2016 Olympic Bids

[diamonddog_74 32]

Having moved to Chicago recently, I've become very informed about this city's candidacy as an Olympic host for the 2016 games. It is interesting to me how controversial an issue this is in Chicago. Some people (including myself) think this would be a good thing for the city, while others think it would be a disaster. I would love to hear from other ST members in Chicago, and the rest of the US what your thoughts are on this issue.

I would also love to hear from ST members from the other candidate cities (Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Madrid) what people think of their city's candidacy. What are the controversies, challenges, the general attitude of the populace, etc?

Below, I have included some images of the proposed Olympic venues taken from the official Chicago 2016 Bid Book. The book is available for download in three parts as PDF from the Chicago 2016 web site. All these images have been released to the media, so I don't think it'll be a problem to post them here. Since they are available to the public, I'm not revealing any state secrets by sharing them with you.

I'd like to add that even though the bulk of the games would be held in Chicago, various events would take place in other Midwestern and coastal cities. For example, the Rose Bowl (Los Angeles), Minneapolis Stadium, Philadelphia Field, Landover Field (DC), Meadowlands Arena (NJ), and St. Louis Dome are proposed football venues in addition to Chicago's Soldier Field. Road cycling and mountain bike competitions would be held in Madison, Wisconsin. So this is not just a Chicago show, but an American show. I'm sure the other candidates intend to involve their whole countries as well.

Anyway, if you're from one of the other candidate cities, please share any images of your city's Olympic venues that have been released. Discuss ...

Beauty shot of present downtown with Grant Park, Monroe Harbor, and the Museum Campus.

Marathon at Buckingham Fountain. Monroe Harbor would be the site of rowing, canoe-kayaking and swimming competitions.

Soldier Field would be one of the football venues.

McCormick Place would host 11 Olympic events, and 8 paralympic events.

Northerly Island was the main site of the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933-34. In 2016 it would host beach volleyball, canoe-kayak slalom, and sailing.

The Olympic Village would be constructed just south of McCormick Place. You can see its position relative to the venues previously shown.

Basic design of the Olympic Village with raised garden terraces. As far as I know, the building designs haven't been finalized.

The beach at 31st Street would become the Olympic Village's private beach for athletes and crew for the duration of the games.

The 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium at Washington Park is the most controversial concept. According to the bid book, it would be demolished and reduced to a 5,000 seat amphitheater after the games.

Closer view of the proposed Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Center.

Douglas Park on the city's West Side would host the BMX cycling competition.

Tennis and triathlon competitions would be held at Lincoln Park in the North Side. The site where the Olympic tennis facility is shown in the rendering actually has public tennis courts and baseball fields currently. After the games it would be an enhanced tennis complex. I actually live in this neighborhood, Lakeview (not at those highrises, though), and I'm very familiar with Belmont Harbor and this part of the park.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Football? like NFL football?

I do have a problem with this

The 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium at Washington Park is the most controversial concept. According to the bid book, it would be demolished and reduced to a 5,000 seat amphitheater after the games.quote>

The picture looks like a base ball park, whats  wrong with playing in Wriggleyand were ever it is the white sox play? and didnt they remove baseball from the oylimpics?seems a waste to spend millions then demolish it. mabey some one from Atlanta can tell us how many of the venues they built there are still being used today.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

I love my hometown, but I am very dismayed at what Daley has done to it. The Olympic bid is just another way to fleece the citizenry, providing another taxpayer-dollar filled feeding trough for his friends and cronies, and providing a way to hide myriad crooked deals (Goodfellas Construction, at yer soivace!). The parking meter fiasco is chump change (pun intended) compared to the screwing the populace is about to get.

At last poll, 75% or so of the people oppose it if tax money will be used. If the city were democratically run, instead of Democrat-run, the bid would never have happened. The state is up against an $11 billion+ debt, and has no business underwriting another King Richie boondoggle. I really hope the the IOC is completely up to speed on the true nature of corruption here, and takes a pass. It would serve Daley right.

[diamonddog_74 32]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

Football? like NFL football?

quote>

No, soccer. Remember, "football" is what the rest of the world calls it. I don't know why American Football is called "football"—they don't use their feet to play the ball.

