Last Chance to Attend Public Meetings

Chicago 2016 will be hosting its last four ward meetings.  Come out and hear what the city has to say about the bid, and let your voice be heard!

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Advisory Council on Asian Affairs / 50th Ward Meeting
August 22nd @ 11:00 a.m.
Warren Park – 6601 N. Western Ave.

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UNO / 14th Ward Meeting
August 24th @ 6:00 p.m.
UNO’s Veterans Memorial School Campus – 4248 W. 47th Street

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Little Village Chamber of Commerce / Little Village Community Council / 22nd Ward Meeting
August 24th @ 6:30 p.m.
Little Village Community Council Hall – 3610 W. 26th Street

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42nd Ward Meeting
August 25th @ 6:00 p.m.
Palmer House Hilton – 17 E. Monroe, Empire Room

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Chicago pushes 2016 at last event before vote

BERLIN (AP) -Patrick Ryan has traveled tens of thousands of miles, crisscrossed time zones and wandered through countless hotel lobbies – all in search of support for Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics.

With six weeks before the International Olympic Committee vote in Copenhagen on Oct. 2, Ryan and leaders of the three other candidate cities have taken the roadshow to Berlin for the last major campaign stop of the race.

Bid teams from Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid converged here in conjunction with IOC executive board meetings and the world track and field championships, attended by as many as 60 IOC members.

“You can see people just walking through the lobby,” Ryan said. “It’s a chance to build and expand on those relationships.”

Ryan has met most of the IOC’s 106 members over the past few years of the campaign, but will not pass up a chance to talk to them again, especially with so many in one place at the same time.

“This is the last opportunity,” he said. “You want to meet as many as you can right up before the vote. I say, ‘Let’s get together and have coffee or something.”’

Before an interview with The Associated Press, Ryan stopped several times to greet IOC members. Later, a powerful IOC official – Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli – walked past and said hello.

Chicago has been considered a strong contender in its bid to bring the Summer Games back to the United States for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. However, Rio has made a big impact with its energetic and emotional appeal for the Olympics to be held in South America for the first time. It’s seen by some as the current favorite.

“There’s a lot of discussion that Rio has gotten stronger,” Ryan acknowledged.

Yet the momentum can swing in the final weeks, days and hours of the race.

“I’ve said all along that there are four great cities,” Ryan said. “From my perspective, there’s going to be ebbing and flowing on where people are. At one point everybody’s talking about city A, then city B.

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Olympic Plans are Conservative, Uninspired say Economists

Far from spending too much cash on the Olympic games, Chicago’s plans are actually too conservative and uninspired, say leading Chicago economists.

“You have to spend enough to make your city a surprise city,” said Dr. Robert Baade of Lake Forest College.  “And Chicago is not spending nearly enough!”

The economists spoke about the city’s financial approach to potentially hosting the games during a public discussion at Northwestern University Wednesday evening. Besides Dr. Baade, the discussion included professor Allen Sanderson of the University of Chicago, Dr. Larry Bennett of Depaul University, and first ward Alderman Manny Flores.

None of the economists said the Olympics would be a bad idea for Chicago, but they had a few warnings about the course the city is taking.

“Chicago has the opportunity to reinvent itself, but that’s not in the plans,” said Baade, who expressed the rarely spoken opinion that the 2016 blueprint is not ambitious enough.  “The investment that Chicago is making is very modest.”

Baade returned to that theme repeatedly as the evening wore on, warning that because the city’s planners had been, in his eyes, conservative in their estimates, they had left nothing which would be remembered as a lasting legacy of the Games.

“When you consider, what do you do with an equestrian site or a kayak course, it’s much more difficult to integrate elements like that after the Games.  Once the circus has left town, what do you have left?”

Thus, Baade is one of the few voices asking if the city’s Olympic planners shouldn’t actually be spending more money.  “You have to spend enough to make your city a surprise city,” he said.  “And Chicago is not spending nearly enough!”

Then there is the “be careful what you wish for” warning.

“I don’t want to be cruel in my examples here,” said professor Bennett, “but Munich didn’t get a bounce from 1972!”

Bennett said he knew he was bringing up a delicate topic, but added that it would not take such a violent event to leave the world with bad memories of Chicago games.

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USOC hall of fame puts spotlight on Chicago bid

By DEANNA BELLANDI (AP)

CHICAGO — Athletes being inducted into the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Hall of fame walked the carpet at the induction ceremony Wednesday in Chicago, part of a final push to drum up buzz about the city’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The spotlight on the event dimmed slightly because one of the most high-profile backers of the city’s bid, basketball great Michael Jordan, didn’t attend, even though the 1992 gold-medal Olympic basketball Dream Team he played on was being inducted.

