Chicago picked by USOC to bid for 2016 Olympics

This is pretty exciting. I'm bias, but I really do believe that Chicago is the best big city in the country and I'd love to see it get its due by nabbing the Olympics.

Chicago's got this locked up...can't wait!

Even though they would be way too old. I'd love to see the Olympic edition of Bill Swerski's Super Fans.

"Dere goes Todd with da shotput!"

DAAAAAA SHOTPUT!

I also request that the Blues Bros theme song be put into the canon of opening ceremony theme music.

I'm wondering why would Rio get it when two years prior they're getting the World Cup. Granted the same thing happened to the US in '94 and the olympics in '96. But the Cup wasn't in Atlanta exclusively.

Damn, would love for it to be in Chicago. I'd drive down there to see some of that for sure.

My guess would be if Rio does not get it in '16. South America will get in '20. Like I said, I would find it very odd that they would hold events like that back to back. That being the Cup and then the Olympics.

I'd love a Chicago games, I'd finally be able to attend them. ('84 games don't count).

I can crash on my ex's floor for two weeks if Chicago gets the Games. Bring it, USCO!

Agreed that the Red and Blue Lines at minimum would need an Extreme Makeover.

IF Chi gets the Olympics the cycling events would be held in Wisconsin (I'm assuming just over the border in the Lake Geneva area).

Yes, I'm sure none of you give fuck about cycling but I do, so that would be cool for me on a personal level.

I just think it would be great for the city. Chicago kinda gets forgotten in the shuffle, but it's truly one of the very greatest cities in the world. Personally, other than NY I don't think anything in the States compares (not as far as urban metropolises go anyway).

Best thing about Atlanta getting the Olympics was the lack of traffic while it was going on. It was magical.

I'm not sure if your logic is entirely sound - sure it's been a while since the US hosted but I'm not sure Chicago is your best bet, plus the recent disputes between the US and the IOC. i know they said it won't affect their decision but only a fool would believe that.
Add in the fact the the US Government has said they won't cover any budget shortfalls / overruns (and olympics ALWAYS go over budget), plus they have said that the "EL" would not cope.

This is a secret ballot by 100+ international delegates, many of whom may still have a very poor image of the USA.

I say Rio or Tokyo, nothing against the windy city - I just don't think it's the US's turn yet, There has NEVER been an olympics in south America, and tokyo hasn't had a turn for 50+ years.

still, good luck!

The thing is, not even the people of Tokyo give a shit. And China just had the games. You don't have the games stay in the same continent back to back. At least I think for the past 50 years.

Plus, having a games doesn't require public financing. I don't think any of the US games whether it would be winter or summer had federal financing in recent history.

Much like everything else Obama does. The repubs are once again criticizing the guy. I understand that the president has other issues. But hey, Lula is also going to be there pitching for Rio. And its for one day.

The nerve of these people.

Go-bama go-bama go-bama, go!





I love how the Republicans are acting so amazed and confounded for why he'd lobby for this. Their feigned ignorance is at best humorous, at worst embarrassing.

It would be a HUGE boost to the economy, and actually probably help clean up Chicago (at least for a while), what with all the extra cops and security.

Obama pitching the games for Chicago strikes me as weird because the entire reason the First Lady is going is that he was supposed to be too busy to go, with handling the economy and health care and all that. Now that he's revealed his actual "health insurance reform" package is basically a long, sloppy blowjob to the industry, the financial industry is once again engaged in all the practices that brought the market down last year, and the Consumer Protection Agency is under attack like nobody's business, he's not so busy anymore. It strikes me as having shitty priorities.

Also, the Olympics are almost always bad for members of the community who are not business owners or insanely rich. Pushing forthe Olympics in Chicago seems to endanger much of the work he did during his early political career.

It's one day. One day, calm the fuck down.

And newsflash, did ya think all of the problems of the past eight years are going to away in the first year? No, they aren't.

We can play armchair legislator all the fuck we want. But goddammit give the guy some friggin slack.

And besides, there are a bazillion of other threads out there to address those issues. Please don't bring the same circular bullshit to this one also.

