Olympics 2016

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Mayor Richard M. Daley put a lot of effort into getting to this day, decision day for the 2016 Summer Olympics. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot takes a look back at the steps the mayor took to secure Chicago's bid.

On May 10, 2006, Daley stood with U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman and Evanston native Peter Ueberroth and the Chairman of the Olympic Exploratory Committee, Pat Ryan.

"We wouldn't be having this meeting, if we didn't think Chicago has much to offer the Olympics and the Olympics has a lot to offer the City of Chicago," Daley said.

Five months after that meeting, the mayor unveiled the Chicago 2016 logo: a flame, reminiscent of the city's skyline and a torch symbolizing the blue/green water of the Windy City's lakefront. Maps, charts, models and blueprints also gave a glimpse of what an Olympic transformation in Chicago, would look like.

Ultimately, the city was told it would have to change its original logo because bid cities are forbidden from infringing on Olympics copyrights such as the torch and the Olympic rings. Chicago chose a new logo: a white star – shaped like the stars on the city's flag – over three multicolored bands of light.

Days after the original logo unveiling, Daley was in China. He had a firsthand look at how China, was preparing for the 2008 Olympic games. He saw construction of China's Olympic Stadium, nicknamed "The Bird's Nest."

The mayor also saw what it takes to build a stadium that would seat 91-thousand people. Workers were building around the clock. They even lived in pre-fabricated housing units at the site, to get the job done.

"The Olympic Village, the Olympic sites, housing, infrastructure, all that; before, it was never talked about. Before, they came, it was like the circus coming in town, and left," said Daley.

The mayor also visited Greece and London, to get more Olympic insight. Both countries have been bid winners.

Less than a year after his visit to London, Mayor Daley got the news he'd been waiting for. The United States applicant city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be Chicago.

Then, in June of 2008, the celebrating continued. Chicago was now among the final four, with Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro vying to host the 2016 Summer Games.

In April 2009, Olympic evaluators spent several days in Chicago touring the city by bus and looking at all of the possible sites for the Olympic Games.

Then in June, the Chicago 2016 team traveled to Switzerland for another pitch in front of the International Olympic Committee. That's where the Mayor made one big misstep. He promised to foot the bill for any losses.

As soon as he got home, the mayor apologized and persuaded the City Council to sign off on the financial guarantee, with their oversight. The city council later voted 49-0 after the Civic Federation said the city's financial plan was sound and the bid team secured extra private insurance.

The unanimous vote means the city will pay for any cost overruns with the help of a $1 billion insurance policy. Observers say it was a critical step for Chicago.

Last week, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted an Olympic rally at the White House. Mayor Daley was there too. The event was an effort to show U.S. support for Chicago's bid.

Two days before the winning bid announcement, Mrs. Obama arrived in Copenhagen.

"We've got a lot of work to do, so we're not taking anything for granted, so I'm going to go talk to some voters," Mrs. Obama said.

Adding more star power to Chicago's Olympic bid dream team was talk show host Oprah Winfrey. "Well, I think we're going to be meeting with some of the delegates tomorrow, and have some conversations and tell them how great we are and why, there really is, no other choice," Winfrey said.

President Obama flew to Copenhagen Thursday night, and presented the the closing remarks of Chicago's final presentation to the IOC on Friday morning. Many observers have said his decision to personally lobby for the Olympics could be just what Chicago needs to win a tight race for to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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