Chicago out after first round of voting - Early exit stuns Chicago/Rio Wins Bid for 2016 Olympic Games/Be proud, Chicago

Chicago out after first round of voting - Early exit stuns Chicago
By David Heinzmann
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
10:33 a.m. CDT, October 2, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-091002chicago-olympics-2016-eliminated,0,3121819.story



Chicago has been eliminated from Olympic balloting in the early rounds of voting by the International Olympic Committee, a stunningly swift defeat for the U.S. bid personally pitched by President Barack Obama.

Minutes later, Tokyo also was eliminated.

Rio de Janeiro and Madrid are now left seeking approval to host the 2016 Summer Games. The host city is to be announced around noon Chicago time.

To some observers, it appeared that Chicago's bid had been fast gathering momentum in the last week. Daley and others began to show their confidence as one piece after another fell into place. From First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey's early commitments to travel with them to Copenhagen, to President Barack Obama's late decision to go, to bad news trickling out about the Rio's bid, indicators looked to be going Chicago's way.

But members of the International Olympic Committee are known for being unpredictable, even impulsive, when they gather to pick a host city.

And in 2016, it won't be Chicago.

The 2016 Summer Games were to be Mayor Richard Daley's legacy. Now the mayor comes home to face recession-driven budget woes and concerns about violence that plague Chicago, without the ability to change the public dialogue to Olympics talk.

Daley and his Olympic bid team will now have to decide whether to regroup and try again for the 2020 Games. Conventional wisdom in Chicago cuts against extending the effort, partly because the bid has been so closely tied to Daley. At 67, the mayor's political plans may not include remaining in office long enough to see through another run at the Games.

The IOC had lauded Chicago's plan, which focused on clustering Olympic venues in parkland along the stunning Lake Michigan shore. From the athletic and technical perspective, the bid won very high marks.

But things got complicated when it came to Chicago politics.

For months, Daley had promised that the Games wouldn't be a burden on Chicago taxpayers, proclaiming he would stick to limited financial guarantees from the city if the Games lost money. But the IOC stood firm in its demand that candidate cities pledge a blanket guarantee for the Games. In June, Daley did an about-face and promised the IOC just such a guarantee, fueling public skepticism that taxpayers would foot the bill if the games became a boondoggle.

That led to a rocky summer, as Chicago 2016 officials launched a public relations campaign to reassure residents that a novel plan of insurance policies would provide nearly fail-safe level of protection against potential losses.

But public support fell and a late-August Tribune/WGN poll found that support for the Games in Chicago had dipped to 47 percent.

Last month, however, Daley convinced the City Council to once again sign off on the financial guarantee. Whether they were caught up in the Olympics fever or didn't want to cross the mayor, aldermen voted 49-0 to endorse Chicago's bid.








Rio Wins Bid for 2016 Olympic Games
By JULIET MACUR and LYNN ZINSER
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: October 2, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?hp


COPENHAGEN — The Olympics were awarded to a South American city for the first time when the International Olympic Committee on Friday voted for Rio de Janeiro to be host of the 2016 Games.

Rio de Janeiro was the winner over Madrid in the final round of voting. The committee delivered an unexpectedly early knockout blow to Chicago, which was eliminated in the first round. Tokyo was ousted in the second.

Jacques Rogge, the president of the committee, made the announcement, sending crowds in Rio de Janeiro into celebration.

Tens of thousands of people began partying early in Rio on the Copacabana beach. Musicians played samba music from a main stage flanked by large screens, as people danced, held towering cones of cotton candy and showed off the national colors of Brazil by donning yellow-and-green wigs or yellow-and-green bikinis. A beach ball bounced above the crowd, marked with the words, “It’s Rio’s time.”

The scene was different earlier in Chicago as throngs in Daley Plaza gasped in disappointment when Rogge announced that Chicago was out. It was a surprisingly early exit, especially after President Obama’s whirlwind trip to boost the bid of his adopted city. Mr. Obama was the first American president to make an in-person appeal for a bid city and the first lady, Michelle Obama, had also come here this week to lobby I.O.C. members for votes.

