2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS Bay Area cries foul in letter

The organizing committee has accused the USOC of unethical behavior.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Six months after failing to win the U.S. candidacy for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Bay Area bid team has alleged that the U.S. Olympic Committee conducted a biased election and routinely failed to follow or enforce its code of ethics.
New York was selected over San Francisco as the U.S. candidate for the 2012 Games.
In a scathing indictment intended to promote changes in the way cities are selected, leaders of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee sent a 15-page letter to USOC acting president Bill Martin, who promised Monday to take the issues seriously.
The letter, dated May 22, also was sent to four U.S. senators, including California's Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. It was first reported in Sunday's Denver Post.
Critical
In one of the more damning statements, Bay Area officials questioned whether the campaign continued even after New York became the sentimental favorite following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The USOC required each contending organization to pay 15 percent of all funds raised in its respective bid, a move that brought about $6 million into USOC coffers, according to Forbes magazine, after the eight candidates raised $40 million.
"If everybody knew they really wanted New York, why not be upfront about it?" asked BASOC executive Mike Bruner, one of three leaders who signed the letter.
The BASOC did not contest the November election. The USOC's 123-member board of directors selected New York with 132 votes out of 223 cast. The weighted system gave more votes to representatives of sports federations and to the athletes.
Martin said the system was fair.
"I do not see or feel in the final analysis that any conflict of interest occurred whatsoever," Martin said. "How could you have a conflict with 123 representing, with all the varied interests, our board?"
A NYC2012 spokesman wouldn't comment on the letter. One member said he didn't expect it to affect New York's chances of winning the International Olympic Committee vote in 2005.
Could be blueprint
The letter, signed by Bruner, CEO Anne Cribbs and board member James Woolwine, could be a blueprint for reforming the selection process. It focused on conflicts of interest -- particularly one involving New York developer Roland Betts. He served on the site selection committee that trimmed the cities from eight to two. A number of bid cities protested his participation.
Betts had soured business dealings with San Francisco and close connections with NYC2012 board members. He also was an original backer of New York's bid, and as developer of the Chelsea Piers sports and entertainment complex, stands to gain financially from the Olympics.
Although the USOC defines a conflict of interest as "any personal or financial relationship that could influence or be perceived to influence your objectivity when representing or conducting business for, or on behalf of the USOC," it allowed Betts to continue.
As an example of bias, Bay Area officials cited a situation last fall when USOC spokesman Mike Moran told reporters that Feinstein had talked to IOC member Anita DeFrantz, an apparent rules violation. Feinstein denied the account, which was retracted, according to a letter she wrote to the USOC.
Moran made the statement after Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., acknowledged that she talked to DeFrantz on behalf of NYC2012. In an effort to highlight a possible conflict, the BASOC letter complained that Moran, who retired from the USOC after two decades, now works on New York's bid.