2004: I.O.C. Picks 5 Finalists
Reflecting geographical and political sensitivities, the International Olympic Committee yesterday narrowed the number of cities bidding for the 2004 Summer Olympics to 5 from 11, selecting Rome, Athens, Stockholm, Cape Town and Buenos Aires as the finalists.
Rome and Athens remain the favorites to be voted on Sept. 5 by I.O.C. members. However, Cape Town and Buenos Aires are centering their bids on the fact that the Olympics have never been held in either Africa or South America.
The six cities removed from the bidding yesterday were Istanbul, Turkey; Lille, France; San Juan, P.R.; Rio de Janeiro; Seville, Spain, and St. Petersburg, Russia. The failure of the St. Petersburg bid was a political defeat for President Boris N. Yeltsin of Russia, who, in a recent letter, had lobbied the I.O.C.'s president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, for inclusion among the five finalists.
The United States did not bid for the 2004 Summer Games, believing it had no chance so soon after Atlanta held the 1996 Summer Olympics. The United States Olympic Committee is now determining whether it would be feasible to submit a bid for 2008. The 2000 Summer Olympics will be in Sydney, Australia. Rome, site of the 1960 Summer Games, remains the front-runner for 2004.