Chicago’s bid leaders had worked for nearly four years and spent close to $50 million to bring the Summer Olympics to the United States for the first time in 20 years. Chicago had been considered among Olympic insiders as a favorite to win the Games, along with Rio.

Instead, the I.O.C. delivered a crushing blow to American hopes for the second straight time. New York’s bid was eliminated in the second round of voting for the 2012 Olympics.

United States Olympic Committee leaders appeared stunned by the news and had no comment as they left the voting hall. Mr. Obama was flying back to Washington at the time of the vote.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had led Rio’s emotional appeal to win the Games and the urge to make history tugged at the I.O.C., which voted it the winner over Madrid.

Former I.O.C. president Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain, who is 89, had made a passionate and personal appeal for Madrid in its presentation, including a tug at the members’ heartstrings.

“Dear colleagues, I know I’m very near the end of my time, I’m 89 years old,” he said. “I ask you to consider granting my country the honor and also the duty to organize the Games and Paralympic Games in 2016.”

To win, Rio’s bid leaders had to overcome sentiment for Samaranch and concerns about security in the teeming Brazilian city. There were also concerns that the country would already be overextended in hosting the 2014 World Cup.

Chicago had plenty of its own hurdles, with many issues idling in what is often a strained relationship between the Euro-centric I.O.C. and Olympic efforts in the United States. Chicago hoped to do better than New York fared in the last bidding process, but recent turnover at the United States Olympic Committee and a now-scrapped idea to start an American Olympic network over I.O.C. objections did not help Chicago’s chances.

That made Mr. and Mrs. Obama’s visit critical. Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also came to work on behalf of Madrid and Tokyo.

Voting was done electronically and by secret ballot. It was done in rounds until one city earned a majority of votes. I.O.C. members from the countries of the bid cities do not vote while those cities are still in contention. Chicago received the fewest votes in the first round, eliminating it and that fate befell Tokyo in the second round.

United States Olympic Committee leaders appeared stunned by the news and had no comment as they left the voting hall. Mr. Obama was flying back to Washington at the time of the vote.

Teams from the four candidate cities delivered their final presentations to the 104-member I.O.C. and answered every lingering question about the strengths and weaknesses of their bids earlier Friday.

The 10-person Chicago bid team, led by the president and Mrs. Obama, put on a presentation heavy on emotion and visual images without getting too deep into he details of the bid.

“To host athletes and visitors from every corner of the globe is a high honor and a great responsibility,” Mr. Obama whose Chicago home is a short walk from the prospective Olympic Stadium. “And America is ready and eager to assume that sacred trust.”

In the official question-and-answer session following the Chicago presentation, Syed Shahid Ali, an I.O.C. member from Pakistan, asked the toughest question. He wondered how smooth it would be for foreigners to enter the United States for the Games because doing so can sometimes, he said, be “a rather harrowing experience.”

Mrs. Obama tapped the bid leader Patrick G. Ryan, so Mr. Obama could field that question.

“One of the legacies I want to see is a reminder that America at its best is open to the world,” he said, before adding that the White House and State Department would make sure that all visitors would feel welcome.

Tokyo went next and tried to overcome impressions conveyed by I.O.C. evaluations that its bid was lacking. The bid team emphasized to the committee how environmentally friendly its plans are and the positive impact an Olympics would have on the youth of Japan.

“A lot of I.O.C. members suggested that we needed more passion and emotion,” bid leader Dr. Ichiro Kono said afterward. “We wanted to show that.”

Rio de Janeiro followed Tokyo and Da Silva gave an impassioned speech to the membership about South America’s quest for the Games. He said that of the top 10 economic powers in the world, Brazil is the only one not to host an Olympics.

“For the others it would be just one more Games, for us it would be an unparalleled opportunity,” he said. “It would send a message the Olympic Games belong to all people, all continents and all humanity.

He added, “Give us this chance and you will not regret it, be sure.”

Rio leaders worked to dispel worries about crime.

“We know that some of you have questions about security,” Rio de Janeiro state Governor Sergio Cabral said, as he addressed the committee. “Changes have been made, happily as a result of sport.”

