2016 Olympic City

[Michael]

The candidates are Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. The winner will be announced later on today.

I'd say Madrid is out of the running since the 2012 Olympics are in London and the Olympics rotates 'continents' for the honor.

Likewise 2008 was in Bejing, so Tokyo won't be chosen. 2016 is clearly due to the Western Hemisphere - that means either Chicago or Rio. Last rule here is that in the event of a tie, the Olympics always goes to the American city.

Ergo, I predict Chicago will be chosen.

Any thoughts or comments on this?

[The Drunk Girl]

Obama is pretty anxious (or desperate) to have it in Chicago

COPENHAGEN — Barely a year after his election, he was campaigning not for himself but for his adopted hometown. Yet as President Obama (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per) pitched Chicago’s bid to host the Summer Games of 2016 on Friday, he put his own credibility on the line as well.

Arriving here after an all-night flight, Mr. Obama swept into a convention hall in the Danish capital, took the lectern and appealed to the International Olympic Committee (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/international_olympic_committee/index.html?inline=nyt-org) to choose “that most American of American cities,” the same place that put him on the path to becoming the world’s preeminent leader.


He did not invoke his campaign slogan, “Yes We Can,” but the Chicago bid team consciously echoed it with its own motto, “Together We Can,” repeated in the video shown to the committee. And the president summoned the spirit of his election, reminding them of the emotional crowds in Grant Park celebrating his victory last fall and effectively inviting the rest of the world to validate it by sending him the Games.


“Nearly one year ago, on a clear November night, people from every corner of the world gathered in the city of Chicago or in front of their televisions to watch the results of the U.S. presidential election,” Mr. Obama told the committee. “Their interest wasn’t about me as an individual. Rather, it was rooted in the belief that America’s experiment in democracy still speaks to a set of universal aspirations and ideals.”

In his presentation, the first by an American president on behalf of a city seeking the Olympics, Mr. Obama portrayed himself as an unabashed city booster, noting Chicago’s international character in neighborhoods like Greektown and the Ukrainian Village. At one point, responding to questions from the committee, he touted the diverse nature of Chicago’s population. “We’ve got everybody,” he said. “This could be a meeting in Chicago because we look like the world.”

Source (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03obama.html?_r=1&hp)

[The Drunk Guy]

I've been listening to arguments about this all week on the radio. Turns out the Republicans think that Chicago shouldn't get it. SURPRISE!!

Anyway, even with Obama showing, it'll be a tough call. The Olympics have never been hosted in South America, so the OIC may be determined to finally draw them in.

[Michael]

I've been listening to arguments about this all week on the radio. Turns out the Republicans think that Chicago shouldn't get it. SURPRISE!!

Anyway, even with Obama showing, it'll be a tough call. The Olympics have never been hosted in South America, so the OIC may be determined to finally draw them in.

I'll put money on Chicago. US bids never fail if they are in accord with the continent rule (as it is now).

I certainly hope it isn't Chicago. That will just be one more Obama conspiracy theory to fill up the US partisan news cycle for the next two years and that's tiresome.

[Donkey]

Not Chicago!

I bet it'll be Rio.

[The Drunk Guy]

Not Chicago!

I bet it'll be Rio.
I call that a bitch slap. :eek:

Guess chicagoansforrio.com (http://www.chicagoansforrio.com) won!

[dilettante]

Not Chicago!


Ouch. That's gotta sting for President Obama. Not only does his visit not push Chicago over the top, but it's the first to get cut!

Does the committee usually publish the reasoning behind their decisions? Or do they move in mysterious ways?

[Americano]

Chicago's pretty sleazy but Rio is one of the most violent cities on the continent.

[Michael]

Does the committee usually publish the reasoning behind their decisions? Or do they move in mysterious ways?

Bribery doesn't go over well with the public, therefore the IOC generally moves in "mysterious ways".

Anytime anyone has ever peeked behind the curtain, bribery was rampant. Salt Lake City (Winter games) and Atlanta (summer games) winning bids were famously "last minute winners" after being judged to have submitted the weakest bids. The bribery for the Atlanta bid was considered "legendary". :shrug:

If Chicago is out, that means Rio.

[Zarquon]

Its Rio! (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?hp)

OBAMA FAIL!:lol:
He's all talk and no walk. Why did he think he had to go to Copenhagen and put his reputation on the line? Now he just looks like a loser.:rofl:

[Lily]

From Think Progress, an article which may shed some light on why the IOC rejected Chicago.



Bush Administration’s Tourist Visa Policy May Have Cost America The 2016 Olympics

In spite of President Obama’s lobbying efforts, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may have chosen to reject hosting the 2016 summer olympic games in Chicago due to the post-9/11 visa tourist policies established by his predecessor, George W. Bush. Michael Froomkin, Professor at the University of Miami School of Law, is convinced that the “the same stupid anti-visitor policy that is destroying American higher education” also sunk Chicago’s Olympic bid. Chicago was eliminated during the first round and received the fewest votes.

