Chicago, Tokyo hand bid books over to IOC

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Chicago and Tokyo submitted their official bid books to the International Olympic Committee on Thursday for the 2016 Summer Games.

Madrid and Rio de Janeiro delivered their documents on Wednesday, meaning all four candidates met the deadline of midnight Thursday.

The documents, which run into hundreds of pages and are spread over several volumes, provide detailed answers to a questionnaire from the IOC about all facets of the bids, including budgets, sports venues, government guarantees, hotel accommodation, security and transportation.

Bid leaders plan to release the documents publicly on Friday at news conferences in the candidate cities.

The IOC will select the host city by secret ballot on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen.

Chicago's bid book was submitted by Stuart Owen Rankin, grandson of Olympic great Jesse Owens, winner of four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games. The 42-year-old Rankin also visited the Olympic museum where his grandfather's running shoes are displayed.

Chicago is aiming to bring the Summer Olympics to the U.S. for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Games. New York failed in its bid for the 2012 Olympics, which went to London. Chicago's bid, supported by President Barack Obama, proposes centering the games along the city's scenic lakefront.

Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, says it has already secured $4 billion to fund construction of venues, saying it is best positioned to weather the global economic downturn.

The IOC evaluation commission, chaired by executive board member Nawal El Moutawakel, will study the bid files and visit the four cities. The panel will first go to Chicago from April 4-7, followed by stops in Tokyo from April 16-19, Rio from April 29-May 2 and Madrid from May 5-8.

The commission will issue a report assessing the bids a month before the Copenhagen vote.