Cabral pointed out that at the 2007 Pan American Games, which were held in Rio de Janeiro, “saw no incidents large or small.”

Madrid gave its presentation last, as Spain made is fourth consecutive pitch to host an Olympics. Madrid was voted out of the competition for the 2012 Games in the third round after gathering the most votes in the previous round.

Presenters focused on the mantra, “Sport makes us equal. It makes us better,” and emphasized that Madrid enjoys more support among its residents than competing cities. In an opinion poll commissioned by the I.O.C. for the last technical evaluation, the Games had 85 percent support in Madrid and 86 percent nationally.

“Our candidacy is reliable because it is united politically and united with the feelings of the population and because it has shown that it could learn and improve,” Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said when addressing the I.O.C. members.

After Madrid finished, the I.O.C. began the voting. Chicago was eliminated because it received the fewest number of votes in the first round, the fate the befell Tokyo in the second. Voting was done electronically and secretly, with sitting out until their city was eliminated. (The United States has two I.O.C. members.)

Chicago spent nearly $50 million preparing its bid and is trying to bring the Summer Games to the United States for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The last time a United States city hosted any Olympics was the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002.

Smiling and waving as he left the convention center to fly home, Mr. Obama said, “The only thing I’m upset about is that they arranged for me to follow Michelle. That’s always bad.”

The United States Olympic Committee chairman, Larry Probst, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and two athletes — Olympic champion decathlete Bryan Clay and former Paralympian Linda Mastandrea — also spoke during the 45-minute presentation that was designed not to be too flashy.

“Our intent was to demonstrate to them we will be good partners and that we are people they could trust,” Doug Arnot, director of sports and operations for Chicago 2016.

The delegation’s presentation started with a video montage of Chicago, including bikini-wearing volleyball players on Lake Michigan beaches. The song, “Sweet Home Chicago” played in the background. “It made me miss home,” Mr. Obama said.

The last time around, in the competition to host the 2012 Games, London beat Paris by the slim margin of 54-50. Every bid team brought distinguished leaders, including King Juan Carlos for Spain and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for Japan.

Dozens of Olympians have flooded the city to lobby for their city’s cause, including the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.

With Mrs. Obama and Oprah Winfrey headlining the delegation, the Chicago team had been reminding I.O.C. members of their Olympic plan, which would have put the Games along the shoreline of Lake Michigan and in century-old city parks, with Chicago’s dramatic skyline as the backdrop. The Chicago City Council voted 49-0 to cover any financial shortfalls, which was a first for a U.S. bid.

“Some of what the I.O.C. considers has nothing to do with the strength of the bids themselves,” said Frank Lavin, the former U.S. ambassador to Singapore, who worked on New York City’s failed bid to host the 2012 Games.

“A lot of it is political and that encompasses different levels: international politics, personalities, internal I.O.C. politics,” he said.

Alexei Barrioneuvo contributed reporting from Rio de Janeiro







Chicago Tribune Editorial: Be proud, Chicago
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
10:49 a.m. CDT, October 2, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoolympics/chi-091002chicago-loses-olympics-editorial,0,4298088.story

So that's all there is.

Chicago in 2016 will watch the Summer Olympic Games on television along with the most of the world.

Chicago lost. We don't like losing. We don't like being embarrassed either, which, let's admit, was the near-universal reaction to being knocked out in the first round of voting by the International Olympic Committee.

But we'll be fine.

Bidding for an Olympiad forced Chicago, its leaders and its citizens, to focus on what works and what doesn't. It made all of us think to the future how this city should capitalize on its assets: the lakefront, the neighborhoods, the parks--and sports and kids. This process also energized the concept of public/private partnerships here.

That work won't go to waste. There will be no Olympic Village on the site of Michael Reese Hospital. But the city owns that land now and Mayor Richard Daley has promised to develop it into a new neighborhood anyway. Do that, Chicago--and preserve Reese's landmark Walter Gropius buildings.

