Encouraging International Olympic Committee to Select New York City as Site of 2012 Olympic Games

ENCOURAGING INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TO SELECT NEW YORK CITY AS SITE OF 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES -- (House of Representatives - September 22, 2004)

Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 475) encouraging the International Olympic Committee to select New York City as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.

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Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), on the other side. As he said, we may not agree on much, but we do agree on New York being the best place for this. I also would like to commend my friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), for introducing this important resolution. His leadership on behalf of the interests of New York City is greatly appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, the 2004 Olympic games in Athens recently unfolded before the eyes of hundreds of millions of people around the world, some watching in person but many more on television every night. It is fair to say, Mr. Speaker, that the Athens Games were an unqualified success. Despite fears of terrorism or that key Olympic venues would not be ready, Athens was more than prepared to receive over 16,000 athletes and officials from around the world, and the Olympic spirit thrived as athletes lived out their dreams.

This resolution before the House seeks to bring that Olympic spirit we witnessed in Athens here to America for the first time since 1996, when they were held in Atlanta. This measure urges the International Olympic Committee to choose the entry of the United States, New York City, to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, the Olympics brings together people from all over the world, and when they arrive in the city so great they had to name it twice, New York, New York, they will find that virtually every nationality that competes in the Olympic Games is represented among the people of New York City. Of the 202 countries that participated in the Athens Olympics, immigrant children of 199 of them attend New York City schools. Even the smallest Nation attending Olympic Games in New York will find their own cheering section.

New York City already has a developed transportation infrastructure to ensure that athletes and spectators can easily get to all Olympic venues and practice facilities. The Olympic village will also be centrally located, and over 500 acres of parks will be created or improved. New York has detailed plans to first-class sports facilities throughout the city to host the Olympics in an effort that will help to revitalize New York's waterfront.

While the Olympics will have an economic impact of over $11 billion and will create over 135,000 jobs, they will have a longer-term impact upon the blueprint of the city and its ability to host international sporting events for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, New York is blessed with some of the best financial, creative, marketing and corporate resources in the world. New York is committed to applying these talents to creating the best Games in the history of the Olympics. When the International Olympic Committee meets next July to choose the site of the 2012 Summer Games, I urge committee members to choose New York City, the Empire State.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), my friend and colleague.

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of this concurrent resolution. New York is eminently suited to host the Olympic Games, and I certainly urge the International Olympic Committee to select New York as the site for the 2012 Games.

I want to say, however, that support for this resolution should not be construed as support for the construction of the Olympic stadium planned for the West Side of Manhattan. There is much opposition to that stadium. Many of us think it is in the wrong place. We support the Olympics, because we trust that common sense will reign and that eventually people will realize that the Olympic stadium should be in Queens or in Shea Stadium.

In any event, we support the Olympics, we support this concurrent resolution, but that support should not be construed as support for construction of a new stadium for the Olympics or for the Jets on the West Side of Manhattan.

Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to thank the gentleman for his statement. The question of the stadium is something we will deal with, but we are all together in that we want the Olympics in New York.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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