Chicago 2016 Round-Up

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 17, 2008 6:30PM

We're inside a year until next fall's fateful announcement of the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. As we face transit and budget trouble, we're beginning to question the feasibility of these games more and more, but onward we march towards a potential Olympics.

• The Chicago 2016 Committee wants your help in telling the world, “Why Chicago." Make a video showing why Chicago should be chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics; tell the world we're #1. We're guessing lots of shots of the Bean will help. The Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to Vancouver for a behind the scenes tour of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The Second Place winner will receive $5,000 worth of video production equipment of their choice. The winning video will be featured on Chicago 2016's Web site and the winner will be announced on-air on the NBC 5 Today show the week of December 8.

• The Chicago 2016 Committee presented their case to an assembly of IOC members last weekend and seems to be taking an angle that appeals to the Latino contingent of the IOC, especially since two of Chicago's competitors are Madrid and Rio.

  Manuel Laborde, the bid committee's director of Latin American relations, explained how his family emigrated from Colombia about a decade ago and instantly felt at home. The presenters noted the region's 1 million Hispanics...The Chicago presentation also featured photos from restaurants in Pilsen, a primarily Mexican neighborhood, and a sketch of the iconic "Bean" sculpture placed atop the bottom half of a round Aztec calendar.

  However, Rio had the star-power with it's greatest delegate: Pele, who beat the Nazis in soccer.

• There's a bit of trouble brewing from the IOC in regards to the United States' share of Olympic revenue. Outgoing USOC Chairman Peter Uberroth claimed it was proportional to the amount the USOC contributes to the worldwide Olympic effort. "Who pays the bill for the world Olympic movement? Make no mistake about it. Starting in 1988, U.S. corporations have paid 60 percent of all the money, period. Be sure you all understand that. The rest of the world pays 40 percent. It's pretty simple math." Still, it remains to be seen if the grumblings about the U.S. share adversely affect Chicago's 2016 bid.