A Chicago Olympics would have spotlighted the city's single greatest physical asset--that glorious lakefront. It was to be the centerpiece of the games. It's still the centerpiece of Chicago. Take it to the next level, Chicago. Complete the public access where it doesn't exist. Build the pedestrian walkways that would have anchored the village to the lake. The lakefront is the city's crown jewel. Polish it. ƒp This bid turned a spotlight on the city's transportation infrastructure, a weak point. The region's rails and roads need capital investment to handle the demands of a growing metropolis. Invest the money, Chicago, Olympics or no.

That includes finishing the unfinished part of the O'Hare International Airport expansion: Build a western access road; just about every local transportation study for decades has listed that as a priority to ease the bottleneck at the eastern entrance to the airport. Fixing transportation also includes easing Chicago's freight rail gridlock. And it includes making the city's rapid transit system work better and more efficiently.

The greatest legacy of this bid could have been as simple and profound as this: kids and sports. An Olympiad held the potential to nudge them off the couch, away from junk food, TV and video games, the gangs and their violence. Chicago founded World Sport Chicago to boost the bid, but it can and should be a powerful force in the years ahead to promote active, healthy lifestyles.

Chicago is an attractive destination for talented, educated young people. Its location makes it a hub, as accessible to Mexico City and Mumbai as to Milwaukee. But Chicago won't reach its potential unless it fosters a climate more conducive to business investment and entrepreneurial development. A new scheme for taxing and public spending would greatly help protect Chicago from an erosion of employers. Jobs, jobs and more jobs will be the city's salvation.

Businesses that locate and grow here pay taxes and all those newly employed people pay taxes, too.

Olympiad or no, Chicago needs to become a perpetual mecca for small businesses in particular. Their energetic potential is explosive. Make it so easy and welcoming, Chicago, for them to start up here that they can't imagine going elsewhere. This means shifting a mind set that currently sees them as a source of fees, fines and other revenues, only secondly of growth and opportunity.

ƒp This city has reinvented itself before, without the provocation of an Olympiad.

Chicago was a "City on the brink" in 1981 when the Tribune series with that title looked at this metropolis and its bleak post-industrial prospects. The world was changing; grit and brawn didn't matter so much anymore. The harsh competition of globalization was dawning; structural decline was palpable in cities ill-equipped for this rigorous economic game. By the mid-'80s, Chicago's ugly racial politics and its City Council wars made the city a national embarrassment, famously jabbed by The Wall Street Journal as "Beirut on the lake." All arrows pointed south except the jobless rate. That soared.

Why didn't Chicago plummet like so many heartland cities in what the Tribune series called "an arc of economic crisis"? Partly because of an innate spirit that created a city out of a swampy onion patch--and then improbably promised to host the world at a glittering gala just 22 years after the Great Fire of 1871. Hence the wildly successful Columbian Exposition.

Partly, too, because of can-do hucksterism: See a problem. Solve a problem. Make a buck.

And partly because of leadership--political, civic, business, cultural. At critical moments, powerful Chicagoans have reached high. Why not? What did they have to lose?

Pinched vision isn't this city's civic heritage--from Montgomery Ward's sacred lakefront park to Daniel H. Burnham's "Make no little plans" to Mayor Daley's crowd-pleasing Millennium Park.

ƒp Chicagoans love their city but see its warts every day. We know its challenges and its weaknesses. And we can't forget how this steel and stone metropolis, rising like a castle from the flat expanse of the lake's broad basin, astonishes newcomers. Its architecture, museums, parks, flowers are always a revelation, as is the richness of its neighborhoods.

Chicago is a world-class city. The Olympics wouldn't have changed that. But the games would have showcased this city for the world in a way no other event could. Now it's up to Chicago, its leaders, citizens and businesses to achieve that at a time when competition for jobs, brains, talent and investment is as likely to come from New Delhi as New York.

Some Chicagoans are celebrating today because the XXXI Olympiad won't disrupt their summer of 2016; many others are disappointed. It would have been a grand party in our own front yard. But it wasn't to be.

It's time to get back to what we do best: See a problem. Solve a problem. Make a buck.

Be proud, Chicago. You went for gold.