NYC Olympic Bid Continues

That cool, expensive Jets stadium that was going to be built in New York City is history, but there’s still a chance NYC may host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games thanks to an offer involving the New York Mets’ proposed stadium.

The $600 million facility would be built in Queens, next to Shea Stadium, by 2009 and would be converted into an Olympic stadium. The original Jets idea had $600 million backing by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office. This time, the city and state would add $160 million in infrastructure and $100 million to convert seating from 45,000 to 80,000 for the Games.

A spokesman for the NYC2012 bid committee said the proposal is highly detailed, right down to where the trash cans will be placed and how camera angles would be configured. The stadium would be near the planned Olympic village and International Broadcast Center.

The International Olympic Committee is expected to make its choice for host city July 6th, and Paris seemed to be the recent leader.

The committee wants bids to include an approved stadium. Bloomberg and bid committee executive director Jay Kriegel suggested the IOC should be impressed with the city’s ability to change horses in the stream so quickly.

“It’s one of the most wonderful things, I think, that would ever happen to Queens,” Bloomberg reportedly said. “If we couldn’t get the one that we really wanted to do … we’ll go with our next best chance.”

Bloomberg fought hard to build a $2.2 billion stadium for the Jets that would double as an Olympic stadium. But the plan died when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he could not support it.