Olympics 2016

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Members of the International Olympic Committee are in town at last, and the Chicago 2016 committee is going out of their way to make sure the IOC sees the best Chicago has to offer.

The first three members, Mounir Sabet of Egypt, former Russian swimmer Alexander Popov, and the Commission Chair Nawal El Moutawakel of Morrocco, arrived Thursday afternoon.

Meetings and greetings like the one at O'Hare will be private, so there won't be any interviews and access will be limited.

"Mayor Daley and Pat Ryan were there to greet the chairwoman and the evaluation commission as they exited the plane to welcome them to our great city," said Chicago Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino.

The Mayor rode back into the city with the chairwoman of the commission who will be evaluating candidates' Olympic plans for the second time.

She headed the group which leaned toward Paris for 2012, but in the end, the voters chose London. The commission can sway voters, which is why they are getting the motorcade treatment. The group was welcomed with signs at O'Hare and billboards along the way to a city decked out in all its Olympic finery.

Signs of the city getting ready for the special guests have been visible all around downtown. Early Thursday morning, the city's skyline also cheered the bid. On the CNA Center, 333 S. Wabash Ave., inside lights were turned on in the pattern of the Chicago Olympic symbol.

 Complete Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Book (.pdf)

The Olympic Evaluation Commission is staying at the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Dr., and it's where they will hear Chicago's pitch in a room that's now off-limits to everyone except bid team members who spent Wednesday awaiting the arrival of 13 very influential IOC members.

The motorcade's arrival at the Fairmont downtown was like a head of state. Cameras were kept back and all interaction was limited.

Popov, the multiple gold medal winning swimmer, entered the hotel where they will work and stay for the next five days. Far from demonstrations like the one which ringed the perimeter of City Hall today where police, angry about stalled contract negotiations, blasted the mayor's focus on 2016.

"He's more concerned with these Olympics. [He] should be taking care of guys who put their lives on the line," said one of the officers protesting. 

The fact is commission members are used to protests. Just four years ago, there were huge demonstrations. There was a general strike in Paris when the commission visited and the French capital still ended up at the top of its list. Of course, you know how that story ended. IOC voters chose London instead.

"You can't help but be affected if people are throwing rocks at your bus, for example," said Bob Ctvrtlik, an official with the USOC. "But whether there are some picket signs or not or someone's saying one thing as you come into a hotel -- that's not really going to affect their evaluation."

The city is also pulling out its most famous celebrities.

The latest video features an appearance by Michael Jordan, who was himself an Olympian in 1984 and 1992 on the American basketball "dream team."

"The Olympic spirit is alive in Chicago," Jordan said in the video. "We're ready."

Chicago 2016 Chairman Pat Ryan had been saying for years that Jordan was behind the bid. But this was his first appearance in a Chicago 2016 video.

The IOC will see that video and participate in 17 pitch meetings over the next two days.

On Sunday, committee members will get a tour of the places Chicago has chosen for the athletic events and lodging.

"They're going to see how close they really are; how easy they are to get to – the venues, to get to, and how close the village is," Ryan said. "They're going to look at that village site and say, 'This makes a lot of sense for a new development.'"

Chicago is the first of four cities to host evaluation teams. Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro are also competing for the 2016 Games. The IOC will pick a city on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Daley says he is getting a little concerned about going first, because the other cities will have an opportunity to observe Chicago's presentation and improve upon it.
 
Meanwhile, some people held protests to coincide with the Olympic Committee's arrival. One group, No Games Chicago, is organizing a rally on West Madison Street, to show that they don't want the 2016 Games. The organization expects as many as 2,000 people to attend.

Another group is protesting for guarantees of a fair share of contracts at Olympic sites.

Separately, Chicago Police officers represented by the Fraternal Order of Police are also picketing. Their complaints are not with the Olympic Games themselves, but rather that they have been working without a new contract and without pay raises since 2007. Some officers are also angry with Mayor Richard M. Daley and believe the mayor did not treat seriously their "no-confidence" vote in Superintendent Jody Weis.

CBS 2's Joanie Lum, Chief Correspondent Jay Levine, and Vince Gerasole contributed to this report.

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

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