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This week, as we prepare for Friday's announcement of the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, we'll feature a quick look at each city's proposed venues and bid. Today, we start with our own city, Chicago.
History
Chicago has never hosted an Olympics. The city was actually awarded the 1904 Summer Olympics but faced opposition from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis - location of that year's World's Fair - which threatened to put on an athletic event that would overshadow the Olympics unless the Olympics were moved to St. Louis. Eventually, the Olympics caved and St. Louis hosted the games that year. Chicago was also considered for the '52 and '56 Games, but when no one showed up to pitch Chicago to the IOC, the city was passed over.
Bid cost
At the beginning of the bid process, Chicago 2016 announced a budget of $49.3 million to be spent on the bid, all money coming from private donations. A recent report, however, claims the city raised up to $73 million to ultimately be spent on the bid.
Proposed Games Cost
Chicago 2016 announced a $4.8 billion cost for the Games. The Tribune has a breakdown of tax money to be used.
Venues
Preexisting, No Permanent Work Required
United Center, Lake Michigan Sports Complex (East, North, West), Soldier Field, UIC Pavilion, Northwestern University (Modern Pentathlon), Additional fields for soccer in other cities (Pasadena, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Baltimore)
Preexisting, Permanent Work Required
Private shooting complex
New (Permanent)
Olympic Stadium, Monroe Harbor, Olympic Island Slalom Course, Douglas Park Olympic Velodrome, Jackson Park Hockey Fields, Olympic Aquatic Center, Additional fields for soccer in other cities (Meadowlands, New Jersey)
New (Temporary)
Buckingham Fountain Plaza (marathon), Douglas Park BMX track, Wisconsin Mountain Bike Circuit, Wisconsin Road Cycling Course, Tempel Farms (equestrian), Lincoln Park Tennis Center, Grant Park Archery Fields, North Ave. Beach (triathlon), Olympic Island Sailing Center, Olympic Island Beach Volleyball Center
Pros
The United States has not hosted a Summer Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games...The recent election of President Barack Obama was also seen as a plus to the U.S. bid as is Obama's decision to travel to Copenhagen to support the bid...The city's tourism infrastructure - including tens of thousands of hotel rooms and two major international airports - as well as an (allegedly) strong public transportation infrastructure have also been cited as positives...Chicago's bid also relies heavily on pre-existing and temporary venues rather than the construction of new, permanent venues...The bid claims over 85 percent of participating athletes will have their events take place within 15 minutes travel time of the proposed Olympic Village.
Cons
The Atlanta Games in 1996 didn't exactly leave the IOC impressed, especially given it saw the first terrorist attack at an Olympics since the 1972 Munich Games...An ongoing feud between the USOC and the IOC over revenues and a proposed USOC-run Olympic channel has boiled over the past few years, creating some bitterness...Chicago's - and by extension, Illinois' - issues with political corruption have been cited (Balgojevich's impeachment earlier this year didn't help that image)...The city has also experienced several high-profile financial missteps, including a debt large enough to force several furlough days as well as the widely-reported Parking Meter Deal fiasco. No word on how heavily this weighs on the IOC in the wake of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games bribery scandal.
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Great thread.
Agreed. This is very balanced look at the bid. Especially because it features the one thing that's been missing from both the supporters and detractors: facts, not just cheerleading or criticism.
Thanks, guys, that was our aim for these. Please check back this week for the other cities: Tokyo tomorrow, Madrid on Wednesday, and Rio on Thursday.
I'd second the compliment Marcus, nicely summarized.
As much as I'm in the "No" column on the Olympics I think the folks designing these venues have done an amazing job. They look not just "Olympic" but also highlight the beauty of the city.
Doesn't change the fact that it's giving a blank check to a pack of thugs while providing very little in the way of accountability.
It's a lovely party, but I just don't want to get stuck with the bill.
i agree Marcus, this is great. i'm looking forward to seeing the specifics behind the other cities plans.
Thanks, glad to hear it! they'll all be very similar in nature to this one as we can gather the information and decipher all of the bid books.
If you own any of those bid books, hold on to them. My boss has a couple from the 96 games era and they are worth quite a bit. Same genre as superbowl paraphernalia with the wrong winning team.
I tried to get my hands on one, but they (Chi2016) never answered my request for a physical bid book. To their defense - and this goes for all the bids - the complete bid books are available in PDF on each website.
Shame. I know the Tokyo one had a pop-out component or some kind of stand-up thing.
This is the one my old boss has, though his is in better shape. All these bid books are really amazing pieces of art. The leather bound ones are really rare, since most city's only make a couple dozen copies for the IOC, big donors and such.
Imagine what $73 million could do for our public schools, never mind the $4.3 billion.
If the mayor would put his political muscle behind fixing Chicago for Chicagoans, instead of throwing a party for out-of-town rich folk....
Kevin, that is how development works. It's long-term planning. The Olympics would be a big big boost for the city.
Like how Montreal took 30 years to pay off their Olympic debt? Or how dozens of the venues used in Athens and Atlanta stand empty or disused? Or how London is going to be 9 BILLION over budget?
The primary beneficiaries of this are contractors, who already have connections with the city (Hired Truck anyone?) and the usual cronies and cretins. Again, we're a city that can't keep our libraries fully staffed and open. We can't fill potholes or even run a parking meter privatization. You think the Olympics isn't going to be a viper's nest? Add to that Mayor Maynot's love of emminent domain and his pals already buying up cheap land in the Olympic areas...oh how the money rolls in.
Look you want a party, that's fine. But don't try to sell it as a church social while dragging kegs in from the parking lot.
Stumbled by from Londonist - we're not 9 Billion over budget, in sterling or dollars.
The whole budget is £9.6 Billion - it's gone up from the initial estimates because of the recession (private investment in property was rather hard to come by last year) and because a whole bunch of things that were not included in the original bill (everything from extra airport security through to rerouting powerlines underground)are now being accounted for.
Anyways - good luck on the bid! Think about it this way, if you do get it you're going to follow us and ours will probably be a charming, but certainly no Beijing.
jess_nevins, funny how you and the anti-olympic crowd only refer to the bad examples. How about the L.A or Atlanta games? Neither of those two cities (in America) were in debt or went bankrupt after hosting the games.
Benjy will write a post this week about the Atlanta Games. Also, there was a post we had last week based on a Trib story addressing the split Atlanta feels in terms of the benefits of the games - http://chicagoist.com/2009/09/21/chicago_2016_looking_to_atlanta_for.php
I'm still 50/50 on this. The money coming in for this would not necessarily come in if it was not for the olympics, so the claims of what could be done to schools if this money was spent differently is not apples to apples. This will bring quite a bit of change to the city's water front, streets, mass transit (to some extent) all while the south side neighborhoods will be revamped like nothing this city has ever seen. That being said, will the neighborhoods absorb this change or simply falter when the torch goes out.
My hunch is that we get it. Great picts, haven't seen a bunch of those yet!
I'm wondering why they're not planning to use Toyota Park for the soccer events?
Wait, maybe they are. I saw Jackson Park Hockey Fields and thought it was soccer.
Yes, Kevin, they could pour 74M down into the Public Schools so that students could beat each other to death.
Marcus, you almost had an unbiased post until you editorialized our "allegedly" strong transportation system. Hey, how's that transportation system back down in New Orleans?
Delightful/quaint
Kevin, throwing money at the schools isn't going to change a damn thing. The parents are the ones who should be responsible and make sure their kids stay in school. What good will it do to pour 74m into the schools when the kids don't show up or are dropping out? Again, it all starts with the parents or community leaders and that's why I can't stand Jackson or Sharpton.