Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympics
UPDATE: The International Olympic Committee has named Rio de Janeiro as the host city for the 2016 games.
Chicago has been eliminated in the first round of International Olympic Committee voting, and Tokyo was eliminated in the second round, leaving Rio de Janeiro and Madrid in the running for the 2016 Summer Games as the voting continues. The final announcement of the winner will be made about noon.
U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst and chief executive Stephanie Streeter both declined comment when approached by reporters soon after Chicago was eliminated.
“No comment. We will talk later,” Probst said.
Chicago 2016 sent out an emailed thank-you note to supporters in Chicago and across the world. It included these words: “While we were not fortunate enough to be selected as Host City, Chicago has won in many other ways.”
One Chicago consultant who traveled to Copenhagen with the bid team said the mood in the room ranges from “shock to devastation.”
In Washington, the sense of rejection was palpable. ”It’s disappointing,” said one Capitol Hill aide. “We’re all watching the coverage. Sen. Durbin was fully behind the bid, and it’s disappointing.”
Durbin, the assistant Senate majority leader, was a late entry to the Illinois delegation to Copenhagen and was on board Air Force One with President Obama when the crushing news came.
House Democrat Mike Quigley of Chicago, who won Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s old seat, reacted to the loss by saying: “Chicago was a world-class city before today’s decision, and Chicago will be a world-class city tomorrow. Although disappointment hangs in the air, this is not the time for regret, but rather to see opportunity in the incredible work that was done across Chicago over the past months.
“We now have the chance to move forward, free of the demands of the IOC, but equipped with plans that can address the real problems Chicagoans face on a daily basis. Chicago is now armed with an organizing capability never seen before, and an opportunity to continue the momentum and create better schools, more efficient transportation, and safer streets.”
