Chicago Olympics Turn to Wisconsin as U.S. Mayors Reveal Master Plan

By Hunter Clauss in News on Jan 19, 2009 7:45PM

It looks everyone’s favorite Olympic events, mountain biking and road cycling, could take place in Madison and Mt. Horeb, Wis. if Chicago wins the 2016 Summer Games. Hey, at least it’s not table tennis. But it turns out the cheese-head state is a cycling hot spot that offers more competitive courses than Chicago. Sadly, it’s doubtful that moving the events to Wisconsin will significantly lessen the economic troubles looming for Chicago taxpayers.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Conference of Mayors decided to turn up the heat to help Chicago’s Olympic dreams. The mayors agreed on a master plan that includes reaching out to their international sister cities as well as host a national Olympic Day on June 23. But Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who co-chairs the conference’s Olympic task force with Mayor Daley, said the group has a secret weapon for dealing with the International Olympic Committee, which will announce the winning city on Oct. 2.

“Our ace in the hole in all of this is our President-Elect,” Hannemann told WBBM. “He will be able to woo and charm the IOC as only he can to cast a winning vote in our favor but it really comes down to reinforcing that with boots on the ground.” Sure, a smooth-talking dreamboat like Obama could do wonders for Chicago’s bid if he isn’t busy with more pressing matters, but it’s still up to Chicago to prove it has the infrastructure to handle an Olympic-sized crowd. So far, the case may not be too convincing.

Photo taken from Cheese Head University.