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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 230-05
June 14, 2005

MAYOR BLOOMBERG TRAVELS TO ACCRA, GHANA TO PRESENT NEW YORK CITY'S OLYMPIC BID AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES OF AFRICA

On Friday, June 17th, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will arrive in Accra, Ghana to present New York City's bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA). The Mayor will lead a delegation including former Mayor David Dinkins, Democratic Republic of Congo-born NBA All-Star basketball player Dikembe Mutombo, Nigerian-born Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of Credit Suisse First Boston Adebayo Ogunlesi, NYC2012 Managing Director of International Relations Charlie Battle and Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding and NYC2012 Founder Daniel L. Doctoroff.

"It is with great pride that I travel to Accra with the NYC2012 team to present our bid for the 2012 Olympic Games to the members of ANOCA," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The events of this past week have demonstrated New York's resilience and ability to pull together during trying times and commitment to host the Olympic Games. We welcome this opportunity to share our story with the members of ANOCA."

"I am honored to represent New York's Olympic bid in Africa," said Mutombo who is the founder and president of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which works to better the lives of children throughout Africa. "New York is the most diverse city in the world.  It brings together people from all corners of the globe and inspires youth and spectators alike. It is the ideal place for the 2012 Games."

ANOCA is the continental association of the 53 African National Olympic Committees, and the General Assembly is the annual meeting of all the ANOCA members. This will be the last opportunity for New York to present its Olympic and Paralympic bid before the final presentation at the 117th IOC Session on the day of the Host City election, July 6th. 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.

An Olympic Games in New York would leave a powerful legacy of creating new world-class venues, training centers for elite athletes and renovated fields for youth that will restore New

York's connection to Olympic sports. Additionally, the Games would spur the largest single investment in parks, sports and recreational facilities in the City's history and bring a regional economic impact of over $12 billion and create over 135,000 jobs. New York City is competing with four other Candidate Cities for the right to host the 2012 Games: London, Madrid, Moscow and Paris. For more information, visit NYC2012's official website at www.nyc2012.com.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk   (212) 788-2958




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