Salt Lake City's Olympic boosters were still waiting to hear Monday morning how they fared against the nine cities bidding for the 2002 Winter Games in an International Olympic Committee evaluation.
The report by the IOC Evaluation Commission, which is expected to focus on technical preparations such as facility construction, will be used to reduce the number of competing cities to four next January.Because many potential Olympic venues are already being built, including a bob sled and luge run near Park City, Salt Lake City is favored to make the January cut, and to be selected next June to host the 2002 Winter Games.
"We're pretty confident without being cocky," Salt Lake Olympic Bid Committee spokesman Mike Korologos said. "We've got a lot more things in place than the other cities . . . but you never know."
The report will give Salt Lake City a good look at its toughest competition, now believed to be Ostersund, Sweden, and Sion, Switzerland. The other cities bidding are Quebec, Canada; Graz, Austria; Poprad-Tatry, Slovakia; Jaca, Spain; Tarvisio, Italy; and Sochi, Russia.
Salt Lake City was the first stop for the IOC Evaluation Commission. Their findings were originally scheduled to be released Dec. 9. Problems printing the 200-page report are apparently to blame for the release being moved by the IOC first to Monday morning, and then, to early Monday evening.