July 2009 Archives

Coming down the homestretch to the October selection of an Olympic host city, Chicago's 2016 bid team is postponing the disclosure of detailed financial information, even as it is coming under increasing pressure to answer questions over how Chicago would pay for a Summer Games.

The private, not-for-profit organization has requested its second three-month extension for its 2008 filing with the IRS, originally due May 15. The team earlier asked for an extension until Aug. 15, and now it will have until Nov. 15 to file the so-called Form 990. The new deadline is a month and a half after the International Olympic Committee votes for a host city Oct. 2, choosing among Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Such filings provide the public with a glimpse into the financial workings of tax-exempt organizations. They detail revenues, expenses, compensation for highest-paid employees and for the top-paid contractors. Chicago Tribune report

Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista donated 13 million reais (some $6.8 million) to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee, with the gift coming a little more than two months before the winning host city is announced.

The billionaire made the donation on Monday, adding to the 10 million reais (some $4.5 million) he gave the organizing effort in April, the Brazilian Olympic Committee said on its Rio 2016 Web site. Latin American Herald Tribune

CHICAGO -- On a recent afternoon, Mayor Richard M. Daley delivered his annual speech on the condition of the city he has run for 20 years. Revenues may fall $250 million short. Some city workers must take 15 unpaid days this year, including Mr. Daley. More than 400 workers were laid off that very afternoon, after talks with two unions collapsed.

In the same address, Mr. Daley pressed forward with the city's efforts to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, which carry an expected $3.3 billion price tag. A decision by the International Olympics Committee is due in October, and Chicago is considered a favorite among the four finalists. New York Times report

Chicago took its first on-the-ground step toward hosting a 2016 Olympics Thursday by awarding the major contracts for demolition of the closed Michael Reese Hospital campus, the proposed site of an athletes' village.

Brandenburg Industrial Service Co. was awarded a contract worth $7.98 million and Heneghan Wrecking Co. won a contract worth $3.19 million.

"This site has to be developed one way or the other--it's a wonderful site for market-rate and affordable housing, and we're moving ahead," Mayor Richard Daley told the Tribune after the contracts were awarded. Chicago Tribune report

John, every time I walk around the Loop and see an Olympic promotional poster that reads "Imagine," I can't help but add the words "the corruption." Your cynicism must be getting to me. Randy M., Chicago

Randy, my man: It's not cynical to imagine the contracts, is it? Just imagine my friend Wings getting the exclusive 2016 Sangria stand deal. Imagine me as I pick up the Olympic Gyros/Celtic Corn franchise and sell Chalkie 2016 T-shirts under the table. I'd cut Chalkie in for a piece, except that he doesn't have fingers to count the cash. Olympic gold? Isn't that what the mayor's dreams are made of? Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass

C3 Presents, the Texas-based promoter of Lollapalooza that has made no secret of its desire to play a role in a potential 2016 Chicago Summer Olympics, will help its own cause and the city's at this year's rock festival Aug. 7-9 in Grant Park.

    The event's biggest stage at the South end of Hutchinson Field will be named the "Chicago 2016 Stage." Previously, that stage had been named after one of the event's biggest sponsors, AT&T. When AT&T pulled out as a sponsor this year, C3 offered the slot to the Chicago 2016 organization for free.

    "We made a decision we want to do whatever we can to help the city get the bid, and keep it out in front of the media" until the International Olympic Committee chooses the 2016 host city in October, said C3 executive Charlie Jones.  Chicago Tribune blog

Mayor Daley today accused unidentified media naysayers of trying to sandbag Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid by reporting testimony from people at neighborhood hearings who don't want the Olympics.

"You're against it. You were against Millennium Park. You were against 911. You were against Soldiers Field. You were against Meigs Field. What else were you against? You're against a lot. But, that's freedom of speech," Daley said.

"Some people don't want this. ... That's part of American democracy. They can stand up and say anything they want. ... But, in the next five years, six years, tell me one [other] thing that can bring jobs and economic opportunities and, besides that, guarantee an investment by the federal government [of] billions of dollars in infrastructure. If you have something better, I'd love to see it."

Chicago Sun-Times report

Last year, Chicago 2016, the non-profit organization vying to bring the Olympics here, had an informational booth at Lollapalooza near the entrance of the concert in the center of Grant Park, close to other public-service groups trumpeting voter registration and saving the environment.

Meanwhile, AT&T's corporate logo seemed to be everywhere concertgoers turned.

