Windy City viewed as strong contender
BEIJING – Work the hotel lobby. Meet and greet. And, especially, listen and learn.
That was the essence of Chicago’s first foray into international Olympic circles since being picked as the U.S. candidate for the 2016 Summer Games.
“It’s been very constructive to be here,” Patrick Ryan, chairman of the Chicago committee, said Thursday. “We made some new relationships and learned a lot about the whole process.”
Ryan led an eight-person Chicago delegation at the SportAccord conference in Beijing, one of the largest gatherings of sports industry leaders in the world. More than 1,000 delegates were on hand at the Shangri-La Hotel, including senior International Olympic Committee members, sports federation leaders, television executives and corporate sponsor CEOs.
The trip came less than two weeks after Chicago was picked – over Los Angeles – by the U.S. Olympic Committee as America’s 2016 candidate. It’s the start of a long process that will culminate with the IOC selection of the host city in 2009.
The Chicago team also included executive director Mike Conley, a former Olympic triple jump champion, and operations chief Doug Arnot. In addition, the USOC sent a top-level delegation that included chairman Peter Ueberroth and international affairs experts Bob Ctvrtlik and Robert Fasulo.
“People are very aware that Chicago will be presented as an applicant city,” Ryan said. “It was quite well-known among the general population. But, clearly, people have to get to know the Chicago team and learn a lot more about Chicago. Being here clearly demonstrates our desire to bring amateur sport to Chicago.”
The Chicago bid follows New York’s humbling fourth-place finish in the voting for the 2012 Summer Games, which were awarded to London. This time, a U.S. candidate shapes up as a strong contender – if not favorite – in a field that should include Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rome; Tokyo, and Prague, Czech Republic.
“People don’t have in-depth knowledge of our bid, but they are aware of the tough bid competition we went through in the U.S.,” Ryan said.
U.S. IOC member Anita DeFrantz said some delegates asked her why the USOC didn’t pick Los Angeles or why New York didn’t run again, but that Chicago’s candidacy had received mostly positive reactions so far.