SALT LAKE CITY — Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington made the cut Friday as the U.S. Olympic Committee narrowed down the list of American cities in the running to be host of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Eight U.S. cities were competing. Dropped from contention were Dallas, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Tampa, Fla.
The USOC will choose an American candidate from among the four finalists in November 2002. The International Olympic Committee will vote on the host city in 2005.
New York, battered by last month's terrorist attacks, was considered a sentimental front-runner.
The four survivors were approved unanimously by a 12-member review panel that met this week, said Charles H. Moore, chairman of the bid evaluation task force.
Moore said it was a close contest.
"This has been an inspiring journey," Moore said. "Each city is better from the process and so is the USOC."
New York's bid was helped by the city's international reputation and by state lawmakers' approval this week of a measure providing a $250 million guarantee if the games end up losing money.
Houston, which has a similar financial guarantee, is expected to benefit from having many venues in a compact area.
The strength of San Francisco's bid rests on the city's waterfront and scenic vistas. Organizers plan to use the Golden Gate Bridge as a signature emblem, the way Sydney's Opera House was used during the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Washington, with its experience in being the host to world diplomats, is another strong contender. Its bid relies on venues stretching from Baltimore to the Northern Virginia suburbs.
Cities surviving Friday's first cut can still be dropped from contention if they can't post guarantees of $100 million to $250 million by Nov. 30.
The selection committee ranked the cities in 13 categories, such as venues and security. Moore emphasized that cities did not compete against each other, and he repeatedly refused to rank the cities or explain why one advanced and another didn't.
The four finalists all start with a clean slate, he said.
Whichever American city is nominated probably will be part of a crowded field of contenders.
Potential bidders include Rome; Paris; London; Moscow; Madrid, Spain; Budapest, Hungary; Istanbul, Turkey; an undetermined German city; Toronto; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and possibly an African candidate.
USOC president Sandy Baldwin had soothing words for the four cities that failed.
"I don't see this as winners and losers," she said. "I believe all eight are great cities. I'm proud to be an American and I would be proud to have the Olympics in any of these cities.
The USOC made the announcement in the city that was the site of the biggest scandal in the history of the Olympics. Salt Lake City bid leaders won the 2002 Winter Olympics after plying IOC members with more than $1 million in gifts and scholarships.