Senator Clinton, Muhammad Ali Boost Bid as Vote Nears

SINGAPORE – With its revised stadium plans receiving last-minute approval from the International Olympic Committee, New York now hopes the star power of Senator Clinton and Muhammad Ali can pull in some crucial votes in the contest for the 2012 Olympics.Mrs. Clinton flew in yesterday to join Ali as high-profile boosters for New York, which goes up against European capitals Paris, London, Madrid, and Moscow in today’s vote by the International Olympic Committee. Mrs. Clinton noted that the Summer Games have never been held in New York.“We have lived the Olympics, now I’d like for us to have a chance to host the Olympics,” she said.Mrs. Clinton also touched on the spirit of New Yorkers since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.“We’re standing here a little less than four years from the time when we were attacked, and we’re telling you that New York City is the place to bring the 2012 Olympics because people of New York are resilient,” she said. “They’re extraordinary in their capacity to pull together and plan for the future.”Ali, who won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and lit the flame at the 1996 Atlanta Games, made a series of appearances with Mayor Bloomberg.“I think when people talk about true Olympic champions, there is one name that always comes to mind: Muhammad Ali,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “He is still with us, and still the greatest and still one of New York’s secret weapons.”Ali, who has Parkinson’s disease, smiled slightly but didn’t speak during a news conference. Later, he walked through the crowded foyer of the hotel adjacent to the IOC conference venue, mingling with IOC members.New York went second – after front-runner Paris – in the final 45-minute presentations to the IOC last night. In New York, a small crowd gathered in Rockefeller Center to watch the final presentation on a big screen at about 11 p.m. Some were perched on risers set up on the plaza, but most sat in rapt silence on the ground in front of the screen.Peter Scaglione, 38, a sheet metal worker, said the Olympics would “give the city the boost it needs right now” and that he was “very hopeful” about New York’s prospects.The IOC vote and announcement of the winner takes place this morning. As expected, the IOC’s executive board yesterday approved a recent revision in the stadium plans for New York’s bid. NYC2012 leader Daniel Doctoroff called the IOC approval a “great final step.”New York has long been considered to be trailing Paris and London, but Mr. Doctoroff said the bid was gaining momentum and victory was possible.“It’s confusing and hard to predict,” he said. “This is a completely open race. We feel, based on the feedback we’ve received from members of the IOC, that we’ve got a chance.”Mrs. Clinton, a former first lady, became the top political heavyweight for New York’s delegation. Mrs. Clinton, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, and Mr. Bloomberg, a Republican, deflected questions at a news conference about possible political ramifications of the senator’s role in the bid campaign.“This is not a political thing, it’s a New York thing,” said Mr. Bloomberg, asserting that it was important to convince IOC delegates that the bid has bipartisan support. Though New York’s main rivals sent their countries’ top government leaders to Singapore, President Bush did not attend.

Senator Clinton, Muhammad Ali Boost Bid as Vote Nears

Senator Clinton, Muhammad Ali Boost Bid as Vote Nears

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