Nyhaven '07: Find Your Passion (the bid and announcement)

Presented by NyCOG

Nyhaveners share a passion for athletic excellence that has driven this city to build ever-greater athletic venues. The successes of these past building projects, culminating with the dedication of Puget Island Athletics Park, have brought Nyhaven the honor of hosting Lower Columbia's triennial King's Games - a series of several major sports that the city's own athletes have won time and again. It is only fitting, then, that this city should now play host to competitors from around the simworld as they strive for Simlympic gold.

Besides Nyhaven's outstanding arenas within the city, the Athletics Park would be home to the myriad events that comprise the Simlympics. This park covers about 1250 acres (almost 2 square miles) on Puget Island, making it about the size of downtown!



This park is located about 5 miles from the growing Nyhaven International Airport and 12 miles from downtown Nyhaven. It is conveniently placed along the main transit lines - road, rail and subway - that link the airport to downtown, with several highway exits and rail stations serving the park. Within it, a systen of shuttle buses operates between all stadiums and transit stations. Currently only about half of the park's land has been developed, with ample room remaining for new venues should Nyhaven be chosen to host these Games. Here is an overview of the entire park; click on it to see the full-scale image.



This overview also highlights the lodging options available nearby. Nine hotels (one of which, the JW Marriott, is not pictured) provide enough rooms for thousands of visitors, mostly at affordable prices. Additional hotels can be found near the airport and in the city center. Let's take a closer look at the facilities that currently exist.



This large plaza sits at the park's center. Here the MetroRail's Central and Island lines intersect, with the former leading north to downtown and south to the airport. Just east of this station is the park's tennis center, currently home to two courts. Near the open-air food court/vendor center, a new indoor arena is under construction.



These three futuristic venues comprise the Melkovitch Center for Athletic Development. Many of the kingdom's finest athletes train here when there are no special events ongoing. Each stadium can hold thousands of spectators.



This is the King Michael II Arena, which is remarkable for its versatility. The main floor can be set up to handle many different events, from indoor cycling to volleyball.



Home stadium of the Nyhaven Cruisers (currently in Eureka for Sim Calcio), Crown Insurance Park was the first permanent stadium to open at Puget Island. As such, the park's rail station is quite close to it, and there is plenty of parking. Some of this pavement could become the Simlympic Media Village.



Lake Jackson is popular with naturalists, couples and young families because of its beauty. If it is deemed large enough, it could be used for rowing and canoe competitions, which would otherwise take place in the slough that separates downtown Nyhaven from the mainland. Otherwise, it would be left as a greensward within the park.

As previously mentioned, this park has plenty of land for the construction of new Simlympic facilities. Below is how the park would look if the ISC selects Nyhaven, with rail stations marked:



Up next: the pre-existing venues

Existing Venues
Nyhaven's athletic passion extends beyond the Puget Island Athletics Park. With its four professional teams, the city has plenty of stadiums and arenas within the metropolitan area.

Three of these venues are concentrated east of uptown, forming the Sporthaven development. Buechner Stadium, normally used by the Nyhaven Thunderbirds of the SCFL, could be easily adapted for use as an extra soccer stadium, along with the 4-5 to be situated at the main park. The SLB Regals' home ballpark, Rittenberg Field, is brimming with the most modern of facilities and could serve as a second Simlympic baseball stadium, after the one to be added to Puget Island. HSBC Arena, meanwhile, would be an extra indoor venue, with the possibility of hosting such events as gymnastics, volleyball, or field hockey. All three stadiums have ample seating capacities and are accessible by subway.

Located even closer to the city center, near midtown, is ColumbiAir Arena, the SCBL Huskies' home court. Of course, its most immediate use for the Simlympics would be as a basketball venue, but competitions in wrestling, fencing, and the like could also occur there.

Cathlamet and Skamokawa, two small towns on the outskirts of metropolitan Nyhaven, both have large marinas next to their downtowns, making them ideal sites for the canoeing and rowing races, as well as the starting point for the triathlon. They are also withing walking distance of subway stations.

Hey look, it's an actual picture!

Shown here is an area across the Columbia River from the intended Simlympic park and southeast of Nyhaven that could be developed, at low cost, as a mountain biking venue. Its rolling topography make it well-suited for such an event, while its location along a major river road and railway would allow easy access to it. It is also not far from a local ecological treasure, the Sawtelle Wood - sure to be a hit with tourists!

Finally, the scenic and expansive Rossmore Country Club has signalled an interest in hosting the Simlympic golf tournament on its 18 holes.