This year, Chicago's initiative to land the Olympics and Paralympic games will replace AT&T as the name atop the main stage at the southern end of Hutchinson Field when the festival takes place from Aug. 7 to 9. But unlike the old "presenting sponsor," Chicago 2016 won't be paying for the privilege. Chicago Sun-Times blog

US President, Barack Obama, was able to win the largely white American voters to become the first black president in the history of the United States of America.

Now, Obama is begging African voters to vote for his city Chicago as it bid to host the 2016 Olympics. news report

Tokyo seems to have the indisputable lead amongst the four remaining candidate cities. Some call Tokyo the undeniable front-runner in the race to secure the rights to host the 2016 Olympics. Yet Tokyo is not without a myriad of problems that may undermine its bid. It will be interesting to see how these different factors will play out when the IOC announces the host city on October 2. OhmyNews report

NBC plans to be at the negotiating table to bid for rights to televise the 2014 and 2016 Olympics despite the U.S. Olympic Committee's decision to build a competing Olympic network.

NBC spokesman Brian Walker said Sunday that nothing had changed in the network's intentions to bid for the games.

Because of the rough economy, the International Olympic Committee has postponed the bidding for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, likely until after the 2016 Games are awarded in October. Associated Press

 The IOC and the USOC were already squabbling about the USOC's share of sponsorship and broadcast revenue: the IOC wants to reduce the funds flowing to the U.S., while the Americans are resisting. Both sides, however, had agreed to put those negotiations aside until after the 2016 decision was finalized. Now all tensions are back on the table.

The IOC is a famously isolated, self-important organization whose members do not like to be slighted. Competition for hosting rights is fierce: a city needs a majority of the 107 members to vote in its favor to win. One ballot can tip the balance, and this new dustup could alter a member's decision. "This is an absolutely unnecessary self-inflicted wound," says Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based sports-business consultant who has closely followed the 2016 bid. "It just serves to remind the IOC of their preconceived notion that the Americans are arrogant and self-serving."   Time magazine report

LONDON, Jul 12: Jacques Rogge has cautioned that too much significance should not necessarily be attached to the potential of the Obama Effect in the 2016 Olympics hosting race between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

The president of the International Olympic Committee was answering a question about the value of high-level political involvement in the lobbying process.

This was prompted by memories of the crucial role played by the then British Prime Minster, Tony Blair, in the days and hours before London was granted host rights by the IOC in Singapore in 2005.

Rogge, in a BBC Radio Five interview, was asked about the power of the United States President to sway hearts and minds of IOC members on behalf of his home city of Chicago.

He countered: "What is most important is that the evaluation commission has told us that all four cities could stage perfect Games and this means that, whatever the result the IOC will be the winner. Sports Features Communications

It some Olympic venues and major byways, a kind of martial law has been imposed. There are roadblocks and checkpoints and cops asking to see your ID. 

You stop by a coffee shop in Geneva to get a double latte. Standing in in line in front of you is the famous weightlifter from Russia and a skinny marathon runner from Kenya.

"It will be bizarro world ... but in a good way," said Sue Klinkhamer, former Mayor of St. Charles, describing the Olympic experience she anticipates if Chicago does indeed get the 2016 Olympics. Chronicle report

NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, one of the most influential players in the Olympic world, blames the United States Olympic Committee for jeopardizing Chicago's chances to win the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"The only thing that can cost Chicago the Games is continuing squabbles between the two parties," Ebersol said Friday via telephone, referring to the latest quarrel between the USOC and the International Olympic Committee.

"And this one clearly is all on the USOC, no two ways about it." Chicago Tribune report

When Chicago 2016 organizers held a forum to address concerns about taxpayer exposure to the cost of the Games, they got a surprise result: People seemed more focused on jobs.

That's fine for now, the economy dire as it is. But it's best not to lose sight of money as Mayor Richard Daley and Olympics boosters put billions of taxpayer dollars potentially on the line in bidding for the 2016 Games.

Of course, Daley and his bid backers would prefer we not see it that way. Chicago Tribune report

The Chicago Tribune has obtained a copy of the letter sent by the International Olympic Committee to the U.S. Olympic Committee, in which the IOC advised the USOC to hold off on its announcement of a U.S. Olympic Network scheduled to launch in 2010 as a cable TV channel. Philip Hersh's Globtrotting blog

Just as Chicago tries to ride out one storm buffeting its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, it could face another problem: possible backlash from a money-related dispute between the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

"I don't see how this can help," IOC Executive Board member Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico said via telephone Wednesday.

