Chicago 2016: The Final Countdown
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 2, 2009 2:00PM
We're just a few scant hours away from learning who, exactly, will host the 2016 Summer Olympics and things are getting heated. An American source told CNN the battle between Rio and Chicago is "close as hell." Still, representatives for long-shots Tokyo and Madrid are also still going all out for the bid. Need a quick cram session so you can wow the coworkers around the water cooler with your 2016 bid knowledge before the big announcement? Then check out our candidate city profiles: Chicago; Tokyo; Madrid; and Rio.
What else is happening?
- We hit Daley Plaza last night to scope out the set-up for today's big rally. Check out the photos above.
- President Obama arrived safely in Copenhagen and is actually already on a plane back to the States to take back up the battle of health care (remember that?).
- Speaking of Obama, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel seems pretty confident of our chances of landing the games: "You know, we'll make sure [Republicans critical of Obama's Copenhagen trip] get some good seats once Chicago does host the games.''
- Missed this early morning's bid presentation? Probably, since it happened at 1:45 a.m. Luckily, we were up at the Chicagoist HQ (and by "we" I mean "me") so check that out here.
- Don't forget to check the weather before you head out the door to Daley Plaza for all the fun.
I'll be down in Daley Plaza - as will several other Chicagoist staffers - and we'll check in periodically as we count down to the big announcement.
For now, we leave you with some anticipatory, inspirational music after the jump.