by THOMAS J. LUECK
New York City's bid to attract a world competition - with thousands of athletes from more than 100 countries competing at stadiums, parks and other venues across the city and in nearby suburbs - has succeeded, an international sports federation said yesterday. It is not the Olympics. Instead, after what has been a quiet campaign, carried out by City Hall, the police and firefighters, the organizers of the World Police and Fire Games said they had selected New York for their 2011 games. The event would be timed to be held right before the 10th anniversary of 9/11. "The New York games have the potential of being the biggest we have ever held," said Ed Hitchcock, chairman of the World Police and Fire Games Federation, which convened this week in Quebec City, Canada, with 10,000 firefighters and law enforcement officials. Although the group's announcement was scheduled for Thursday, Mr. Hitchcock said in a telephone interview that New York had been picked over Orlando, its only rival. Among city officials, the decision did little to lessen the suspense over next week's decision by the International Olympic Committee on the city's bid for the 2012 Olympics. But it was nonetheless cheered by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "We are delighted," he said in a prepared statement last night. "Sept. 11 resonated in the hearts and minds of emergency service personnel through the world, and there is no better place for these men and women to come together in the spirit of solidarity," he said. First held in California in 1985, the World Police and Fire Games have been staged every two years in cities as different as Indianapolis, Stockholm and Melbourne, Australia. The games are open to police officers, firefighters, correction officers and customs agents, who compete in more than 60 events that range from team sports, like ice hockey and soccer, to events tailored to the skills of emergency personnel, like pulling a fire hose on a cart, hitching it to a hydrant, and spraying water with precision. Kenneth J. Podziba, New York City's sports commissioner, said the city's bid for the 2011 games had been made by a delegation that included two people on his staff, two representatives of NYC & Company, the tourism organization, and three current or retired members of the Police and Fire Departments. Mr. Hitchcock said his group based its selection on a presentation made by the New York City delegation in Quebec City on Saturday. Among other factors, he said, the delegation had promised to raise $750,000, the minimum local support that the federation requires from private sponsors. But the costs of the event seemed certain to be higher. Mr. Podziba said the city did not plan to spend any public money but would make its parks and sports facilities available. "Whether it will be $750,000 or $2 million, I don't know," he said. "The organizing committee will be responsible for raising money from corporate sponsors, and I don't believe there will be a problem."
 |
