9-11-01: We Will Never Forget

- – -  No posts today  – - -

Madrid 2012 To Fly “Olympic Plane” To IOC Meeting

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, Mayor of Madrid, unveiled the Madrid 2016 “Olympic Plane” Tuesday that will fly the Madrid 2016 official delegation to Copenhagen to attend the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) vote on the 2016 Summer Games host city.

The Mayor said at the presentation of the plane, “To baptize a plane to give wings to a dream”. He added, “the Airbus 321 will take off on September 30, and will return, I hope, on Saturday 3 October with the assignment of Madrid as the venue for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games”.

The plane was donated by Iberia and displays the colourful Madrid 2016 logo. The airline also donated a second plane which will transport the rest of the Madrid 2016 bid delegation to Copenhagen and is supporting Spain’s bid throughout the world by promoted its candidacy to the airline’s clients and employees.

The Mayor said, “in Madrid we have a feeling in our bones, which each day becomes stronger, that our city will host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we will be taking that confidence with us to Copenhagen”.

- Article Link

Chicago 2016 Olympics debate amps up

With decision a month away, here are pros, cons of hosting Games

BY LISA DONOVAN - Staff Reporter

Chicago’s now in the final lap. Next month, we’ll find out whether Mayor Daley and his team cross the finish line first or go down as an also-ran in the race to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The Chicago 2016 organizing committee is in the midst of a last-minute phone and letter-writing campaign to the 107-member International Olympic Committee, hoping to allay concerns that Chicago’s transit system can’t handle the influx of just over a million visitors during the Games or that Chicago’s financing plans don’t provide an adequate safety net.

Chicago 2016 chief executive Patrick Ryan said the bid team wants IOC members, who will select a host city Oct. 2 in Copenhagen, to know they’ve cleared several hurdles, including getting the City Council’s blessing for the mayor to sign the controversial host-city contract — which puts taxpayers on the hook if a Chicago Olympics ended up losing money.

The mayor’s announcement in June that he’d sign the agreement was a surprise, fueling criticism that the process was shrouded in secrecy. Even some of the aldermen were ticked off, and a ward-by-ward community meeting blitz followed. There, the Olympic bid team — minus the mayor — touted the jobs and tourism dollars that pour in to an Olympic city.

Still, some questioned whether the city could afford to host the Games.

Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons:

Finances

Pro: A “frugal” $4.8 billion plan to stage the Games, including an Olympic Village whose transformation from athlete dormitories to permanent housing is expected to help with costs. The Games would be bankrolled by private donors, and just under half of the planned venues are in existing facilities, touted as a cost-saver.

Con: Chicago has a history of missing deadlines and going over budget with its big projects — including the $480 million Millennium Park, which opened in 2004.

Allen Sanderson, a University of Chicago economics professor, said that while Chicago is making use of its existing facilities, “You’re still building the biggest venues — the village, the stadium, which are not only big-ticket items for Chicago, but for . . . London, too.” The Olympic Village is priced at around $1 billion, while the proposed Olympic Stadium in Washington Park is priced at $397.6 million. London is on track to spend $18 billion for the 2012 Olympics — more than double what it budgeted, Sanderson noted.

- Read Full Article

Madrid 2016 Signs 68th Corporate Sponsor

Spain’s leading aviation carrier, Iberia, has become Madrid 2016′s 68th Corporate Sponsor, according to an announcement Wednesday by the bid committee.

The partnership will help promote Madrid’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The bid will reach four million Iberia Plus members, the 335,000 people who visit the airline’s website daily, and more than 22,000 employees who represent the company throughout the world.

Support offered by Iberia also includes a plane bearing the Madrid 2016 official logo to transport the Madrid 2016 delegation to Copenhagen next month. Iberia will also fly a second plane to Copenhagen to transport further members of the delegation and the media, said a press release.

Madrid 2016 head Mercedes Coghen said, “Iberia is an ambassador for Spain throughout the world and we are delighted to have them as our sponsor. Our list of corporate partnerships is outstanding and very impressive. Their support underlines the extensive support we have from all corners of Spanish society for our bid. It shows how much everyone in Spain wants to host the best Games ever”

- Article Link

Meet the Chicago 2016 Team

These are some of the movers and shakers working on Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Bid:

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL FERRO JR., Chair, Sport Advisory Council, Chairman and CEO, Merrick Ventures; JACK SANDNER, Cochair, Development Advisory Council, Chairman of the Board, E*Trade Futures; Retired Chairman of the Board, Chicago Mercantile Exchange; MARTIN NESBITT, Board of Directors, President and CEO, PRG Parking Management; Board Chairman, Chicago Housing Authority; close friend of President Obama; LORI HEALEY, President Former Chief of Staff, Mayor Richard M. Daley; PAT RYAN Chairman and CEO, Founding Chairman, Aon Corporation.

-

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: SISTER SHEILA LYNE, Chair, Medical Advisory Council, President and CEO, Mercy Hospital; LINDA MASTANDREA, Board of Directors; Director, Sport and Accessibility, Former gold-medalwinning Paralympic athlete; Vice President, National Disability Sports Alliance; member, International Paralympic Committee; LARRY WERT, Chair, Communications/ Public Relations Advisory Council, President, Central & Western Region, NBC Local Media; JOHN ROGERS, Board of Directors Chairman and CEO, Ariel Investments; close friend of President Obama.

-

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL ROBERTS, Vice Chair of the Board, Principal owner, Westside Holdings; Former President, McDonald’s; TERRY PETERSON, Cochair, Outreach Advisory Council, Former CEO, Chicago Housing Authority; FRANK CLARK, Chair, Environment Advisory Council, Chairman and CEO, ComEd; ROBERT BERLAND, Board of Directors; Cochair, Athletes Advisory Council, President of Berland Printing; Olympic Silver Medalist (Judo), 1984.

-

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MILES WHITE, Vice Chair of the Board, Chairman and CEO, Abbott Laboratories; MICHAEL W. SCOTT, Cochair, Outreach Advisory Council, Board President, Chicago Public Schools; WILLIAM SCHERR, Board of Directors; Cochair, Athletes Advisory Council, Chairman of World Sport Chicago; Vice President, Goldman Sachs; Olympic Bronze Medalist (Wrestling), 1988; DEB DEHAAS, Board of Directors; Cochair, Development Advisory Council, Vice Chairman/ Regional Managing Partner, Deloitte; WILLIAM M. DALEY, Chair, International Relations Advisory Council, Chairman of the Midwest Region, JP Morgan Chase; former Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton; younger brother of Mayor Richard M. Daley.

-

From the April 2009 Edition of Michigan Avenue Magazine

50 Days Until the IOC Votes!

-

Exactly 50 days from now the IOC will decide the host city for the XXXI Olympiad.  It has been a long journey for these four bid cities, but the final leg of the race is in motion.  In three weeks we should have a somewhat better idea of where the race stands when the Evaluation Commission Report is made public.

-

Venue Map

Here is a venue map I created for those of you who are not familar with Chicago 2016′s venue plan:

Equestrian, Shooting, Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and the Modern Pentatholon will take place outside of city limits.

You can also see the “Venue Experience” video from Chicago 2016