Olympic Leaders Remember Day Atlanta Won 1996 Games -- ATRadio

(ATR)In this edition of ATRadio, former and current Olympic bid leaders from across the globeshare memories from Sept. 18, 1990.

Last Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the IOC vote in Tokyo that secured the city of Atlanta the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Around the Rings editor Ed Hula spoke with Atlanta 1996 leaders including former ACOG president Billy Payne, Charlie Battle, and Andrew Young.

Close to 400 people celebrated the 25th anniversary of Atlanta winning the 1996 Games at Centennial Olympic Park last Friday night.

Payne, the keynote speaker for the event,introduced Young, who as mayor agreed to Payne's plan to bid for the Games.

Charlie Battle also spoke at the celebration last Friday and addressed the domestic efforts that helped garner support for Atlanta's Olympic bid.

In 1990, Atlanta was bidding against Athens, Toronto, Melbourne and Belgrade.Paul Henderson, former president of the Toronto 1996 bid, and Dionyssis Gangas,a member of the bid team in Tokyo for the Athens 1996 bid, spoke with Hula as well.

Gangas went on to play a key role in the successful bid from Athens for 2004.

IOC member Anita DeFrantz was in Tokyo as well on Sept. 18, 1990. DeFrantz spoke with ATR reporter Nicole Bennett about that day and weighed in on a future U.S. Olympic bid.

DeFrantz's hopes for the Los Angeles 2024 Olympic bid were echoed byGeorge Hirthler, a leading Olympic bid consultant, who worked on Atlanta's 1996 bid book.

Hirthler and DeFrantz both said it is "absolutely time" to bring the Olympic Games back to the United States.

Written and produced byNicole Bennett

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