The former Chicago Bull has already lent his name and support to the bid, appearing in a public service campaign, but his absence did take some of the star power out of the event meant to put the sports spotlight on Chicago.

“Everyone wants to see Michael. Being inducted into anything with Michael is a great honor for us but it’s Michael, I guess that mystique is part of what makes him so appealing to everybody,” said David Robinson, one of Jordan’s Olympic teammates.

Chicago is looking for all the attention it can get ahead of the International Olympic Committee’s decision on which city will host the 2016 Games. Chicago is a finalist along with Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. The IOC will meet in Copenhagen on Oct. 2 to decide.

About 3,600 people attended the USOC induction ceremony, which was also the final blowout fundraiser for local Olympic organizers and raised about $5 million. About two dozen athletes, coaches and an Olympic official were inducted including such big names as basketball greats Patrick Ewing and Scottie Pippen, track star Michael Johnson and Mike Krzyzewski, who was an assistant coach on the 1992 Dream Team.

But Jordan isn’t the only big name from Chicago who local organizers are counting on to help land the games as the IOC decision nears.

President Barack Obama could be the one who helps seals the deal. The former Illinois senator has a home in Chicago just a few blocks from the park where the proposed Olympic Stadium would be built.

“Certainly it will help put the bid over the top if the president can make his presence known in Copenhagen but I think the city has covered all bases,” USOC acting CEO Stephanie Streeter said.

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Heightening Chicago’s Profile as a Global City

Chicago is a candidate city for the 2016 Olympics, competing against three world-class cities: Madrid, Río de Janeiro and Tokyo. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will make their host city selection on Oct. 2.

One organization in support of this effort is Chicago 2016, a nonprofit organization bidding for the right to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On Aug. 18, Chicago 2016 will host an event, Bienvenido 2016, at the National Museum of Mexican Art to inform the Hispanic community about Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“With the help of the National Museum of Mexican Art and others, we planned this free event in the hopes to not only provide information to the community but as a way of thanking them for their continued support,” stated Patrick Sandusky, head spokesperson of Chicago 2016.

The Chicago 2016 bid is 100 percent privately financed. No taxpayer dollars have been used to fund the bid’s activities. According to Sandusky, if Chicago is granted the honor of hosting the 2016 games, Chicago’s community will benefit in a number of ways. The Olympic games will create the equivalent of 315,000 full-time jobs for one year. According to an independent study, Illinois would benefit from $22.5 billion of incremental economic activity from 2011 to 2021. The games will also attract an audience of four billion viewers, which would put Chicago on the global stage and raise the city’s international profile.

Chicago 2016 is wrapping up its 50 ward meetings, an outreach effort to get residents better acquainted with the bid and answer questions about Chicago’s plan. On Aug. 12, Chicago 2016 partnered with the United States Olympic Committee to celebrate the induction of the 2009 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductees.

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Chicago 2016 Promoted At Olympic Sports Demonstrations In Washington

Chicago 2016 and World Sport Chicago were joined on Capital Hill Wednesday by members of the U.S. Congress, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and representatives from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) for a day of sports demonstrations for youth.

Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016 said, “we appreciate the federal government’s support for our bid and we hope to have the honour of hosting the world in 2016 and welcoming the Games back to the United States. Today’s event is a prime example of how the values and ideals that the Olympic Movement promotes can be shared with youth in a fun and interactive way and we look forward to reaching more children to introduce them to sport as a result of our bid for the Games”.

Olympic and Paralympic sports, including taekwondo, wrestling, soccer, fencing and Paralympic judo, were demonstrated at the event.

Bill Scherr, chairman of World Sport Chicago and director of sport for Chicago 2016 said, “today’s event in Washington D.C. was an important opportunity for Chicago 2016 and World Sport Chicago to interact with youth and introduce them to Olympic and Paralympic sport. The national support for Chicago’s bid allows us to continue our commitment to youth sport programs and bring world-class athletes to meet with and inspire youth from across the country”.

Nathaniel Mills, three-time Olympian in speed skating who participated Wednesday said, “seeing the impact of today’s Olympic and Paralympic sport demonstrations on the kids that attended makes the prospect of the Games in Chicago very exciting. Having such widespread support also shows how, across the country, we continue to come together in support of the United States’ Olympic bid”.

