Thorpe invokes memories of 9/11 to endorse New York bid

On September 11, 2001, Ian Thorpe watched the world change with shocked eyes. Even today, there is a hint of disbelief in his eyes as he re-lives those moments of terror that tore apart a city.

'I was in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, in the shadows of the towers when they were attacked. I saw the true strength of the New York people on that day,' recounted Thorpe, who is in Singapore as part of New York's delegation in the 2012 Olympic race.

One of Australia's greatest Olympians and the winner of five Olympic swimming golds, Thorpe is a firm believer that a New York win would be a win for world peace. Expressing himself with those huge hands that carve effortlessly through the water, the Thorpedo, is one of many famous athletes the New York camp have as vocal advocates of their bid.

'September 11 affected the whole world, not just New York. The Olympic Games in New York would bring the whole world together in peace,' said Thorpe who was fortunate to escape the carnage that shocked a nation and changed the world.

'Paris and London may be the favourites. But the New York bid is about more than just sport. It is about uniting a city and uniting a world. New York is going to re-build itself around sport,' adds Thorpe - the man who won the Athens showdown, dubbed the 'Race of the Century', and claimed gold by beating Pieter Van den Hoogenband and Grant Hackett in the 200 metres freestyle.

Ever since the US$2 billion Olympic Stadium project in Manhattan was shot down by New York legislators last month, the Big Apple has resuscitated its bid with an 11th hour plan - contrived in less than 72 hours - to build a stadium in the borough of Queens and to be used by the New York Mets baseball team.

With the Manhattan plan being shot down, there seems to be a move in some quarters to invoke memories of 9/11 in last-ditch efforts to revive a campaign which was seen to be faltering behind front-runners Paris and London, and even Madrid.