There is the small matter of Vancouver, London and Russia all hosting olympics before 2016. So there would be no back-to-back.

All Olympic games are partially funded by the host government. Who do you think pays for all this stuff, McDonald's? According to this, the US government ponied up at least $2bn to bank roll los angeles, atlanta and salt lake city.

Vancouver has needed a government cash infusion of $110 million and has almost drained a $100-million contingency fund, which is bigger than Chicago's $82-million reserve. - and that's just for the WINTER olympics.

"The long and sad history of cost overruns on venues is something that cannot be ignored," says Rob Baade, an economics professor at Lake Forest College who has studied Olympics financing

While recent U.S. games, such as Atlanta's and Salt Lake City's, largely were on target for construction, Chicago's history of cost overruns on big projects casts doubt on the bid committee's projections.

"Millennium Park was three times budget; the Dan Ryan Expressway (reconstruction) was two times budget," says Allen Sanderson, a University of Chicago sports economist.

Chicago is planning fewer permanent facilities than any previous games, keeping its venue-construction budget below $1 billion. But the timetable, unlike on Millennium Park, isn't flexible. The estimates are based on preliminary designs, meaning costs could be 20% to 60% higher, according to industry benchmarks.

So lots of temporary structures that are likely to cost waaaaaaaay more than is being touted around.

When London was lobbying for the olympics, the sum of 2bn GBP was widely quoted, within months of the successful bid this had swelled to 4bn GBP, as all the land owners and construction companies jacked up the price of anything earmarked for the olympics. A year after that the government itself was touting the figure of 9.4bn GBP.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that the japanese don't give a shit. It seems that Yukio Hatoyama's election as prime minister recently hinged on the olympic bid and their emphasis on a green or minus carbon games is (something no-one else is making a big deal of) a nice touch. japan has successfully hosted 2 winter games and could do a great job of the summer games.

But, I do love Chicago and i have no vested interest in anyone getting it as the 2 countries a I live in are both olympic KRAZY at the moment, so good luck on friday!

So is this a done deal?

The announcement should be out around noon today according to the news outlets.

Well that was over quickly. Sorry Chi-town!

Disappointed but not surprised. Go Rio!

It's gonna be Rio. Giving it to a South American country for the first time is going to be too hard to resist.

This doesn't upset me in the least. Kind of a relief, actually. Though I'm sorry for all the people that just lost their jobs.

I guess it was a done deal.. Chicago was done. Sorry, midwest. So much for the persuasive powers of the Obaminator.

Well, if my weekend trip to Chicago was any sign, Chicagoans are thrilled. You guys sounded as excited about the Olympics coming to your town as Philly does having the Donovan McNabb/Andy Reid one-two punch combo.

I'd fucking LOVE it if the Twin Cities were to get the Summer Olympics one year.

If I had a...Duran Duran cd, I would be playing their hit song...Rio constantly. Truly this is a reason to celebrate.

Chicago goes down huh? Shame.

Come on, Rio!

I want to see Rio get it just so that can put a torch in the giant Jesus statue.

Don't think they would do that. No one would even dare graffiti that thing.

Heh. Good for South America.

Where are CHUDs South American and Spanish folk on this?

Guess.

...in South America?

I meant where do they stand on either Rio or Madrid? Not in terms of geographic location.

As for Tati, this could in fact be the first time Argentina has cheered for anything Brazillian. ;p

Heh, somebody had already updated the Wikipedia article on the Summer Games with Madrid for 2016. Jumped the gun a little.

Yeah right, there's still 15 minutes here.

LA Times headline: "Chicago's swift elimination as 2016 Olympics host is political blow to Obama"

Huh? Like an American city never failed to get an Olympics under any previous president?

How many times has a POTUS expended political capital by making a personal bid I believe is their intent.

How is it a poltical blow? People bitched about him going, they would have bitched had he not gone and Chicago lost.


Besides, each city had their own head of state there. Has anyone in Brazil bitched abotu Lula being there? Fuck off, already.

LA Times calls it for Rio, so does CNN.