Olympics 2016

Daley Pushes For Chicago In 2016 Olympic Bid

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Fresh from the Beijing Olympics, Mayor Daley likes Chicago's chances for hosting the 2016 games. He went one-on-one with CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine about how the Windy City can win over IOC voters overseas as well as skeptics here at home.

In Washington Park Friday night, neighbors enjoyed a nice summer night on the spot where the Olympic stadium would be built if Chicago gets the 2016 games. They have mixed feelings about it.

"I think it'll be a good thing for the neighborhood," said Esmeralda Torres.

"I think it would bring a lot of revenue in the short term, but in the long term it will displace a lot of residents," said Laura Satkamp.

"No one takes any homes, we're not taking any homes," said Mayor Daley. "Where'd they get that?"

The Mayor says building venues in city parks will displace no one and minority-owned businesses will benefit from a share of all the contracts.

But first, Chicago has to beat out three other bidders. The Mayor's sales pitch at gatherings like the reception for the International Press Corps was simple.

"I want to make sure that when you come there, everything seen in Beijing, London, Athens - we're gonna do better," Daley said.

He also met with IOC members whose votes will be crucial.

"A lot of them had some contact, a lot of them were excited about the bid process, about the beauty of Chicago," Daley said.

2016 CEO Pat Ryan, in a video blog from Beijing posted today, talked about taking those voters through the Chicago's exhibit there. 

A new video introduced this week and distributed to IOC members helps tell Chicago's story. Mayor Daley admits that Beijing raised the bar for all future Olympic cities.

"Thank God we're not 2012, it's London. And I met all my counterparts in London, I said, 'you have lot of pressure on you.'"

They'll have a lot of pressure, but no one expects a repeat of Beijing, which will go down as the most expensive Olympics ever. And while London's budget also appears to be spiraling out of control, Daley still maintains that Chicago will not break the bank.

Despite leaving an impressive legacy - a new lakefront neighborhood, new park district sports venues and an upgraded mass transit system – Daley sees 2016 as win-win for Chicago.

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