Obama Adviser Shares Chicago Olympic Bid Tactics

By Anthonia Akitunde in News on Sep 19, 2009 5:45PM

While President Barack Obama hasn't confirmed his presence at the closing argument for Chicago's Olympic bid, he does have his two best women on the job. Valerie Jarrett, Obama's senior adviser, explained some of the strategies being used to secure Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid with the Tribune on Friday.

Although his attendance at Copenhagen is still up in the air, upcoming meetings at the United Nations and the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh are chances for the president to "advocate" for the city's win, Jarrett said.

Jarrett, also head of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, confirmed that First Lady Michelle Obama will go to Copenhagen on September 30 to lead Chicago's push for the 2016 Olympics. The visit comes two days before the IOC decides which city (between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo) will host the Games, a last minute play many hope will swing the committee's vote in the city's favor.

In her interview with the Tribune, Jarrett said the first lady "embodied the Olympic movement as a product of the working-class South Side and Chicago Public Schools" and showed that anyone could play on a "level playing field" regardless of race, gender and nationality.

Efforts to secure the bid are happening outside the White house as well. Congress members, including Bobby Rush (D-IL) whose district stands to see a lot of revenue from the Olympics, held a reception for African ambassadors to the United States on Thursday in the hopes of wooing African IOC members. These members are of particular interest since they aren't believed to have any "allegiance" with the potential host cities.

Jarrett said the recent Tribune/WGN poll which showed only 47 percent of Chicagoans were behind Mayor Daley's Olympic plans were outdated in the face of a unanimous City Council vote (49-0) to sign the host city contract.

According to the Tribune, Jarrett told online magazine Around the Rings she was "very confident" Chicago could host the Olympics without any corruption, on budget and on time because the city had the right "checks and balances."

[Tribune]