On Friday, December 3rd, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will arrive in Dubrovnik, Croatia to present New York City’s bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the General Assembly of the European National Olympic Committees (EOC).  The Mayor will lead a delegation comprised of Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding and NYC2012 Founder Daniel L. Doctoroff, NYC2012 Managing Director of International Relations Charlie Battle, and NYC2012 Senior Advisor for Sport and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Donna de Varona (Swimming: 1960, 1964, 2 Gold) and others.  The EOC has invited all Candidate Cities for the 2012 Games to make a presentation on December 3rd about their candidature.  

“It is with great pride that I travel to Dubrovnik with the NYC2012 team to present our bid for the 2012 Olympic Games to the members of the European National Olympic Committees,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Our bid, which puts athletes right at the center of the Games with stunning venues and easy access between sites, demonstrates great technical excellence. But more importantly, an Olympic Games in New York City would celebrate our unequalled diversity, our resilience and the spirit of our City, a place where Olympians from every nation would be welcomed by a hometown crowd cheering for every athlete in every language.  I want to express my gratitude to the members of the EOC for this opportunity to make our case to an international audience as we continue to pursue New York’s Olympic dream.”

The EOC is a continental association of the 48 European National Olympic Committees, and the General Assembly is the annual meeting of all the EOC members.  Mario Pescante, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), serves as President of the EOC, while Patrick Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland and also an IOC member, is the Secretary General.  This is an IOC-sanctioned meeting where the Candidate Cities for the Games of 2012 can meet international Olympic leaders including members of the International Olympic Committee. 

New York City is competing with four other Candidate Cities for the right to host the 2012 Games: London, Madrid, Moscow and Paris.  The IOC Evaluation Commission will visit the cities in Spring 2005 (New York dates: February 21-24) and the Host City will be selected on July 6, 2005 in Singapore. 

Media wishing to attend the event must be credentialed through the EOC; for more information visit their website at www.eurolympic.org/jahia/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/2066.