The U. S. Olympic Committee has picked the city of Chicago as its candidate to bid for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games:
WASHINGTON — An effort that came as something of a surprise when it was initiated a year ago produced another surprise Saturday, when Olympic ingénue Chicago beat Games veteran Los Angeles to become the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“We are very grateful the United States Olympic Committee has given us this opportunity,” Chicago 2016 chairman Patrick Ryan said after the USOC board of directors voted for what could become the first Midwest Olympics since the St. Louis Summer Games of 1904.
Chicago now moves into the international phase of the competition, which begins officially Sept. 15, when candidates must submit their bids to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC will select the 2016 host in October 2009.
USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth said before making the announcement that it was “a very tough decision.”
It’s not a shoo-in, of course. Chicago is up against some very stiff international competition including Rio, Madrid, and Tokyo. If the Olympic Games are held in Chicago in 2016 it means two things:
- Daley will be running for re-election.
- It’s a good thing we’re putting in that addition. A lot of people will be wanting to stay with us that summer.
