Olympic track legend on board for 2012 bid Olympic track legend on board for 2012 bid (April 19, 2002)

by Rick Eymer

Michael Johnson, winner of five gold medals, has joined forces with the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee to help bring the 2012 Olympic Games to the area.

"If I could choose one place on earth for the 2012 Olympic Games, I'd choose the San Francisco Bay Area," said Johnson, who has appeared in the last three Olympics and owns the world record in both the 200 and 400 meters. "When it comes to providing the best conditions, the best environment and the best plan for the athletes, San Francisco 2012 laps its competitors."

Johnson, who moved to the Bay Area from Texas last year, was also announced as the newest Olympian member of BASOC's Board of Directors.

Johnson joined Anne Cribbs, U.S. Paralympic wheelchair basketball champion Larry "Trooper" Johnson and 2002 Olympic medalist Brian Martin to unveil a new, oversized brochure entitled "San Francisco 2012: the Bridge to the Future."

"Our bid for the 2012 Olympic Games builds the 'Bridge to the Future' for the United States Olympic Committee, the people of the San Francisco Bay Area and the International Olympic Movement," said Cribbs, President & CEO of BASOC and 1960 Olympian.

"The Bridge to the Future" campaign reflects San Francisco's international strategies, a key chapter of the 300 page "Bid Addendum" recently submitted to the USOC. BASOC leaders also released the full contents of the Bid Addendum, which contained improvements and additional information about the San Francisco Bay Area's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Among the highlights:

A new, compact "Ring of Gold" venue plan that places 92% of all venues (excluding remote football sites) within 55 kilometers (32 miles) of the centrally-located Olympic Village, with over half within 30 km (18 miles).

The plan still relies on existing facilities but is substantially more compact than Los Angeles' highly successful 1984 game plan. The plan is comprised of six highly compact venue clusters that create an Olympic Park environment at each site, with each cluster connected by high speed rail and rapid transit around San Francisco Bay.

More detailed adjusted budget and revenue projections based on new information from Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Salt Lake 2002 that show a projected surplus of $409 million.

USOC/National Governing Body (NGB) partnership proposals, including a proposal that Sacramento host Team USA for training and processing before the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, an employer-sponsored program to employ athletes-in-training for 2012 and - using a share of the projected surplus from the 2012 Olympic Games in the San Francisco Bay Area - an unprecedented proposal to endow the governing bodies of each Olympic and Paralympic sport with funds to support elite amateur athletes-in-training.

A highly detailed transportation plan and extensive analysis prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and CalTrans that studies the busiest day (Day 10) of the 2012 Olympic Games and proves the region's ability to easily manage the transportation demands of the 2012 Olympic Games.

"With our 'Bridge to the Future,' San Francisco 2012 is in a unique position to win for the Bay Area, win for America and truly win for the long-term benefit of the Olympic Movement," said Cribbs.>