from ticket sales.

Still, the festival here seemed to fulfill its purpose, which is to provide a showcase of the country’s developing talent.

One example was Michelle Kwan, 13, of Torrance, who became the festival’s youngest gold medal winner in women’s figure skating. Another was Rachel Joseph of Eugene, Ore., who won five gold medals and set two festival records in swimming.

Furthermore, the San Antonio festival was an organizational success, largely because of community support, which included more than 19,000 volunteer workers.

One problem was transportation for athletes because buses were often late.

For St. Louis, site of the 1994 festival, organizers already are facing much more daunting challenges.

At least three of the proposed venues--for soccer, softball and cycling--are under water because of severe flooding. St. Louis officials said they expect the disaster to affect their festival, although they are not certain how.

Olympic Festival Notes

Shannon Miller had a big finish Sunday by winning three more gold medals in gymnastics. Miller won the balance beam, vault and floor exercise and took the silver medal on the uneven bars. She already won the all-around title and helped her East team win the team gold. . . . Mary Ellen Clark of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., won the 3-meter springboard diving competition, her second gold medal of the festival. . . . In track and field, Connie Price Smith of St. Charles, Mo., set her second festival record in winning the shot with a put of 60 feet 1 inch.