Sounds good, but is the Old Dominion getting short shrift? Even though many of the events would be held in Northern Virginia, the Games would be named only after Washington and Baltimore and don’t specifically mention Virginia. One proposed logo does include the initials of the state, but that’s about it. "Usually the name associated with the Games has to be a city," explains Daniel Knise, chief executive of the coalition.

Backers of the Olympic bid insist that Virginia will play a major role anyway. Such events as swimming, diving, judo, wrestling and tae kwon do would be held in the Northern Virginia area just outside Washington. The Equestrian events could be held in Virginia’s horse country. About one-third of the 105,000 hotel rooms expected for the event would be in the commonwealth, and Virginia’s Dulles International Airport would be the major gateway for athletes and spectators. Of the 8 million tickets expected for the Games, 1 million would be for Virginia events.

Virginia does stand to win big economically. Barry DuVal, the state’s secretary of commerce and trade, notes that the 1996 Summer Olympics generated $5 billion for the Atlanta area over seven years and created 80,000 jobs. The Washington-area events should generate at least that amount, and much of the money would flow across the Potomac. The state expects more than revenue from hotel and restaurant sales: Travelers from all over the world would likely extend their stays by visiting such popular Virginia tourism spots as Williamsburg and the Blue Ridge Parkway, says Gayle Morgan Vail, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corp. High schools in the Arlington area are likely to get makeovers, just as the RFK Stadium in Washington would be due for major improvements.

The Washington-Baltimore group needs to make a formal bid this Dec. 15, after which a delegation from the U.S. Olympics will assess all candidates to see if backers can handle logistics. By 2002, finalists will be chosen and by that fall, a candidate bid will be selected. To help finance the bid, regional corporations have raised $7 million of a $10 million target. Contributors include Metrocall, First Union, Bank of America, Exxon-Mobil and Clark Enterprises.

Also expected to bid are Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Cincinnati and New York. Knise says that while Dallas may emerge as the strongest competitor, his plan has big advantages. For example, the Washington area has far more hotel rooms than Dallas and many international flights.

Lingering issues do remain, however. One problem: how teams will negotiate the now-congested Beltway and other interstates to get to events. A hub in Washington, for instance, would handle opening ceremonies and such events as archery, tennis and weight lifting. Baltimore would host gymnastics and soccer, with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., dealing with yachting and fencing.

With current traffic volume in the D.C. area, getting from one event to another could take hours, especially during rush hour. But Knise says an improved traffic infrastructure would be one result. As it is, the games are 12 years away, plenty of time to build better roads.