Chicago 2016 Olympic bid

The Chicago 2016 Olympic bid is a reference to an attempt by the City of Chicago and other cities, townships and villages in Illinois to be chosen by the United States Olympic Committee as the official United States bid for the International Olympic Committee 2016 Summer Olympics host city competition. On July 26, 2006, the USOC had narrowed its list of candidates to Chicago and Los Angeles (San Francisco dropped out in November 2006).

It should be noted that Chicago has the dubious distinction of being the only city to have had an Olympics taken away; the 1904 Summer Olympics were originally supposed to be held in Chicago, but were moved to St. Louis to coincide with the 1904 World's Fair.

United States Olympic Committee

Main article: 2016 Summer Olympics#United States

The USOC's chairman, Peter Ueberroth, visited potential host cities during the month of May 2006. Ueberroth and his party visited Chicago on May 10.

Bid details

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was officially welcomed in Beijing by the government of the People's Republic of China during the week of May 15, 2006, when the mayor discussed Chicago's venture; he is the only mayor of an American city vying for the 2016 Summer Olympics to have been welcomed to Beijing on official Olympic business.^[1]

Chicago's chances for hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics are bolstered by preliminary commitments made by major corporations and wealthy Chicago philanthropists; promised participation in the planning process by community and government leaders (including the Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, a political party usually opposed to Daley); and the enthusiasm of the citizenry. Opinion polls conducted by local newspapers in early 2006 suggested that public support for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago could be as high as 80 to 85 percent. Most importantly, the city's existing infrastructure and venue options are considerably more substantial than the offerings available in other interested cities. Bob Ctvrtlik, part of the initial assessment team, said, "It's got all the amenities that would make this a wonderful experience for our athletes." Ueberroth added, "Chicago is going in the right direction, and we are impressed by that."^[2]

Financing

Ueberroth and members of the national committee met with Daley on May 10 2006 for the initial assessment. On the same day, with permission from Ueberroth, Daley appointed business executive Patrick G. Ryan of Aon Corporation and part-owner of the Chicago Bears to lead the city's bid process, especially in areas of corporate participation in fundraising. In previous years, Daley opposed possible bids for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games owing to former international committee financial-guarantee requirements. Those requirements have been relaxed in favor of a new philosophy in which the Olympic Games would become smaller in terms of construction and related costs.^{[citation needed]} Early cost estimates hover at $5 billion, with $1 billion needed for a new Olympic stadium in Chicago.^{[citation needed]} As of early 2007, Chicago has already raised $25 million through public and private contributions for the bid.^[3]

Venues

Despite the need for an Olympic stadium, Chicago has dozens of existing sport venues: Soldier Field, United Center, U.S. Cellular Field, Wrigley Field, Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, and Toyota Park in Bridgeview. Venues at Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northern Illinois University, among others, are also available and have been mentioned in early news reports as possibilities. Navy Pier and the lakefront could host all beach and water events. Other regional mayors have offered venues in Indiana and Wisconsin, including use of the University of Notre Dame facilities. TCF Bank Stadium, a planned stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota may also be used for preliminary soccer matches.

Stadium

Chicago initially proposed building a temporary 80,000 seat track stadium adjacent to Soldier Field and having the two stadiums host dual Opening and Closing Ceremonies.^[4][5] Previously, according to the Chicago Tribune, Mayor Daley had expressed a desire for an additional NFL franchise to come to Chicago in order to obtain the 80,000 seat stadium needed to host an Olympics. The plan has since been revised to include an 80,000-seat stadium inside Washington Park on the south side of the city. After the games, it would be converted to a 5,000-seat (with expansion capability) track and field venue that could also host other events.

Chicago's reputation as a major convention hosting center will also help its cause. The main convention center, McCormick Place, is the largest convention center in the United States and is undergoing an expansion that will be completed in 2007. The city of Chicago has over 50,000 hotel rooms in the immediate downtown area and has the largest skilled-labor workforce in the U.S. catering to conventions and other large-scale media events.