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Inside the 2nd Ward Olympic Forum

No Games Chicago is a no show

by Bernard Ramos

After Mayor Daley remarked that he will sign the standard city contract guaranteeing the games’ finances in Switzerland last month, Chicago 2016 decided to hold several community forums for all Chicago’s fifty wards in fifty days. The Committee had to not only drum up support from the residents but they also had to quell any concerns that taxpayers’ money might be used to fund the games. The Second Ward, led by Alderman Bob Fioretti and one of the big downtown wards that would be affected by the Olympic Games had its chance to voice out their concerns at the UIC Forum in the University Village on Tuesday.

The most important topic of the meeting was the financial guarantees, which Lori Healey, the Chicago 2016 president, delved into the details right away.  She reassured the audience that the city’s commitment of up to $500 million, the state’s $250 million share and the additional $1 billion insurance guarantees would never be touched because of the assumption that no recent US Olympic games have lost money, and revenues would be pouring in from ticket sales and many major sponsors would pay to have a piece of the pie, and Ms. Healey touting the Central Time Zone as the most lucrative TV market in the world. The Chicago 2016’s $3-plus billion conservative budget also included the premiums to pay for the insurance guarantees.

Almost a full hour was designated for questions and the first concern that was brought up used the Athens games as an example of excessive cost overruns and white elephants. Ms. Healey defended the Chicago games that it would not be similar to the Athens games because most of the city’s venues and infrastructures are already in place and the fact that Athens had to build an international airport.

One local business owner asked the committee how small businesses can participate in the business aspect of the games without being trumped by the big-time sponsors. Another attendee raised some concerns about the possible displacement of local residents when the Olympics come to town and quickly drew Mr. Fioretti’s attention and countered the notion of displacement as unfounded. The Committee explained that the planned Olympic Village will be located in what is now the shuttered-Michael Reese Hospital and provided the prospects of additional housing, especially senior housing, possible students dorms, apartments and retail development in the underserved area.

Another issue the Committee tackled was the fact that these future housing units would not flood the current real estate market until 2017. Furthermore, the Committee reassured one South Loop woman who inquired how local residents will be affected with the influx of tourists and spectators within the immediate venues in the Near South Side. Part of the plan is to have spectators use their venue/event tickets as passes for free transportation so that car traffic would be limited to local residents. Venue parking garages and lots would not be used to guarantee minimal disruption in the local area and promote public transportation and foot traffic.

Ms. Healey quipped that the largest possible event would most likely be the opening ceremonies and that alone would attract about 80,000 spectators which pales in comparison with the 4th of July Fireworks during the Taste of Chicago—which attracts at least a million people without so much incident. A woman who was involved with a youth track and field program drew applause from the audience after raising the prospects of leaving several sports facilities after the games for the underserved kids in the area, especially the obvious lack of track and field venues.

One big surprise was the lack of anti-games questions or concerns that were expected to cloud such community meetings, especially from the diverse and dense Second Ward.  But what the audience unexpectedly heard were the gung-ho attitude of one downtown worker asking for more visionary developments beyond the games and another man quoting the clichéd Burnham mantra “make no small plans.” Another attendee, who apparently attended the other previous meetings, commended the Chicago 2016’s consistency in delivering the facts and information for not just telling the neighborhood what they want to hear, but also what they need to hear. Being a former chief-of-staff of the mayor, Ms. Healey certainly controlled the discussion and seemed to calm any doubts on the Committee’s delivering the Games. This community forum’s views may be different from the rest of the forty-nine wards, but it was definitely a major win for the Chicago 2016 Committee.

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Lollapalooza and Chicago 2016 Olympics: Perfect together?

By Jim DeRogatison

This year, when throngs of concertgoers look up at the main stage at Lollapalooza on Aug. 7 to 9, they won’t be seeing the logo for one of the festival’s corporate sponsors.

Instead, the banner will tout the “Chicago 2016 Stage,” trumpeting the three-day concert’s support of the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

AT&T, a major corporate underwriter of Lollapalooza since the former traveling alternative-rock tour was reinvented as a “destination festival” in Grant Park in 2005, previously claimed naming rights for the main stage, and it paid to be the biggest corporate presence at the fest. But it is not involved with the concert this year.

Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky said the organization isn’t paying anything to have a presence at Lollapalooza. “It’s a good-will gesture” on the part of the promoters, Austin, TX-based C3 Presents, Sandusky said.

