San Francisco 2016 Games bid in jeopardy

San Francisco's quest to host the 2016 Olympics was thrown into jeopardy in the wake of the 49ers' decision to end negotiations with the city to build a new stadium.

"Clearly, it was surprising news for us," Jaime Rupert, director of communications for the San Francisco bid, said Thursday.

Not only did the news, announced late Wednesday by the 49ers, catch members of the San Francisco delegation off guard, it came hours before they were to meet with U.S. Olympic Committee officials for a question-and-answer session about the bid process.

"If I'm in the USOC's position, I'm not seeing a lot of certainty in that situation," said Jesse Blout, San Francisco's director of economic development.

While refusing to say the city would withdraw from the process, Blout and Rupert gave every indication that the sudden news on the stadium put the bid on life support. The stadium was going to be used for opening and closing ceremonies and track and field

The USOC will decide by year's end on whether to bid for the Olympics. Chicago and Los Angeles are the other candidates.

Chicago plans to build a stadium in its Washington Park area. Chicago 2016 chairman Pat Ryan gave no specifics of how the privately financed venue would be paid for, other than to say the city would make the USOC feel comfortable about its plan by April, when the committee would nominate a city for consideration.

"It's a process," Ryan said. "We're being very aggressive and diligent to give a measure of certainty."

Los Angeles plans to renovate the LA Coliseum, also using private funds.

While those cities' blueprints remain in tact, San Francisco now has no plan.

"We'll look at any and all options," Blout said. "The mayor wants to win these Olympics. We were certainly caught off guard."

The USOC will decide in December whether to go forward with a bid. The International Olympic Committee will choose its city in 2009.