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Six Cities Submit Bids for 2004 US Olympic Swimming Trials

Mar 16, 2001

COLORADO SPRINGS - Six cities have submitted official bids to USA Swimming to host the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. The candidates are Chapel Hill, N.C., Indianapolis, Ind., Long Beach, Calif., Mesa, Ariz., San Antonio, Texas, and Washington D.C.

"We have some really exciting bids to consider," said Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming Executive Director. "After the 2000 Olympic Trials, the Indiana Sports Corp did an economic impact study and the results showed that our Olympic Trials recorded 25 percent of the impact of the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament, which is certainly an impressive figure. We also had good television ratings for the 2000 Trials and we've already secured NBC to televise the 2004 Trials. Our Olympic Trials have become a major sporting event, raising the interest level of other cities who now want to host this competition."

Several of the bids include innovative approaches to the facility where the event would be held. The proposals from Chapel Hill, Long Beach, San Antonio and Washington D.C. include plans to put portable pools in the Dean Smith Center, the Long Beach Convention Center, the Alamodome and the MCI Center, respectively. Mesa's proposal involves a brand new outdoor aquatics center currently under construction. Indianapolis' bid points out its great swimming tradition as the city played host to the 1984, 1992, 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials.

"The whole notion of portable pools has changed the way bid cities approach this event," said Wielgus. "Once the Indiana Sports Corp announced that they would host the 2004 Short Course World Championships in the Conseco Fieldhouse using portable pools, it opened everyone's eyes to the possibilities out there. Having the use of portable pools takes our sport to a new level."

An evaluation team comprised of USA Swimming staff and volunteers will evaluate the sites over the next few months. A formal recommendation will be made to the USA Swimming Board of Directors on Sept. 11. The official selection will be announced at the United States Aquatic Sports convention, Sept. 11-16, in Dearborn, Mich.