Chicago’s Olympic Bid Doomed from the Start

I suggested in my post last Friday that the rather contentious relationship between the IOC and the U.S. Olympic Committee could be a contributing factor in Chicago’s failed bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and it appears I was right. Phil Hersh of the Chicago Tribune does a nice job of explaining what happened here and here.

Based on what I’ve read, it seems Chicago’s bid was doomed from the start and that many of the IOC members had made up their minds long before the final presentations were made. There was nothing that the bid committee or President Obama could say or do to change the course of things.

It is clear the USOC is in a shambles. Until it can get its act together and resolve its differences with the IOC, I see no point in putting forth any future bids by American cities to host the Olympic Games.

Why Chicago’s Olympic Bid Failed

For the first time ever, a South American city will host the Olympics. Today, Rio de Janeiro was named the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The path to the top was paved for Rio when Chicago, considered to be Rio’s closest competition, was eliminated in the first round of voting.

Technically, Chicago’s bid was very strong by all accounts, perhaps the strongest ever by any American city. So why did Chicago lose the bid? Why was the city eliminated in the first round while earning only 18 votes by IOC members? I have several theories, and they have nothing to do with President Obama’s inability to sway voters or with Michael Jordan not appearing in Copenhagen.

Lack of focus. Chicago’s bid had no central theme or purpose to rally around. The final presentation did not provide IOC members with a strong, compelling reason why Chicago should host the Olympics. And it failed to show what kind of legacy the Games would leave behind to help local communities.

On the other hand, Rio’s bid team repeatedly reminded IOC members that the Olympic Games had never been held in South America, and Rio was ready to host them. That message apparently resonated with IOC voters.

Lack of public support. A Tribune poll in August showed only 47 percent of Chicagoans wanted the city to host the Olympic Games, down from more than 60 percent in February. IOC members generally do not award the Games to cities where public support is low. That may have been the case with Chicago’s bid.

USOC issues. The U.S. Olympic Committee has several lingering conflicts with the IOC, including the U.S. share of revenue from the Games and the USOC’s recent announcement that they would launch an Olympic network. Both parties have agreed to table these issues until after the 2016 bid city was announced. In addition, the USOC appears to be somewhat unstable after several changes in USOC leadership and cutbacks in operations earlier this year, which might have hampered Chicago’s bid.

Lack of visibility. While the city’s bid effort introduced Chicago to many IOC members who were unfamiliar with the city, Chicago’s remains relatively unknown compared to the other bid cities. IOC members are not allowed to visit the bidding cities on their own, so they must rely on the presentations and bid books to become familiar with the bid city. IOC members may have preferred to give the Games to a city they are more familiar with.

Lack of experience with Olympic bidding process. This is Chicago’s first bid attempt, and their lack of experience showed at times. Chicago made a few mistakes along the way, such as creating their initial logo without consulting IOC rules governing symbol usage. The committee had to scrap the logo and create a new one. The other bid cities have gone through the bid process before and know what to expect, know what buttons to push. Both Rio and Madrid submitted bids for the 2012 Games and lost out to eventual winner London. Tokyo has hosted the Games before.

U.S. reputation. It is no secret that the United States has an image problem with the rest of the world. Despite the election of President Obama, the U.S. is still not well liked or trusted in many parts of the world. I wonder how much of that distrust carried over into the IOC’s decision.

Ultimately, the reason Chicago did not win its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games is because Rio de Janeiro presented a better, more compelling case why they should host the Games.

Go ahead. Blame it on Rio.

Final Countdown Begins for Olympic Bid Cities

The clock is ticking.

In less than 24 hours, members of the International Olympic Committee will decide which of four bid cities will host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games: Tokyo, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Chicago. While each bid city has presented strong cases for hosting the Olympic Games, the general consensus is that this race is oh-so-close, with Rio and Chicago being the leading contenders.

After reading the Chicago Tribune’s succinct summary of why each bid city could win or lose the Olympic bid, I think Chicago’s chances are quite good. Rio is a strong contender and presents an emotional case, but I don’t think they are quite ready logistically to handle the Games. Their budget of $14.4 billion is much higher because the infrastructure is not yet in place. They have more venues to build, and the Games will be more spread out, which means they need to build the roads and transportation. With so much work to do, Rio may be a risky choice.