I do have a problem with this

The 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium at Washington Park is the most controversial concept. According to the bid book, it would be demolished and reduced to a 5,000 seat amphitheater after the games.quote>

The picture looks like a base ball park, whats  wrong with playing in Wriggleyand were ever it is the white sox play? and didnt they remove baseball from the oylimpics?seems a waste to spend millions then demolish it. mabey some one from Atlanta can tell us how many of the venues they built there are still being used today.

quote>

It won't be for baseball. If you look carefully, it has a track. So it'll be for athletics events. The Sox play at US Cellular Field (Comiskey Park). The bid book mentions nothing about Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park. Remember that the games would be held in the middle of baseball season, so I think that's why.

[Haljackey 17,398]

Well Toronto lost second to Beijing in 2008 so I wouldn't doubt it that they might bid again.

It would also be nice to see Paris or NYC to make a bid like they did for 2012.

I'd also like to see Moscow take shot at it.

And of course some of the developing nations can try out too. Perhaps somewhere in India?

But with the economy these days, who has the money to finance these games? The troubles in the global economy is hitting Vancouver hard as they prepare for the 2010 Olympics.

[lgbrave4life 1]

As far as I know, the 2016 games has come down to 4 cities. Obviously Chicago. The other three are Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo.

The other three that have been eliminated were Doha, Qatar. Baku, Azerbaijan, and finally, Prague, Czech Republic.

I do hope Chicago does win because I did miss the last home games in Atlanta so it would be nice for my first Olympic games to be on my home soil.

[TheQuiltedLlama 34]

Originally posted by: manticorefan

I love my hometown, but I am very dismayed at what Daley has done to it. The Olympic bid is just another way to fleece the citizenry, providing another taxpayer-dollar filled feeding trough for his friends and cronies, and providing a way to hide myriad crooked deals (Goodfellas Construction, at yer soivace!). The parking meter fiasco is chump change (pun intended) compared to the screwing the populace is about to get.

At last poll, 75% or so of the people oppose it if tax money will be used. If the city were democratically run, instead of Democrat-run, the bid would never have happened. The state is up against an $11 billion+ debt, and has no business underwriting another King Richie boondoggle. I really hope the the IOC is completely up to speed on the true nature of corruption here, and takes a pass. It would serve Daley right.quote>

I seem to remember reading that Chicago's bid was to be entirely privately funded. This was, however, before the 'credit crunch' and whatnot, so i don't know how it currently stands...

[Kevin 101]

Chicago would be awesome, I'd definitely have to try and get out there for some of the events if that happened.

As for the stadium being demolished... I'm pretty sure that its fairly common to remove some Olympic venues after the games

[diamonddog_74 32]

Originally posted by: TheQuiltedLlama

I seem to remember reading that Chicago's bid was to be entirely privately funded. This was, however, before the 'credit crunch' and whatnot, so i don't know how it currently stands...

quote>

It's still being sold to the IOC as primarily privately funded, through sponsorships and partnerships.

I'd like to add that the two World's Fairs that Chicago has hosted (World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and Century of Progress Exposition 1933) were primarily privately funded. They were also held during an economic recession, and The Great Depression.

If anyone can elaborate more on this, that would be great.

[Duke87 1,070]

Um.... Chicago centered, much?

No mention of Tokyo, Madrid, or Rio de Janeiro (the other finalists) at all.

As for the people who said New York should make a bid.... no. Just no. It's bad enough that if Chicago wins a couple of those idiot games will be taking place at the meadowlands. Do you think I want to see the entire city overrun by them, and all the disruption and mayhem they cause? Hell no. New York has never hosted the olympics and I, for one, would prefer it remain that way. We don't need that circus here.

[hamsterTK 93]

I do hope Chicago does win because I did miss the last home games in Atlanta so it would be nice for my first Olympic games to be on my home soil.quote>

Remember Salt Lake City 2002?

[un1 41]

If they get the bid, I really hope they don't build the Chicago Spire. The Olympics and big ugly buildings don't work together.

[panthersimcity4 162]

I think Madrid would be a great city to have the olympics in.

