Chicago 2016 gives glimpse plan
Organizers of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games lifted the curtain a bit Tuesday on what they'll show members of the International Olympic Committee when they come next month to put the city through a white-glove inspection.
For about two hours, organizers told members of the media about the planned venue tour and the briefings they'll hold for the committee charged with selecting a host city for the Games.
Planners played things pretty close to the vest -- not, for example, disclosing where the city will hold the big cultural event that each city is allowed.
"We're the first city giving our presentation," said spokesman Patrick Sandusky, referring to upcoming IOC tours of Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. "We're not going to give too much away."
But they gave the media a glimpse of some things they hope will impress the committee.
They played a short film that takes viewers on an aerial tour of the city in which venues such as the Olympic stadium and the tennis center in Lincoln Park that don't yet exist magically materialize.
As the narrator -- who will be actor and Chicagoan William Petersen when the IOC sees the film -- trumpets the city, viewers see bright blue skies, a sparkling lake, gleaming skyscrapers and absolutely no traffic jams.
Reporters also watched a planning session for a presentation on the history of the city. There, front and center, was the 1933 World's Fair.
"Construction began in 1929 and then the stock market collapsed and the country fell into the Great Depression," read Valerie Barker Waller, director of marketing for Chicago 2016. "But Chicago's business and philanthropic leaders stepped forward and contributed $27 million to the fair -- the equivalent of $340 million in today's dollars."
The message was clear: These may be terrible economic times around the globe, but Chicago can host a huge international event because it has done so in the past.
Organizers took reporters to Soldier Field, which would be a soccer venue, to drive home a point that they've been making for months: "They will be able to see from here exactly how compact our games really are," said Bob Berland, a Chicago 2016 board member and an 1984 Olympic silver medalist in judo.
Just south of the stadium, IOC members will not only be able to see McCormick Place, the site of several events, but also the spot where the Olympic Village would be built. And, Berland said, just to the east they can see the planned site of both beach volleyball and whitewater rafting.
But perhaps as important is that the view reveals just how close visitors to the games will be to such cultural destinations as the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park, Berland said.
"That is unprecedented in Olympic competition," he said.
The visit will take place in early April, with IOC members taking the venue tour on April 6.
It follows the recent conclusion by GamesBids.com, a Web site focusing on the Olympic selection process, that Chicago is in last place in a tight race for the games.
Sandusky dismissed the findings, mentioning factors like the upcoming visits and an analysis of the cities' bid books, which are detailed answers to an IOC questionnaire.
"We don't believe the IOC would be swayed by the rankings of pundits," he said.