“[C3] came to us with the opportunity, and we think it’s a great way to reach thousands and thousands of people with just a general message about the bid,” Sandusky added. “They’ve certainly been helpful and allowed us to do that. They actually were the executive producers of the dinner when the IOC [International Olympic Committee] was in town, when we had Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor.”

Executives with C3 Presents have often expressed a desire to be part of staging the Olympics here if Chicago wins its bid on Oct. 2. “I would love nothing more,” C3 co-owner Charlie Jones told the Tribune. “I don’t think there is any doubt the city will get the Olympics… [and] when they get it, I would love nothing more than to help the city bring that event to the world.”

Sandusky stressed that Chicago 2016 has no commitments with any companies yet to play a role in the Olympics. “They’ve been helpful to us, and they do very good work, but we haven’t considered anything past Oct. 2nd,” Sandusky said of C3. “It would be presumptive of us.”

C3 has parlayed its success staging Lollapalooza into promoting several other high-profile events, including President Obama’s celebration in Grant Park on election night, several inaugural balls and the Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn.

“One of the things we’re trying to demonstrate to the IOC is how we’re able to stage large-scale events on the lakefront,” Sandusky said. “We have hundreds of thousands of people, whether it be election night or Lollapalooza, and we want to showcase to them that hosting the games wouldn’t be something that’s new to Chicago in terms of managing crowds.”
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Lollapalooza Promotes Chicago 2016 Bid

Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be promoted at the music festival Lollapalooza being held August 7-9 at Grant Park, part of the city’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Lollapalooza has named one of its Presenting Stages the “Chicago 2016 Stage” to support the city’s bid, said a press release.

Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO Patrick G. Ryan said, “we are excited to be a part of such a large music festival in Chicago and honoured to have one of the main stages named after our bid. Grant Park is an ideal location for events and that is why it is a central part of our plan to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.

Should Chicago host the 2016 Games, Grant Park will be the venue for the archery competitions, the start of the marathon, and one of the main Olympic celebration sites.

Charlie Jones, executive producer of the event said, “as a part of the Chicago community, we felt it was important to elevate the presence of Chicago 2016 at Lollapalooza, and there is no better way to show our support than naming rights to one of our premier stages. Lollapalooza and C3 Presents wants to keep the bid front and centre, and do our part to help bring the 2016 Games to Chicago.
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City: 1 million watch lakefront fireworks

Largest event of the year goes forward with no major incidents

An estimated million people gathered along the lakefront Friday night, filling Grant Park, to watch the city’s early Fourth of July fireworks display over the lake and Navy Pier.

An estimated 1.25 million people passed through the downtown area Friday for the holiday weekend festivities including Taste of Chicago, said Cindy Gatziolis, a spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. She said close to a million people were on or near the lakefront to watch the fireworks display.

The fireworks began a little before 9 p.m. and finished about 9:15 p.m. Traffic was diverted throughout the downtown area near the lakefront, and extra service was provided for the crowds by the CTA and Metra.

Hundreds of police officers were scattered throughout Grant Park for the Taste of Chicago–many of them on horses, Segways and all-terrain vehicles.

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Taste of Chicago 2016

Chicago’s biggest annual outdoor food festival, super-sized its security again this year and slathered every flat surface in sight with Mayor Daley‘s name. Hundreds of thousands of people battled 90-degree temperatures to sample grub from local fan-favorite restaurants. This year’s event is a major test for the city. Just 9 days before the Taste’s first day, Mayor Daley and Chicago 2016 bid leader Pat Ryan made their case for the games to the IOC in Switzerland. Chicago’s in the running for holding the big event: the 2016 summer Olympics. But first thing’s first—hosting the 29th annual food fest.

Much of the Taste’s staples remain the same—Eli’s cheesecake, enormous crowds and sweltering heat. However this Taste can and should be viewed as a strong indication of how the city handles big events and intends to present itself to visitors come 2016. People looking for a taste of what a Chicago Olympics might look like could do worse than to look to “The Taste.” Here we’ll take a look at security at the event, how it was branded, and point you to the best coverage of it from across the web.

I. A good helping of security, but not too much

Chicago Police Department Superintendent. Jody Weis promised to beef up security at this year’s Taste, saying “folks will feel very safe because they’re going to see a police officer on almost every block,” according to the Sun-Times. Previous year’s events have been marred by violence. Last year, Weis’ first as superintendent, saw 4 people shot while leaving the event one night. This year’s event has been violence free so far, though one man was arrested for allegedly bringing in a loaded handgun Saturday night.

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