Olympic and Paralympic Video

Chicago 2016 Chairman’s Interview with Fox Business

Mr. President, we need more than just videos

Please go in person to Copenhagen

(a video message from you is not enough)

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We appreciate your support and previous videos, but it will not cut it in Copenhagen.

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Celebrities Show Support for Chicago 2016

Yesterday Billy Dec unveiled his first interviews with celebrities who support Chicago 2016.

So far John Legend, William Peterson, Jimmy Fallon, Sean Hayes, Zach Braff and Michelle Williams have been featured.  Every day between now and Copenhagen, Billy Dec will be uploading at least one video to his YouTube Channel and website aChicagoThing.com

I like William Peterson’s interview the best so far, as it seems to be the most thought out, but the others have their funny moments as well.

Feel free to check them out, and special thanks to Billy Dec who went through all of the work to put these together!

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Video: Chicago Amazes

Video: Lausanne Press Conference with Pat Ryan

I have never seen this press conference video after Chicago 2016′s Technical Presentation to the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland in June, and I thought it would be good to post.

Better late than never…

The Competition: Rio

Rio de Janeiro, known by locals as the “the Marvelous City”  is one of the most internationally recognized cities in South America, and boasts a population near eight million.  Brazil is known for its natural beauty,  art and music, as well as their passion for sport – most notably soccer.

This is Rio’s fourth bid attempt, but its the first time the city has been short-listed.  It placed it’s first bid for the 1936 Olympic Games, and two subsequent bids for the 2004 and 2012 Games.

When it came time for the IOC to choose the candidate cities, it was somewhat questionable as to whether Rio would make the cut, but it seems as that those question have been put to rest since Rio has clearly been able to step up to the plate and put forth a compelling bid.

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With it’s beautiful backdrops, Rio promises to host one of the most memorable Olympic Games.  The central point Rio’s bid has used to make it’s case is how the South American continent has never hosted an Olympics before, and that “now is our time.”

Rio also has very strong government and public support.  The state of the Brazilian economy bodes well for their bid, as their economy was not hammered by the U.S. recession and has become a pioneer in alternative energy.  Full financial guarantees have been committed to the Games if Rio is selected, and their bid has received strong backing from the private sector.

Also, Rio’s time zone is one hour ahead of the east coast of the United States, which could give American broadcasters the primetime live events they thirst for, and that would mean the IOC will get more revenue from their U.S. broadcasting rights.

Rio also has experience in hosting sporting events like the 2007 Pan American Games, and by most accounts did well in staging that event.  Rio also played host for the 1950 World Cup, and Brazil will be hosting the 2014 World Cup, with the final match set to be in Rio’s iconic Maracanã stadium.  By having such a large scale event two years before the Olympics, Rio will be able to have a “dry run” before staging the Games.  Rio also has hosted several World Championships in Olympic sports.

What can hurt their chances…

There is no doubt that Rio wins for it’s sentimental argument about South America never hosting an Olympic Games, but serious questions have been raised about the lack of experience and infrastructure in Rio and Brazil overall.  The city scored the lowest in the application file review for technical merit.

Rio received its highest marks in the candidate selection process for government support, but it had its lowest marks in security and infrastructure.  Rio has one of the world’s highest murder rates, and traffic is often described as a nightmare, but the government has tried to quell concerns by saying that the city and country are addressing these issues, and the by hosting the Olympics, many projects will be pushed forward to improve the lives of its residents and will be ready in time for 2016.

Also, some argue that Rio does not have its priorities in line before taking on the monumental task of staging the world’s largest sporting event, especially with an overwhelming amount of its population living inside the poverty-stricken favelas.

Accommodation has also been a concern.  The IOC requires that each host city have at least 40,000 hotel rooms, and Rio will have to push hard to meet that requirement.  One solution is to use cruise ships to offer additional rooms.

Many of us will be waiting to see Rio’s marks in next month’s evaluation report.  It is widely believed that Tokyo and Madrid will come out on top, and if Rio can at least be close enough to Chicago, than many of these concerns might be eased, and the IOC could feel compelled to vote in Rio’s favor.

All in all, Rio is a marvelous city that is capable of hosting the Olympics.  It has emerged from being an underdog to taking a competitive spot next to Chicago.  The question the IOC will have to ask themselves come October 2^nd is whether Rio is ready to take the torch to a new region of the world.

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Rio 2016 Venue Video

Chicago 2016 Video: I Will

Madrid 2016 Venue Video

Tokyo 2016 Venue Video