Bloomberg: spend; Rogge: my wife did
On eve of IOC-UN conference, Bloomberg urged spending, and Rogge says wife complied
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had a message for people attending a sports conference organized by the United Nations and the IOC.
"For those of you who aren't from New York," he said, "I would ask you to do one thing before you leave, and that is spend some money. We could use the sales tax revenues."
IOC President Jacques Rogge said his family already had contributed.
"Mr. Mayor, I want to reassure you my wife went shopping this afternoon," he said to laughter, "and you provided her for an excuse for doing so."
The two spoke Tuesday night at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park on the eve of the International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development, scheduled for the following two days at UN headquarters. The meeting is a joint effort of the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace and the International Olympic Committee, with support from the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Bloomberg urged the crowd to attend sports events in New York.
"Take the 7 train to a Mets game, or the 4 or the B or the D train to see the Yankees," he said, "and I think you'll find that our subways (are) an even more international experience than your conference at the UN."
Bloomberg helped organize New York's bid for the 2012 Olympics, which was eliminated on the second round of voting in 2005, when the games were awarded to London.
"We're proud of the bid that we put together to bring the Olympics here, and we are very pleased the way the London Olympics turned out," he said. "It was one of the great Olympics of all-time, so congratulations to them."
