Governor Schwarzenegger Adds California Voice to Chorus of Support for Los Angeles' 2016 Olympic Bid

Standing With L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa, Elected Officials From Across the Region, and Olympians, the Governor Commits to Creating “A Winning Bid and the Best Games Ever”

USC and UCLA Put Rivalry Aside to Team Up and Support the Bid as Olympic Villages

Flanked by city and county officials from across the region and children from Vermont Elementary School who participate in the SCCOG’s Ready, Set, Gold! fitness program, Gov. Schwarzenegger said California and Los Angeles will welcome the world if chosen.

"I could not be more proud of the great bid Los Angeles has put together to host the 2016 Games," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "Los Angeles has all the facilities the Olympic Games need. It also has incredible tradition and a Gold Medal record when it comes to hosting these great summer games. Los Angeles embodies the Olympic spirit. It is a city built on dreams, where anything is possible."

Los Angeles is one of just two U.S. cities remaining in competition to be the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) candidate to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Games. The SCCOG’s bid plans are now being finalized for submission to the USOC on January 22. The USOC has said that it will make a final decision in April 14, 2007.

“Today we celebrate,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Working hand in hand with our Governor, we can now bring the power of all of California to Los Angeles’ 2016 Olympic bid.”

Along with the Governor’s support, the SCCOG announced today that the Los Angeles bid now includes the participation of both University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC). UCLA will house thousands of athletes in the official “Olympic Village” and USC will serve as the “Media/Family Village,” playing host to the world-wide media, Games officials and other dignitaries. In recognition for its excellence, UCLA Housing and Hospitality Services recently received the Eureka Silver Level CAPE Award as one of only ten organizations so honored statewide in 2006 by the California Council of Excellence.

“The Games are not something the Olympic Committee does for a city; they are something a city does for the Olympic Movement and for the athletes of the world,” said Barry Sanders, SCCOG Chairman. “Today, Los Angeles’ great institutions, including USC and UCLA, join with our Governor, our Mayor, our Olympians, our children and the people of California with a commitment to honor that promise.”

“The support we have from our elected officials across the city, region and state matches the high level of enthusiasm from Olympians like me,” said Olympian Peter Vidmar, who earned his two gold medals in gymnastics during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “A total of 1,147 Californians have been U.S. Olympians and Paralympians since 1896, and we will carry their spirit forward, to honor our Olympian tradition by making the 2016 Games all about the athletes.”

The Vermont Elementary School is one of 50 Los Angeles Unified School District schools participating in the SCCOG’s Ready, Set, Gold! (RSG!) program, which draws upon United States Olympians and Paralympians and matches them with schools in a campaign designed to help youth set and meet fitness and health goals. The RSG! program is a legacy of the Los Angeles bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.

About the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG)
Formed in 1939, the SCCOG is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the Olympic movement in Southern California. Since its inception, the SCCOG has bid for the Olympic Games on behalf of and in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles, garnering the award of the Games for 1984. Hailed world-wide for their near-flawless organization, the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles generated an operating surplus of $235 million (in 1984 dollars). Further information about the SCCOG can be found on their website at www.sccog.org.