Rome Makes Gesture

In the usually cut-throat world of Olympic politics, the mayor of Rome proposed something quite generous Wednesday: All the other cities around the world that already have signaled their interest in the 2012 Games ought to drop out if New York emerges as the American choice.

The mayor, Walter Veltroni, had traveled to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee to express in person Rome’s intent to bid for the 2012 Summer Games. Once here, however, he told IOC President Jacques Rogge that New York ought to get the Games if it gets into the race.

The mayor’s gesture of solidarity underscores the heartfelt emotion for the United States that has blossomed among American friends around the world in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

“If New York is a candidate, I think all other cities should all step back to allow New York to host the 2012 Games,” Veltroni said. “If the games go to New York, it means the athletes, the spectators, the whole world, we can all be together. This will show that the terrorists are defeated.”

American Olympic officials, including the head of the New York bid committee, NYC 2012, and the president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said they were touched.

“It’s a remarkably warm-spirited sentiment,” said Dan Doctoroff, president of NYC 2012. “But it’s really one of many that many different people, not just in relation to the Olympics, have expressed about New York.

“The willingness of people around the world to support, encourage, express their love for this city has truly been remarkable. We appreciate it very much.”

Sandy Baldwin, president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said: “It’s a great gesture of sympathy.”

Even though the 2012 Games may seem impossibly far off, the race to get them already is in full swing. The International Olympic Committee will pick the site of the 2012 Games in 2005.

But the U.S. Olympic Committee will make its choice for an American candidate in the fall of 2002. Eight cities are in the running: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, Tampa, Dallas, Houston and Cincinnati.

The USOC is due next month at a meeting in Salt Lake City to trim the list to four. A year later, it will pick one from those four.

David Simon and John Argue, leaders of the Los Angeles 2012 bid, declined Wednesday to comment on Mayor Veltroni’s suggestion.

Dan Knise, president of the Washington-Baltimore bid, said his group would not be willing to defer to New York. “We are all struck by this tragedy,” he told the Baltimore Sun. “We have extended our condolences to all of our friends in New York, at the Pentagon and throughout the country. It’s an emotional time, and we are all grieving.

“At the same time, Baltimore and Washington have put a lot of time into this, and our bid deserves to move forward.”

Baldwin said the terrorist attacks have not knocked New York--or, for that matter, Washington--out of USOC consideration.

But, she said, neither has New York been installed as a favorite. Nor has Washington. Nor Los Angeles. Nor any of the other five U.S. cities.

“We have a process in place, and it’s imperative to follow the process,” she said.

She added a moment later: “When I talk about 2012, all I can say is I still believe America is a great place to have an Olympic Games, and we will certainly continue to consider security as one of the major issues with any endeavor of this scope.”

Observed Ed Turanchik, president of the Tampa bid group, called Florida 2012: “It would really be asking a lot from a lot of people around the world to make decisions about their own candidacies under these circumstances.

“The USOC is going to have a very tough decision. You have eight American bid cities that have worked very hard. “

A number of cities around the world also have expressed formal or informal interest in the 2012 Games. Among them: Toronto, which was runner-up to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Games; Rio de Janeiro, Havana, Madrid, London, Moscow and Berlin.

And, of course, Rome.

Rome played host to the 1960 Summer Games. It lost to Athens for the 2004 Games.

Mayor Veltroni told reporters Wednesday that he had sent a letter to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani explaining his proposal.

He also made sure to say that if the other bidding cities did not go along with his idea, Rome would not withdraw.