Then again I'd like to see the olympics in Rio de Janeiro, have the olympics ever been in South America yet?

[djrules5454 5]

I would love it if the Olympic games were in Chicago. It's a reasonable distance for me to travel.

Originally posted by: manticorefanThe state is up against an $11 billion+ debtquote>

Is that all? Minnesota's debt is at $5 billion and it isn't even half as populated as Illinois.

[diamonddog_74 32]

Originally posted by: Duke87

Um.... Chicago centered, much?

No mention of Tokyo, Madrid, or Rio de Janeiro (the other finalists) at all.

quote>

Well, I started the thread with the Chicago info because (1) I'm American, and (2) I live in Chicago.

I did invite ST members from the other candidate cities to share their cities' bid info and graphics. So far, no one from those other cities has shared. I only have the information for Chicago.

Originally posted by: panthersimcity4

I think Madrid would be a great city to have the olympics in.

Then again I'd like to see the olympics in Rio de Janeiro, have the olympics ever been in South America yet?quote>

The Olympics have not been held in South America yet.

[lgbrave4life 1]

Originally posted by: hamsterTK

I do hope Chicago does win because I did miss the last home games in Atlanta so it would be nice for my first Olympic games to be on my home soil.quote>

Remember Salt Lake City 2002?quote>

My bad i forgot about that. I actually just remembered right after I posted but I was too lazy to go back and change it.

I was mainly talking about the summer olympics though since they tend to be more of a big deal than the winter olympics.

I agree with those who say Madrid and Rio would be great cities to hold the games. However Tokyo has held the olympics twice now(1940&1964) so I think three times would be a liitle to much for one century.

[beebs 129]

Personally, I hope that Rio gets it. With Atlanta in '96, Salt Lake City in '02 and Vancouver in 2010, North America has had its share lately. Time for a continent that has never hosted to get a chance.

Hal: It's unlikely for Toronto to get any Olympics until probably the 2020's, with Vancouver hosting in 2010. Usually the IOC seems to like to spread things around a bit.

[belfastuniguy 18]

The new stadium is a bit like the London Stadium, we even have pictures around the proposed venue.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: TheQuiltedLlama

I seem to remember reading that Chicago's bid was to be entirely privately funded. This was, however, before the 'credit crunch' and whatnot, so i don't know how it currently stands...

quote>

The city has guaranteed up to $500 million to cover any operating deficits, with the state offering another $250 million. The city has also offered up property tax revenue to pay for infrastructure and transit improvements.

[Odainsaker 2,137]

I agree with those who say Madrid and Rio would be great cities to hold the games. However Tokyo has held the olympics twice now(1940&1964) so I think three times would be a liitle to much for one century.quote>

Tokyo was awarded the 1940 games, but as Japan's escalating war in China brought widespread international criticism, the IOC soon stripped Tokyo of the host honor and reawarded the games to Helsinki.  When war then broke out in Europe in 1939, those 1940 Olympic Games for Helsinki were ultimately cancelled.  Hence, Tokyo has only hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, though Kenzo Tange's gymnasiums in Yoyogi along with the Budokan are true marvels.  Ah well, Tokyo gets everything there, anyway...Osaka would be interesting for a change, especially if it could draw from the futuristic wonderlands of Osaka Expo '70 world's fair, another Tange masterpiece.

I will root for Rio de Janeiro, as like others have pointed out, South America has never hosted a Summer Olympics, and with Brazil rising as a major regional and world power, the IOC can't help but take notice.  The Olympics, Copacabana, and Carnivale...I'm there!  Then again, a grand bash in Obamaland would be a choice way to cap out the close of any successful Obama 2-term presidency and the opening of the Hillary era, hehehe.  Still, for Chicago,  I want to see something with the boldness of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

However, I suspect in the end it will really come down to who offers the most amount of upfront money and backdoor guarantees, for like any big organization, the IOC operates under CYA rules.

[DominikS 0]

I personally hope that Tokyo will be accepted as the host of the 2016 Olympic Games. I like the city and Japan is a fast growing, rich economy which could benefit from this.

