Olympic Festival

The state of Maryland is resurrecting its bid for the U.S. Olympic Festival -- a bid whose future has been uncertain since the abolition of the Maryland State Games program.To do it, Gov. William Donald Schaefer gave the job yesterday to the state's Department of Economic and Employment Development. In turn, the department has enlisted a veteran trouble-shooter for Mr. Schaefer, J. Henry Butta, president of Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. of Maryland, to head a new team that will present the bid before the U.S. Olympic Festival Committee in Dallas on Jan. 31.If Maryland's bid is chosen, Mr. Butta has volunteered to tap volunteers from the private sector for an executive committee thatwould raise money for the event and run it. The University of Maryland also would play a key role in the event.

State Health Secretary Adele A. Wilzack said yesterday that she has disbanded the scandal-ridden Maryland State Games program, saying that in less than six months it has spent its budget for an entire fiscal year and run up a deficit of nearly $50,000 beyond that.Ms. Wilzack, refusing to speak directly with reporters, made the announcement in a statement issued by a spokesman. Health department spokesman Richard Proctor declined to say how the State Games staff hadspent its budget of $310,000 so quickly, or to elaborate on Ms. Wilzack's decision to close the program.

The executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee said that Maryland remains a viable candidate to host the U.S. Olympic Festival."You've got a lot of good sports people in that state, in the collegiate environment and the Olympic movement," Harvey Schiller said Friday from Colorado Springs, Colo. "You've also got good organizers and marketers who can move forward. It would be tremendous to have the events in the Baltimore-Washington area."Friday Mr. Schiller held his first conversation with state officials since the investigation into the Maryland State Games -- the body that created the bid to be festival host -- was disclosed.

Maryland moved one step closer yesterday to securing the rights to play host to the United States Olympic Festival in 1993, 1994 or 1995.Maryland was one of five bid finalists approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee's Executive Committee during its meeting yesterday in Durham, N.C. The USOC's Board of Directors is expected to approve the selections today.Denver, Miami, St. Louis and San Antonio also made the cut. Knocked out of the bid process were Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Portland, Ore.Members of the USOC's Olympic Festival Committee will visit each of the remaining applicant sites between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15. The final selections will be announced at a USOC meeting Feb. 2-3 in Dallas.

Maryland officials will learn this weekend whether they still are in the running to play host to the United States Olympic Festival in 1993, 1994 or 1995.The list of 10 bid cities will be cut to five or six at the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors and Executive Committee meeting in Durham, N.C., today through Sunday."We're all in the same boat," said James Narron, head of the Maryland delegation. "No one bid gets a perfect 10 on all the facilities. Everyone has a good chance to advance."