This week, Chicago's 2016 Olympic boosters unveiled a plan to meet with residents of all 50 wards in an effort to rebuild support in the wake of a controversy sparked last month when Mayor Richard Daley said he would sign a host-city agreement placing full financial responsibility for any losses on the city. Chicago Tribune report

DENVER (AP) -- The U.S. Olympic Committee's venture into the TV business is irritating some international Olympic leaders -- not exactly the reaction the Americans were expecting when they decided to create a network solely devoted to promoting the movement.

The USOC unveiled details Wednesday of the network it is forming with Comcast. The announcement came two days after International Olympic Committee television director Timo Lumme sent the USOC a letter warning that the federation might not receive all the clearance it wanted for programming and naming rights.

The USOC leadership, meanwhile, had no intention of antagonizing the IOC, with which it has a touchy relationship that has become more relevant with Chicago vying to host the 2016 Olympics. Associated Press

Mayor Daley's Olympic team will hold a series of public meetings around the city in the wake of the erosion of public support for the proposed 2016 Olympics following the city's open-ended financial guarantee.

Working with local aldermen, public meetings are being scheduled so that residents in all of the city's 50 Wards can meet with the Chicago 2016 organizing committee, aldermen and even Olympic athletes, to talk about the city's bid for the Summer Games. Chicago Sun-Times report

A new music video mocking Mayor Daley and the city's 2016 Olympics bid is making the rounds this week.

Good King Rich was recorded by the Blue State Cowboys and is dedicated to the International Olympic Committee, which is just months from naming Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo or Chicago as the host the 2016 games.

Songwriter Matt Farmer, a Chicago lawyer who plays music-- both serious and satirical--as a hobby, said he wrote the tune late last month, after Daley promised the IOC that he would sign a contract guaranteeing financial responsibility for the Games. Huffington Post

LONDON -- Less than three months before the vote, the four candidates for the 2016 Olympics took their campaign to the African continent Tuesday -- including a video message from President Barack Obama renewing his support for Chicago's bid.

Bid teams from Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo made key presentations to the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa in Abuja, Nigeria. It was the last chance for the cities to publicly showcase their bids before the final presentations and IOC vote in Copenhagen on Oct. 2. AP report in USA Today

PARIS -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insists that now is the right time for a South American country to host its first Olympics.
Rio de Janeiro is competing against Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo for the 2016 games, with the IOC to select the host city on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen.

"We can't accept the idea that the Olympics Games belong exclusively to the rich countries," Silva said Tuesday through an interpreter at the Brazilian Embassy in Paris.

Silva believes that "the Olympics in a European country, in Japan, or in the United States of America is quite simply just one more Olympic Games" while holding the event in South America would be a refreshing change. USA TODAY

Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid team will unveil another video appeal by President Barack Obama when it makes its pitch to African sports leaders Tuesday, underscoring the importance of that continent as the Oct. 2 host city vote draws near.

In a two-minute message crafted for this gathering, Obama says, "I see the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an opportunity for America to reach out and renew our bonds of friendship around the world -- to welcome the world to our shores with open arms.

"And I very much hope we will have the chance to extend that hand of Olympic friendship to all of you in Africa today." Chicago Tribune report

When former UN Ambassador Andrew Young thinks back to how Atlanta clinched the 1996 Olympics, one word comes to mind: Africa.

"We got them to vote for us in a bloc, on the grounds that we were an African city, that it was not our fault we were brought to America as slaves," the civil rights leader and co-chairman of Atlanta's bid told the Tribune. "If it hadn't been for the African bloc, we could've gone out on the first ballot."

Though Chicago and Atlanta are different cities, and geopolitical circumstances have shifted since Atlanta's win in 1990, the Southern city's experience holds critical lessons for Chicago as it heads to Nigeria this week for its fifth and final pitch to a continental athletic gathering:

Chicago Tribune report

Transit riders already have a choice of Red, Green, Blue, Brown, Orange, Yellow, Pink and Purple Lines, but a coalition of South Side activists also would like commuters to go for the Gold.

Underserved by rapid transit, residents there would benefit from a proposed "Gold Line," an innovative hybrid of both Metra and the CTA, according to Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, or SOUL. Chicago Tribune report

Abuja -- As cities intensify campaign to get the nod of member nations to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Tokyo 2016, Dr, Ichiro Kono yesterday appealed for support from African countries, saying Tokyo will give the world the best in 2016.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Kono who is also the Executive Board Member of Japanese Olympic Committee explained that the candidate city has great and compact plans to deliver the best Olympic Games in history.

According to him, the Tokyo Olympic Stadium will provide modern and high quality facilities for participating athletes at the games, just as transportation and accommodation facilities are being put in place for the global sports jamboree. Allafrica.com