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Politics

Olympic Rules May Disallow San Diego-Tijuana Bid

The Mexican flag in Tijuana can be seen prominently from the U.S. side of the border. Tijuana is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Mexico with a population of 1.5 million. By comparison, San Diego County has about 3 million people.
Julien Pearce
The Mexican flag in Tijuana can be seen prominently from the U.S. side of the border. Tijuana is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Mexico with a population of 1.5 million. By comparison, San Diego County has about 3 million people.

Mayor Bob Filner said today his hopes to land a cross-border Olympics for San Diego and Tijuana were "undaunted'' by word from the International Olympic Committee that rules may preclude a joint bid by the U.S. and Mexico.

The mayor said he was in the preliminary stages of looking into a two-city effort to attract the 2024 summer games and doesn't have all the answers yet.

"The true spirit of the Olympics embodies my conviction that we should vigorously pursue the dream of having two countries host the Olympics in the greatest bi-national region of the world,'' Filner said. "Rules and by-laws can be changed.''

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The mayor has pushed the concept of San Diego being part of a wider cross-border region with Tijuana since taking office. He recently opened a city of San Diego office in Tijuana.

It was learned Friday night that a San Diego-Tijuana bid would be considered by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Filner said he hoped the effort would be chaired by ex-presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who led the 2002 Winter Olympic Committee in Salt Lake City. However, a spokesman for Romney, who has a home in La Jolla, said he didn't want to do more than provide advice to organizers.