New York, NY (March 29, 2005)-Congressman Joe Crowley today endorsed the plan to construct the New York Sports and Convention Center on Manhattan’s far West Side. Standing on the steps of City Hall among a coalition of civic and community leaders and representatives of numerous labor unions, Crowley cited his support for New York’s bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the enormous potential for economic development and the significant new tax revenue that the NYSCC will generate for New York as reasons for his ardent support for the NYSCC.
“Today it became even more clear that for New York to win the 2012 Games, the NYSCC must be approved,” continued Crowley. “New York has the momentum to win the Games, but the International Olympic Committee made it clear that New York’s Olympic dreams will be dashed if the Sports and Convention Center is not approved. The NYSCC is one of the central ways that the 2012 Games would leave a bold legacy for New Yorkers for generations to come.”
“The New York Sports and Convention Center will create thousands of jobs and millions in economic revenue for New York,” said Crowley. “It is imperative that we make this project a reality, because it is an example of meaningful development which will have a long-lasting positive impact on our great city.”
Representative Crowley cited today’s Agence France Presse story that says: “The race for the right to host the 2012 Olympic has come down to a three-city race between Paris, London and New York, sources told the AFP.”
“For New York, the bid hinges on the ability of the bid committee and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to get approval for the Olympic stadium [NYSCC] in Manhattan. The evaluation commission have made it clear that it’s a case of ‘no stadium-no Games’,” the AFP article continues.
The New York Sports and Convention Center would serve as the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Games and would host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Track and Field Competitions. Because it is a multi-use facility with a tremendous after-Games use as a convention center and stadium, the NYSCC would create thousands of jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for the City and State.
The Olympic Games in New York will generate $11 billion in economic impact and 120,000 jobs in addition to a tremendous urban legacy of revitalizing the waterfront, 800 acres of new and enhanced parkland, 4,600 units of housing, and new and improved sports and recreational facilities across the five boroughs.
New York is competing against four other cities for the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012: London, Madrid, Moscow and Paris. The International Olympic Committee will name the Host City for the 2012 Games on July 6, 2005.
Michelle Breslauer
International Relations
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