Chicago, Tokyo don't get 2016 Olympics

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-02 23:42

Bid chairman Patrick Ryan, who made his considerable fortune in insurance, spoke of the many companies that are based in the Midwest, making it "fertile territory" for new Olympic sponsors. He also mentioned the universities in and around Chicago, how they would be a source for research.

In planning the games, Chicago has made the athletes its focus, decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay and Paralympic champion Linda Mastandrea said. The compact plan puts 90 percent of athletes within 15 minutes of their venues — a not insignificant detail, Clay said, describing a day that begins at 5 am and doesn't end until midnight.

Athletes would also feel at home in Chicago, Clay said. Pick pretty much any country in the world, and it likely has its own neighborhood in Chicago — the Walgreens in Greektown has English and Greek lettering on the building. Not only does that mean "local" cheering sections for all athletes, but there will be a homestay program for their families.

Chicago will use mostly existing and temporary facilities. While that means there won't be any grand building, like the Bird's Nest in Beijing, operations chief Doug Arnot said Chicago will leave a far more lasting — and important — legacy.

"We know that concrete and steel do not build sport, people build sport," Arnot said.

The US Olympic Committee has had a testy relationship with the IOC, including recent flare-ups over revenue sharing and a USOC TV network. Chicago leaders addressed that head on, repeatedly talking about wanting to be partners with the IOC. Stealing a page right out of Obama's "Yes, we can" campaign theme, one video even featured residents repeating "Together we can."

"I see a future in which the Olympic movement and the United States will move shoulder to shoulder toward the horizon, with a shared mission, together as true partners, thanks to an Olympic Games in Chicago in 2016," said Bob Ctvrtlik, a former IOC member and the USOC's vice chair of international relations.

The presentation wasn't without its hiccups. Ctvrtlik rambled when asked a specific question about legacies. Ryan confused questions asked by different IOC members.

But those missteps might well be forgotten in the wake of the Obamas.

Michelle Obama arrived Wednesday and spent the last two days charming IOC voters. She held a series of one-on-one meetings, and greeted a steady stream of members after the opening ceremony Thursday night. She arrived knowing small details of all of the members, a nice touch in a contest where the tiniest of things can make the biggest difference.

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