Transportation
As I have mentioned, Puget Island Athletics Park has three dedicated stations on the Metro Central Line, which runs directly from Nyhaven International Airport to downtown and points beyond. The Nyhaven Transit Authority has already guaranteed that reduced fares will be offered on all MetroRail, bus, and commuter rail lines for the Simlympics; guests need only show their tickets to any Simlympic event to be eligible for these discounts. Those who prefer to drive are also in luck, as the main park and central venues are conveniently adjacent to existing highways, with little or no interchanging needed. Maps will be available upon request.

Culture in Nyhaven
Sports aren't Nyhaven's only passion. A dizzying array of theatres, museums and more await visitors to the city, and all are easily reached with public transport. Nyhaven is also a diverse city, as attested by its nine distinct ethnic neighborhoods. Nature-lovers can take in the city's fresh air in any number of city parks, many of which form a green ring around the center.

Nyhaven is also a very historic city. By the time the Simlympics would arrive here, the city will be celebrating its 500th birthday, giving residents and visitors alike an extra reason to celebrate and have fun. Besides its many historical monuments, tourists can visit such important buildings as City Hall and the original royal palace. A new 600m-tall observation tower will provide unparalleled views of the Columbia River delta, including all Simlympic venues. Express train and bus services make a day trip to the royal capital at Kendall affordable for all.

For the statisticians in our midst, Nyhaven is currently home to about 1.1 million people, who all think highly of our mayor and their public services. The city has a massive monthly surplus of hundreds of thousands of coulombs (each of which is worth almost US$2), giving it the financial backing to put on a grand show for the Simlympics.

Conclusion: How does Nyhaven stack up?
Let's take a look at what the ISC expects of its bidders, and whether Nyhaven has what it takes to host the Simlympics.

-Main Athletics Stadium: Take your pick! Besides the two very capable stadiums already standing at the main park, another would be built right next to the proposed Simlympic cauldron.
-At least one indoor Arena: Not counting the swimming center, there will be 4 or 5 of these at the park, along with the two closer to downtown.
-A Swimming Center: part of the Melkovitch Complex.
-A Park (For Marathon, triathlon etc): How about the 9 miles of our park belt? These greenswards extend from Pacifica State University in the north to the future South Point Observation Tower in the south.
-Velodrome: King Michael II Arena or HSBC Arena can be configured for indoor cycling.
-Tennis Courts: at the center of Puget Island Park.
-Football/Soccer Pitches: 4 or 5 to be available within the park, along with a sixth at Buechner Stadium.
-Space for Shooting & Archery: A swath of undeveloped land in the park's southwest corner is ideal for these events.
-A seaside/riverside sailing center: Two to choose from!
-A lake for Canoeing and Rowing: The Columbia River is quite suitable for these races, and both marinas are on it.
-A suitable Mountain biking location: near Sawtelle Wood, as shown above.
-Volleyball Courts: Some could be built outdoors, while other matches could take place indoors.
-A suitable site for horseriding: Also in the park's southwest corner.
-Olympic Village: About 12 high-rise towers would be built in the blocks just west of the park. They would be converted to low/middle-income housing after the Games.
-Major Airport nearby: Currently being expanded to handle more international flights, Nyhaven International is just 5 miles down the highway - and subway.
-Good transport facilities: You bet!
-Good Hotels: 9 near the park and many more in the center of town.
-A Simlympic Park: To hold most of the venues.
-4 Football/Soccer stadiums: Make that 6.
-3-6 Indoor Arenas (Its very hard to have one arena big enough to host: Basketball, Handball, Gymnastics, Field Hockey (not ice), Fencing, Wrestling etc): Nyhaven has 6 of those, too.
Extremely good transport facilities, including high speed connections between the Simlympic Park, the other Olympic Events and the Airport, will be available at reduced rates during the Simlympics.
-High quality hotels: And they're even next to the park!
-A big city, with historical venues as well as many tourist attractions: Detailed above.

Thank you for reading, and may the best city win!

Before today's announcement, the Nyhaven Tourism Board worked feverishly to prepare Founders' Square for the crowds anticipated to flood the area tonight. They set up banners and giant screens, established street closures adjacent to the square, and made sure the police department was ready for any post-announcement altercations. By mid-afternoon, everything was in place.



Thousands gathered in the square to watch the ISC press conference. When Nyhaven was announced as the winner, the crowd erupted in jubilation! Thankfully, there were no incidences of violence afterwards.

Tomorrow, the city council and department heads will meet to establish a game plan for implementing Nyhaven's grand Simlympic designs on time. With much work already underway, and more to begin, the city is about to get even busier! Keep watching the CJ (and this forum) for updates on the progress towards the Games.