NYC takes officials on tour of proposed sites

NEW YORK -- A contingent of Olympic officials toured sites in Queens and Manhattan on Tuesday, the second day of New York's pitch for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The members of the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission visited Madison Square Garden and the National Tennis Center, and planned to tour the proposed site of a new Manhattan stadium.

At Madison Square Garden, proposed home of Olympic basketball, ex-Olympian and former Sen. Bill Bradley planned to give IOC members his perspective on "The World's Most Famous Arena."

"I'm going to speak to the IOC about the place where I worked for 10 years," the one-time New York Knicks star said after a luncheon where he endorsed New York's Olympic efforts. "It still holds a very special place in my heart."

Bradley refused to answer questions about the contentious proposal for a stadium on Manhattan's West Side, a key element in the city's bid. "I'm not here to do politics," he said.

Gold medalist Oksana Baiul skates over an NYC2012 graphic on the world-famous rink at Rockefeller Center. (AP)

The IOC group was scheduled to look at the railyards where the stadium would rise. The city envisions the stadium as the site of the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games.

The Queens visit included a stop at the National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, and another at the site of the proposed Olympic Village.

The IOC group spent Monday hearing presentations promoting New York's bid for the Summer Games. The members have already toured Madrid and London, and will visit Paris and Moscow before picking a host city on July 6.

The group will not speak publicly about New York's bid until the visit is completed Thursday.