[Yucan 0]

Hm

Madrid? London in 2012, so I don't think it'll be Madrid in 2016...

Chicago? As beebs said it, Atlanta in '96, Salt Lake City in '02 and Vancouver in 2010, and you can add LA in '88 to that... but you could read this the other way as well, that they like North America

Rio de Janeiro? Brazil is going to get the 2014 FIFA World Cup and I'm pretty sure Rio will get a few games of those, but that might be a reason against as well as a reason for giving them the Olympics... still, while I love Rio de Janeiro (from distance!), I'm afraid how safe it could possibly be...

Tokyo? Seems quite probable in my eyes, but isn't really my favorite somehow

[lgbrave4life 1]

Originally posted by: Odainsaker

I agree with those who say Madrid and Rio would be great cities to hold the games. However Tokyo has held the olympics twice now(1940&1964) so I think three times would be a liitle to much for one century.quote>

Tokyo was awarded the 1940 games, but as Japan's escalating war in China brought widespread international criticism, the IOC soon stripped Tokyo of the host honor and reawarded the games to Helsinki.  When war then broke out in Europe in 1939, those 1940 Olympic Games for Helsinki were ultimately cancelled.  Hence, Tokyo has only hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, though Kenzo Tange's gymnasiums in Yoyogi along with the Budokan are true marvels.  Ah well, Tokyo gets everything there, anyway...Osaka would be interesting for a change, especially if it could draw from the futuristic wonderlands of Osaka Expo '70 world's fair, another Tange masterpiece.

I will root for Rio de Janeiro, as like others have pointed out, South America has never hosted a Summer Olympics, and with Brazil rising as a major regional and world power, the IOC can't help but take notice.  The Olympics, Copacabana, and Carnivale...I'm there!  Then again, a grand bash in Obamaland would be a choice way to cap out the close of any successful Obama 2-term presidency and the opening of the Hillary era, hehehe.  Still, for Chicago,  I want to see something with the boldness of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

However, I suspect in the end it will really come down to who offers the most amount of upfront money and backdoor guarantees, for like any big organization, the IOC operates under CYA rules.

quote>

The funny part about that is that it's probably true. Especially that Hillary era comment, actually made me laugh. Not my personal favorite outcome for the future but ah well

[your_adress_here 11]

I'm hoping Rio wins, it would be nice to have the games in Brazil, especially since South America hasn't had them yet.

[JakeMD 107]

I hope Chicago doesn't win, so Minneapolis/St. Paul can have it in 2020

[aiumkastarkius 0]

I think Rio should win. There has never been an Olympics in South America, and Africa's just not ready for one. (as several people have already said)

[yamaneko 2]

I grew up about 60 km from the city of Chicago.  It's one of the worlds great cities, and its setting on Lake Michigan is spectacular.  The city is corrupt and probably has been corrupt since Mrs. O'Leary bribed the code inspectors.  Chicagoans tolerate corruption as long as it is competent.  The IOC, for its part, has shown a history of winking at the depredations of the Nazi German, Soviet and Red Chinese governments, so Chicago's mischief barely registers.

My own opinion is that Chicagoans should all have work, access to a good education and safe homes on safe streets before the city even thinks about putting on an Olympics.  The budget is $5 billion, but Beijing's games cost $40 billion and Athens' cost $9 billion (vs. a budget of $2.4 billion).  That can house a lot of homeless, keep a lot of clinics open, give every high-school graduate a free, full-ride scholarship at a state university or simply be given back to the people in the form of a check for $1,800 for every man, woman and child in the city.

[Easy Bakes 253]

I think Rio should get. as others have said South America has never hosted before, and like china  it would be a welcome change to be exposed to other cultures thru sports.

[fukuda 351]

Rio ftw

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Originally posted by: yamaneko The city is corrupt and probably has been corrupt since Mrs. O'Leary bribed the code inspectors. 

quote>

You didn't hear? Mrs. O'Leary was framed. The fire actually started in the home of 'Peg Leg' Sullivan, who fell asleep while smoking in bed. He had started another fire a week or two before the same way. He blamed the poor cow to avoid being lynched. He lived a block or two from the O'Leary home.