Even more troubling is the level of crime, as Tribune column Phil Hersh described recently in his Globetrotting blog. Granted, Chicago has crime issues too, but they don't compare with what is happening in Rio. These crime and infrastructure issues could be big enough concerns that they could hurt Rio’s chances to win the Games.

We'll know for sure in less than 24 hours.

Chicago’s Olympic Logo is a No-Go

Chicago’s Olympic Committee has made another faux pas, this time involving its Olympic logo. It seems the logo design uses Olympic-related imagery, such as the torch and flame, which is a big no-no according to the IOC, reports the Chicago Tribune. The Committee now must come up with a new design. In the meantime, the city isn’t sure what it will do with all the Olympic signs and merchandise spread throughout the city.

Last fall I wondered if the Chicago Committee had gotten way ahead of itself by introducing the logo so early in the bidding process. Generally the logo unveiling is reserved for the city that has been named as the host city for the Olympic Games, not a city that is bidding on it. That suggests that Chicago’s logo should have been introduced to the public in late 2009 at the earliest and only in the event that it had been chosen as the host city for the 2016 Games. It seems rather presumptuous of Chicago’s Olympic Committee to introduce any kind of logo design three years before the host city is officially announced. In its haste, the Chicago Committee obviously did not do its homework by checking out USOC and IOC rules beforehand. That’s sloppy planning and not a good start for Chicago’s Olympic Committee.

Rivalry May Kindle Sox Bats

The White Sox are a very lucky team. With a 19-17 record going into today’s action, the Sox find themselves only four games out of first place behind the Detroit Tigers in the middle of May. Most of their games have been played on the road, and two home games have been postponed due to inclement weather. Their starters have been nothing short of terrific and have kept them in the division race. Their hitting, well, that’s another story. The team is ranked last in the American League with a batting average of .200. With Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede in the lineup, you know the Sox will start hitting one of these days. But when? What will it take to wake up their snoozing bats?

The solution to the White Sox ice-cold hitting may be just around the corner. Round one of the cross-town rivalry between the Sox and the Cubs takes place this weekend at Wrigley Field. If recent memory serves me, the Sox always seem to rise to the occasion when these two teams meet. This weekend’s series against the Cubs could be just the thing to get Sox bats swinging

IOC Nixes Boxing Championships in Chicago

The 2007 world boxing championships may not take place in Chicago afterall, according to Chicagosports.com. As I reported several days ago, the international boxing federation (AIBA) stripped the event from Moscow due to organization issues and gave the event to USA Boxing, which had to find a host city. Chicago was considered an ideal choice since it had just been named the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. But the idea of hosting the boxing championships has yet to earn the approval of the IOC, which believes that it could violate the rules in how bid cities can promote themselves. Chicago could be perceived internationally as having an early advantage in the Olympic bidding process.

Chicago’s Flexing Its Boxing Muscle

I’m not too keen on boxing, but believe it or not, I’m excited about the possibility that Chicago may host the 2007 World Boxing Championships next fall. It would mark the first major international competition in Chicago since being named the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) has awarded the 2007 World Boxing Championships to USA Boxing, which now must find a host city. The championships were scheduled for Moscow Sept. 15-30, but the AIBA pulled it because of uncertainty over the event’s organization. If Chicago is chosen to host the event, more than 600 athletes and 400 officials from more than 100 countries would converge on the city. The 2007 championships are also the sport’s first qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics.

Eyeing the Olympic Competition

Now that Chicago has been named the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Olympic Games, there’s a lot of work ahead for the Windy City. Chicago will have plenty of global competition for the privilege to host the Olympics, including Tokyo, Madrid, Prague and Rio de Janeiro. Other possibilities are Rome; St. Petersburg, Russia; Monterey, Mexico; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

Here’s how I analyze the competition:

** With London hosting the 2012 Games, the IOC may be reluctant to choose another European city in back-to-back Games. So Madrid, Prague, Rome and St. Petersburg may be eliminated.

