Sep 30, 2009 11:21 am US/Central
Mrs. Obama Hits Ground Running In Copenhagen
First Lady To Start Pitch To IOC Voters
COPENHAGEN (CBS) ―
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First Lady Michelle Obama arrives in Copenhagen to lead Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid.
CBS
First Lady Michelle Obama hit the ground running for the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid after she landed in Copenhagen early Wednesday morning.
Mrs. Obama got off a plane in Denmark about 4:30 a.m. Chicago time. She quickly greeted Mayor Richard M. Daley, his wife Maggie, and other local officials and 2016 Committee members.
She joked briefly with NBA Hall-of-Famer David Robinson, suggesting they may be related since her maiden name is Robinson.
She also spoke briefly with CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine and other reporters.
"I'm so happy to be here. I am so excited. We've got a lot of work to do, so we're not taking anything for granted," Mrs. Obama said, "so I'm going to talk to some voters."
She planned to talk to the IOC voters about Chicago's plans for the Olympics. She plans to tout it as an athlete-centric plan, emphasizing the athletes, the ease of getting around, and the sports venues all very close together.
She talked about what she was going to tell the IOC voters when she saw them.
"Chicago is a wonderful host city – great people, great facilities, it knows about sports, and the hospitality is like no other," she said, "and it's a city that works really well."
On Wednesday night, Mrs. Obama mingled with Chicago 2016 Bid Committee members during a welcome reception set up by Mayor Daley.
Also leaving for Copenhagen Wednesday is Gov. Pat Quinn. He is paying for the trip with his own checkbook to help convince the IOC that Chicago is the place to be.
Quinn believes the Olympics will help create jobs around Chicago and the surrounding areas.
Also arriving Wednesday was Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who also addressed reporters.
There now appears to be a spat brewing between candidate nations Brazil and Spain, after Spanish Olympic Committee vice president Jose Maria Odriozola reportedly called Rio de Janeiro "the worst bid" of the four candidates.
The Rio 2016 Olympics bid team issued a formal complaint with the IOC, calling the comments "totally unacceptable."
Ironically, just several days ago, there was talk of collusion between Rio and Madrid, with one promising to vote for the other if it was knocked out.
Chicago was also the subject of an ethics complaint by the Rio 2016 team, after Mayor Daley said hosting the World Cup, as Rio will in 2014, is not the same as hosting the Olympics. The Rio team said the comment constituted a criticism of their bid, which is not allowed by the IOC.
Earlier Wednesday, Levine went on a two-mile run with the Chicago delegation through the streets of Copenhagen. He talked with Brazilian soccer great Pelé about Michael Jordan's failure to appear in Copenhagen.
Pelé said he would die for his country, and if his country asked him to come for the Olympics, he would do it. He said while Jordan probably has his reasons for not coming, he should have come to Copenhagen for the final pitch.
When Friday comes around, President Barack Obama will conclude the presentation.
The final decision about whether Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo will get the 2016 Games will come just before noon Chicago time on Friday.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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