Thursday, May 13, 1999
Warren, Butler are invited to Olympics
Vehr: 'Cincinnati' means wide area
BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Butler and Warren counties could play a role if the 2012 Olympics are held in Greater Cincinnati, former Cincinnati councilman Nick Vehr told Hamilton business leaders Wednesday.
“When I use the term Cincinnati, I use it as would someone who's from out of town,” said Mr. Vehr, president of Cincinnati 2012. “It draws no distinction between the Cincinnati borders and Hamilton and Fairfield and other communities. It's a reference tool to Greater Cincinnati.”
Mr. Vehr's group seeks to bring the 2012 Olympic games to Greater Cincinnati. In a speech at Miami University Hamilton's Greater Hamilton Business Expo, he said the effort would include help from the area's growing suburban counties and their universities and facilities.
“There are a number of sports that don't require a 20,000-seat arena,” he said.
Mr. Vehr didn't give many details of his regional plans. But he said that at the Games held in Atlanta in 1996 and Los Angeles in 1984, events were scattered among regional cities and not limited to the big host cities.
Eight U.S. venues have applied to host the 2012 Games: Los Angeles; San Francisco; Dallas; Houston; Tampa, Fla.; Washington, D.C./Baltimore; New York; and Cincinnati.
“When's the last time you've seen our city listed with Dallas and New York and others?” Mr. Vehr said. “I can tell you, business leaders: We're anxious to get people involved. There's an open invi tation.”
At the core of his plan are six other cities in the region, including Dayton, Columbus, Indianapolis and Lexington. Various sporting activities would be held in those cities, he said, as well as in smaller communities in Butler and Warren counties.
The Great Miami River at Hamilton, for example, would be a logical place for some water sports, he said. The city hosts a national championship water skiing event.
In Warren County, the ATP tennis stadium would be an asset, Mr. Vehr said, as well as the growing county's infrastructure — highways and lodgings.
“The Dayton corridor is a major location,” he said in an interview after the speech. “It's important to get the perspective of people who don't bring old biases. With the booming growth in Butler County's Union Township, and the solid communities of Fairfield and Hamilton, our consultants are looking at this region as a primary site.”
Hamilton Mayor Thomas Nye said Hamilton “cannot sit back and pretend that nothing is going to happen outside of the city.” He said Hamilton is a part of a region that's growing quickly.
Mel Less, executive director of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said Mr. Vehr's speech might have erased some doubts. He said many people had commented that they didn't think the Olympics idea was feasible until they heard details.
“We'd like to meet with him to see what we could offer,” Mr. Less said.
The city and county could handle the demands of Olympics crowds, to a degree, he said.
“It depends on what we're called upon to do,” he said. “The ski tournament in Hamilton has gotten national attention. So I think we could be an asset.”
At Miami University in Oxford, spokeswoman Holly Wissing said it is premature to discuss using the school for the Olympics.
“We have a number of facilities that could be used for practice sessions and events,” she said. “We have an Olympic-size pool and diving well.”
In 1996, Japanese swimmers used Miami's Recreational Sports Center to prepare for their Olympics bid. The Russians used the Goggin Ice Arena in the last decade to practice for the Olympics.
The U.S. Olympic Committee will select eight U.S. finalist cities in March 2002, with the U.S. candidate to be named in fall 2002. The International Olympic Committee will choose the site of the 2012 Games in the fall of 2005.
“This game is over if we don't win in 2002” and become the U.S. candidate, Mr. Vehr told the group.
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