** With Beijing hosting the Games in 2008 and Sydney, Australia in 2000, would the IOC bring the Games back to the Asian-Pacific region (Tokyo) for a third time in five Olympiads?

** The two Middle Eastern states, Qatar and Azerbaijan, are located near the Iranian border, so security could be a concern.

** Atlanta was the last North American city to host the Games in 1996, so the Games may be due to be hosted by a North or South American city. That’s why Chicago has a solid chance to host the Games in 2016. But no South American city has every hosted the Games which is why Rio de Janeiro is considered one of the frontrunners. Monterey, Mexico, will make have a hard time competing against the heavy-hitters.

It may all come down to Chicago vs. Rio. It’ll be hard to bet against either one.

Council Approves $500 Million Olympic Guarantee

Despite heated debate, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution to approve a $500 million guarantee for the 2016 Olympics by a vote of 45-5.

Ever since U.S. Olympic Committee officials left town last week after touring Chicago and seeing our presentation for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, I have watched in amusement while aldermen, civic groups, columnists and bloggers have debated the Olympic guarantee issue. Why is it that everyone is so gung ho on the idea of bringing the Olympic Games to Chicago, but as soon as you mention the price tag, they balk at the idea?

Opponents to the city’s Olympic plan were (and still are) reluctant to put forth the money because they’re not sure the investment is worth it and they don’t have a clear picture of what the city will get out of it. That’s understandable because a lot can happen in nine years. But that is true of any financial investment. If you invest in the stock market, you do so knowing you could lose money or you might make money.

The fact is, putting on the Olympics is a huge endeavor that will showcase the city in a way that no other event would do. And yes, it will cost money – lots of it. Just like running a business, you have to invest money in order to make money. It's too soon to push the panic button. After all, if the USOC chooses Los Angeles over Chicago as its American candidate city on April 14, all this debate will be pointless. I prefer to cross that bridge when we come to it.

Figure Skating Museum Moving to Chicago?

Our fine city of Chicago is being considered as the new home for the World Figure Skating Museum, which is currently based in Colorado Springs (which is also home to the U.S. Figure Skating Association), according to a Chicago Sun-Times article. The board wants to raise the museum profile and attendance, and is looking at several larger cities that are connected by an international airport.

While Chicago has produced some notable skaters over the years, such as Janet Lynn, Timothy Goebel, and more currently, Evan Lysacek, the city is an odd choice considering it has never hosted a World or National Championships. It doesn’t have the cachet in the sporting world that other American cities seem to have. Most fans are likely to associate the city with Bears football or Cubs baseball long before they think of figure skating. I can see Detroit or St. Paul, Minn., or even Vancouver, providing a better location for the museum because of their rich skating history and more active skating clubs.

Onthe other hand, it may not be a bad idea to bring the Figure Skating Museum to Chicago, especially if it’s at a well-appointed Michigan Avenue location. I'd volunteer to be a docent in a heart beat. Could the National or World Figure Skating Championships in Chicago be far behind?

The board will vote on a new location later this month.

Olympic Bidding War Heats Up

I was amused to read a recent Chicago Tribune story about how California politicians, including Governor Arnold Schwarznegger, have been taking potshots at the city of Chicago during the bidding process for the 2016 Olympic Games. They argue that Los Angeles has the advantage over Chicago because of its warm, sunny climate.

Certainly the climate would be an advantage for LA if the Summer Olympic Games were held in January. But they’re not. They’re held in August.

I’m no weather expert and I’ve never been to Southern California during the summer, but I’m willing to bet that the weather in Chicago at that time of year is just as sunny, warm and humid as it is in LaLa Land. Climate is a non-factor.

Seriously, if this is LA’s best argument why they should host the 2016 Olympic Games, then Chicago’s chances are pretty good.

Big Ten Network Finds a Home in Chicago

When officials from the Big Ten Conference announced plans for a new cable network last summer that would broadcast Big Ten football, basketball and other collegiate sports, it was not known where the network headquarters would be located. Last week, the network named Chicago as its new home, with the help of $3.2 million in incentives from the state of Illinois, beating out Indianapolis. The Big Ten will invest nearly $18 million in the facility, which will create 130 new jobs over the next three years.