Chicago unveils bid for Olympics

[sabra]

Source: Chicago Trib

With promises to create an elaborate Olympic village on the South Side - consisting of more than 20 high-rises centered on a vibrant Main Street -- Chicago unveiled its final bid book to the International Olympic Committee today, sidestepping transportation concerns and projecting revenue of nearly $4 billion.

Chicago 2016 estimated revenues of about $1 billion more than all three of its rivals, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

Chicago's revenue projection, in 2008 dollars, is $3.78 billion, compared with $2.666 billion for Madrid and $2.864 billion for Tokyo. In an earlier submission, Rio had projected revenues at $750 million. Its final bid book has not yet been made public.

Patrick Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016, said he believes the city's revenue projection is realistic.

"Chicago, the United States are very large markets," Ryan said. "As we vetted the cost, we vetted the revenues. I'm not going to tell you it's not going to be a lot of hard work."

Read more: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/02/finally-a-look-at-bids-from-2016-olympic-finalists.html

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[cliffordu]

1. Yeah? I gotcha 100 meters right here, fuckface....

:rofl:

[ReliantJ]

2. Chicago+Obama

Olympics!
But seriously, come to San Francisco

[midnight]

3. It looks good.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

4. Give It To Tokyo!!!

Give it to London! Anywhere but Chicago. The last thing we need is for our taxes to be increased more than they already are. And they will just use this as an excuse to tear down more historic buildings to put up ugly modern highrises that will be sold as exorbitantly expensive condos after the Olympics. None of my friends and family here in town want the Olympics here.

[barb162]

5. Yes,

Daley is full of it saying taxes won't be increased. That beautiful lake front should not be destroyed.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

8. Another point...

I didn't include this because it sounds petty and selfish (and maybe it is), but I also don't want the Olympics here because my GF's parents have one primary recreational joy in their life: their sailboat. It was given to them for free a few years ago and they painstakingly renovated it and now their only indulgence (they are working class) is to purchase a spot in Monroe Harbor every year. They spend every weekend in the summer on their boat, and we often go down and spend time with them there. We joke that the only thing they love more than that boat is their grandson. If Chicago gets the Olympics - bye bye! They are gonna kick all the boats out of the harbor for at least several years; rumors are flying that it may be permanent. Another beautiful thing about the city will bite the dust thanks to Daley and his cronies.

[barb162]

13. Oh, very understandable

Where the heck will all the people go with boats in that harbor? I hadn't even thought of that as I never really had an idea where they'd put the Olympics. And where do the people go who now use those parks a lot? I wish they'd leave the lakefront TOTALLY alone already.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. Gawd, please no.

Chicago has enough problems without bringing the olympics here and focusing on nothing else for the next 6 years.

[Angleae]

7. The IOC already did initial evauations for 2016

Chicago came in 3rd after Tokyo and Madrid with Rio coming in 4th and 3 other bids eliminated. Chicago's chance is minimal at best.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

9. Oh, I hope so!!!!!!!!! Oh please oh please oh please!!!!!!!!!

Besides that, I read that Tokyo is doing a "green" Olympics. Chicago's Olympics would only be green in the monetary sense.

[WriteDown]

10. Ever see Tokyo harbor....

Its green alright, but not that kind of green. :)

[sledgehammer]

11. Chicago is odds-on favorite at this point...

...they jumped when Obama got elected.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/odds-of-2016-chicago-games-firm-with-obama/2008/11/08/1225561205467.html

I lived in Atlanta pre- and post- Olympics. There were a lot of benefits to the city - general cleanup, new or improved facilities for many universities, re-use of almost every single venue, a complete revitalization of downtown, airport expansion (now the world's busiest), increased safety in downtown area and paths leading to it, put Atlanta on the map, got many suburbanites to use public transport for the first time, etc.

True, there were also some bad sides to it - most importantly the forced relocation of people in lower-income housing. I can't remember much about taxes though, because I was a student at the time.

In a way, if Obama gets elected in 2012, the 2016 Olympics would be his lap of honor in his last year in charge (I'm pretty sure he will deserve one, but time will tell).

Personally I support the bid. But I can understand the apprehensions of those against it, especially those who live in Chicago.

[Angleae]

12. Did the bookmaker take into account..

of anti-american sentiment on the IOC or that Atlanta was a disgrace to the Olympics and still remembered by the IOC? These odds are from a single UK bookmaker that thinks Madrid is 12-1.

[sledgehammer]

14. It'll be 20 years since Atlanta

Not sure if it was a disgrace, but it was certainly not the best Olympics in recent memory. I think the anti-American sentiment thing is overblown. However, the IOC would have reservations on how strict the US would be in allowing athletes into the country e.g. if everyone has to go through massive background checks and lots of airport screening.

The reason why Madrid's odds are so low is because Europe has had / will have Olympics in 2004 (Athens), 2006 (Turin), 2012 (London), and 2014 (Sochi, Russia). For Europe to get it again is considered a long shot. But it still could get it as Madrid is very well positioned to host the games - massive public support, failed recent bid, lots of venues are almost ready, great climate, etc.

Rio is probably not going to be taken seriously. Sport is already taking a bit of a gamble with the World Cup Soccer in Rio in 2014. To give them the Olympics would be pretty risky.

Tokyo has a decent bid. Which means it's effectively a race between Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid.

[truebrit71]

16. The IOC understands ONE thing....$$$$$$$$

...It will be Chicago...take it to the bank...

[truebrit71]

15. Not really...the USA is where the IOC generates most of it's TV revenue from...

...They just had the olympics in the Far East, they won't be eager to go back, Europe will have just had the 2012 games in London so they aren't going to back to back...odds on it WILL be Chicago...especially now that Barack Obama is our President...

[aquart]

17. I wish them well. I just don't want it in NYC.