A New York Times article points out:

In the official question-and-answer session following the Chicago presentation, Syed Shahid Ali, an I.O.C. member from Pakistan, asked the toughest question. He wondered how smooth it would be for foreigners to enter the United States for the Games because doing so can sometimes, he said, be “a rather harrowing experience.”

A “harrowing experience” may be an understatement. Immediately after 9/11, the Bush Administration began requiring fingerprints and photographs of tourists from all but 28 countries entering the US. President Bush required that all foreigners register online within three days of travel. Thirty-five (mostly European) countries now participate in the US Visa Waiver program, however tourists from the rest of the world still have to jump through the following hurdles:

Pay hefty visa processing and issuance fees.
Undergo an interview by a visa officer at the US Embassy.
Provide evidence which shows the purpose of the trip, intent to depart the United States, and arrangements made to cover the costs of the trip may be provided.
Present convincing evidence that an interested person will provide financial support if the applicant does not have sufficient funds to support him or herself.

The average wait for a US visa has risen to about three months. Brazil, which will host the 2016 Olympic summer games in Rio de Janeiro, has a reciprocal visa policy with all countries. US tourists are required to have a $130 advance visa before entry into the country and are fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival — matching US requirements for Brazilians.


http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/02/chicago-olympics-bush/

[Michael]

From Think Progress, an article which may shed some light on why the IOC rejected Chicago.
That might explain it.

Can't discount the IOC's passion for groundbreaking and wanting to expand outside of the 'first world'. They've chosen Seoul and Bejing in the last twenty years so Rio is part of that trend.

[Americano]

I remember post-911 rules pretty well crashing the US travel industry. It wasn't until USD took such big hits that attraction of shopping in the US with Euros overcame the US travel hassles.

[Michael]

Well, Rio seems like a fun backdrop for hosting the spectacle. And the Brazilians do seem too be very happy about it! :banana:

It is good to see the Olympics rotate around the continents. I'd prefer to see a permanent (summer games) site established in Greece and leave it at that. But if it the games are going to move around, then rotating continent/spheres is a good general rule to follow (they do seem to follow it!).

[Zarquon]

Well, Rio seems like a fun backdrop for hosting the spectacle.
I agree, though they do have a law and order 'situation', concerning gangs and what not, purportedly not far from the venues; but I'd give them the benefit of the doubt since they do have some 7 years to clean it up.

[Evangeline]

Its Rio! (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?hp)

OBAMA FAIL!:lol:
He's all talk and no walk. Why did he think he had to go to Copenhagen and put his reputation on the line? Now he just looks like a loser.:rofl:

I love these people who think it's great to cheer on an American "failure".

So lovely.

[Zarquon]

not anything against America, merely political grandstanding.
What business did he have of going there and making such a show of it? Didn't he have more pressing matters at home?
Also, don't appreciate his timidity vis-a-vis conservatives and corporates, nor his hypocrisy regarding DOMA, financial regulation, and certainly do not like his continuation of 'faith'-based initiatives, or his refusal to challenge the Cold-war mentality of the foreign policy establishment.
I'd like more action and less talk, Mr President.

[Donkey]

Don't forget that Rio will be hosting the World Cup two years prior.

[Lily]

I love these people who think it's great to cheer on an American "failure".

So lovely.


Some on the right are cheering that America lost the Olympics? What the hell? Next they'll be in the streets cheering every time one of our troops get blown up in Iraq or Afghanistan, citing Pres. Obama's "failed policies in the war against terror." These people need a reality check.

[dilettante]

Some on the right are cheering that America lost the Olympics? What the hell? Next they'll be in the streets cheering every time one of our troops get blown up in Iraq or Afghanistan, citing Pres. Obama's "failed policies in the war against terror." These people need a reality check.

Since when is Zarquon 'on the right'?

[Americano]

Some on the right are cheering that America lost the Olympics? What the hell? Next they'll be in the streets cheering every time one of our troops get blown up in Iraq or Afghanistan, citing Pres. Obama's "failed policies in the war against terror." These people need a reality check.

I'm glad we lost the Olympics. Considering the current state of US paranoia created by the MIC, additional security costs would have been crushing. Probably a new division of Homeland Security called Sports Security, which would expand to 'protect' every US sports activity down to high school football games being surrounded by combat troops and armor.

[Michael]

I'm glad we lost the Olympics...
Looks like just another rightwing Obama-basher! :lol:

[Americano]

Looks like just another rightwing Obama-basher! :lol:


I just don't want tanks blocking the roads if there's some sports game going on.