Sport culture

Chicago benefits from a strong sports culture and is arguably one of the most sport-oriented cities in the United States. On August 1, 2006, it was named "Best Sports City" by The Sporting News.^[6] Chicagoans are famous for their rabid support of their home teams: the Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Bulls, and more recently, the Chicago Fire. Other events, such as the Chicago Marathon, one of the largest marathon events worldwide, will also play a part in Chicago's Olympic-planning process.

Experience

Chicago successfully hosted the International Gay Games VII from July 15 to July 22, 2006. In 2006, Chicago hosted 40,000 athletes from around the globe who came to Chicago to participate in the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon with over 1.2 million spectators lining the course. Chicago has also hosted major and historic world gatherings in the past, including the famous 1893 Columbian Exposition, the 1933 World's Fair, the 1959 Pan American Games, as well as matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. Chicago was supposed to host the 1904 Summer Olympics but these were removed from the city and given to Saint Louis to coincide with its Louisiana Purchase Exposition (more commonly known as the Saint Louis World's Fair). Chicago has never been happy with its distinction as one of the few cities to have an Olympic Games taken away, and this historical issue could play to Chicago's favor.

Chicago was also the first host of the Special Olympics in 1968.

Miscellaneous

It is expected that Chicago's world-class architecture, renowned skyline, multi-cultural, historical, and pop-cultural contributions will be positive factors as the Olympics bid is weighed.

The city also boasts a highly-developed transportation infrastructure. The Chicago Transit Authority operates a vast and efficient network of buses and "L" trains, along with a vast commuter rail service (Metra) that connects more than 230 suburban destinations to Chicago, which greatly broadens public transit access to the Games for people throughout northeastern Illinois into northern Indiana and Southern Wisconsin. Additionally, the city is served by two major airports, O'Hare and Midway. O'Hare is a major international hub for both American and United, and Midway is a hub of sorts for domestic carrier Southwest Airlines. There is also a considerable network of interstate highways in northern Illinois and northern Indiana.

Chicago's geographic location also counts in its favor. Its central position within the United States means that its time zone is well-suited to American television coverage. The NBC television network and its sister cable broadcasters (under the NBC Universal banner) is by far the largest media vendor and contract purchaser of the Olympic Games.

Michael Jordan has become an unofficial spokesman for Chicago's bid.

Recent developments

On June 23, 2006, five United States candidates met in California to offer official presentations to the USOC Board of Directors. Chicago Tribune reported of the event on June 24, "USOC officials indicated they could whittle down the field of five contenders in as soon as three weeks." The article also stated, "Observers say it's likely to be a three-way horse race between.... San Francisco, Chicago and Olympic veteran Los Angeles." As predicted, the USOC on July 26, 2006, officially named San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago as the three US finalists for the 2016 Olympics, dropping Philadelphia and Houston.However, on November 13, 2006, San Francisco withdrew its bid from the national selection process, leaving Chicago and Los Angeles as the only contenders in the U.S. bid.^[7]

The Chicago 2016 Exploratory Committee has launched its official Web site at www.chicago2016.org.

On September 21, 2006, Mayor Daley unveiled a revised plan for the main stadium, which would host the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as track and field events. The plan calls for a 95,000 seat stadium to be constructed in Washington Park, on Chicago's South Side. The plan's preliminary design mimics the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, making use of the Midway Plaisance and the surrounding neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Woodlawn. The stadium would be temporary, and would be mostly dismantled into a 10,000-seat track and field stadium and event complex after the games. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, local Aldermen strongly support this plan.^[8]

On January 9th, the USOC announced that they will go forward in presenting an American bid to the international competition for the 2016 games. The next step was for the city of Los Angeles and Chicago to have a bid book ready for the committe by January 22nd for review. On April 14, the evaluation team will present its findings to the USOC board of directors, cities will make their final presentations and the candidate city will be chosen. The candidate city must be submitted to the International Olympic Committee on September 15th. The host will be chosen in 2009.

References

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