New York City Counts Down To Official FIFA World Cup Technical Tour
NEW YORK CITY COUNTS DOWN TO OFFICIAL FIFA WORLD CUP� TECHNICAL TOUR
Seven Days Until International Committee Arrives to New York City
New Yorkers are Encouraged to Support the Bid by Signing the Online Petition to Bring 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup� to the
USA and New York/New Jersey Region
New York, NY (August 30, 2010) � NYC & Company, New York City�s tourism, marketing and partnership organization, is counting down and preparing for the arrival of the six-member inspection committee of F�d�ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) officials to New York City on the afternoon of Monday, September 6. Today, the USA Bid Committee announced that FIFA, soccer�s international governing body, will begin a three-day, five-city tour from September 6 through September 9. In May, New York City/New Jersey became one of the 18 candidate cities in the US bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup�.
NYC & Company currently serves as the local host city bid committee for the New York/New Jersey bid, and encourages New Yorkers and residents of the New York City metropolitan area to show their support by signing the online petition to bring the FIFA World Cup� to New York City at gousabid.com.
�New York City is the world�s second home, with more than 200 languages spoken and more than a third of our residents being foreign-born,� said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. �Hosting the FIFA World Cup would be a great economic benefit to the City and the United States. As one of the world�s top travel destinations, the City�and the region�has played host to countless large-scale international events and is home to world-class entertainment and attractions. This year�s World Cup captured the attention and spirit of New Yorkers across all five boroughs, and we can think of no better place to enjoy the global excitement of the World Cup than in New York City.�
Members of the USA Bid Committee and representatives from NYC & Company will accompany the delegation on a technical inspection tour of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Red Bull Arena and New Meadowlands Stadium on September 7. Technical Committee visits to each bidding nation are part of the FIFA review process, which culminates with the selection of the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups on December 2 in Zurich.
Sustainability of the host country and its bid cities will be one of the considerations in the selection process, and New York City�s practices will benefit the US bid significantly. New York City has one of the lowest per-capita carbon footprints of any major city in the world, and the lowest of any American city, with 6.4 metric tons of CO2e per capita. More than 55% of New York City commuters use mass transit, and the same percentage of City residents do not own cars. In addition, New York City is also one of the safest large cities in the world. It is estimated that hosting soccer games for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup� could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the City; the 1994 World Cup had an impact of $100 million on the City.
If the United States is awarded the right to host one of the FIFA World Cups, the Bid Committee, in consultation with FIFA, will determine which of the 18 candidate cities will host matches. According to the official bid book, New York City/New Jersey would be given the opportunity to host up to six of the 64 matches that would be held in several host cities across the United States. Local support through online petitioning among each city�s residents will play a role in that selection process. New Yorkers are encouraged to support our ability to host the games by signing the online petition at gousabid.com/city/local/ny-nj.
For more information on the bid, please visit gousabid.com. For more information about World Cup Soccer and other sports and recreational activities in New York City, visit nycgo.com/sports.
For more press inquiries pelase contact Marjan Inbar at 212.484.1270 or