Chicago mayor heads for Turkey to promote city
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley will head for Turkey later this week to promote Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Daley will fly to Istanbul on Thursday for a meeting of the European Olympic Committee. Chicago 2016 Chairman Pat Ryan is already in Istanbul.
The International Olympic Committee is divided into five regions. Ryan says it's not critical that a government leader be at each regional meeting. But it's important to attend some of them.
In a telephone interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Ryan said the timing of Chicago's European pitch could not be better. It comes just weeks after former Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was elected president.
The IOC will meet in Copenhagen on Oct. 2, 2009 to choose between Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.