Oct 4, 2007 6:16 pm US/Central
U.S. Olympic Head: Chicago Has An Uphill Battle
Peter Ueberroth Says Windy City In 3rd Or 4th Place
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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USOC President Peter Ueberroth said Chicago is currently in third or fourth place behind Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo in the bid for the 2016 Summe Olympics.
CBS
A sober assessment of Chicago's hopes for hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was delivered Thursday by the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Peter Ueberroth told CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine that Chicago is facing an uphill battle.
"We can win, but we're not better than third or fourth right now," Ueberroth said.
He implied Chicago's bid had focused more on venues and logistics than on reaching out to the people who will make the actual decision on who gets the Games.
"It's the relationship with the 100 voters, where they wanna go, who do they like," Ueberroth said.
Ueberroth says right now Chicago trails behind Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo for the 2016 Summer Games.
He said he raised his concerns with Mayor Richard M. Daley in a meeting Thursday and that he is in frequent contact with the committee in Chicago.
"It's not being critical of what we've been doing, but encouraging us to take that next step forward," said Patrick Sandusky of Chicago 2016.
Ueberroth says the impressions of approximately 20 International Olympic Committee voting members, who will be in Chicago for October's World Boxing Championships, as well as reports the boxers take home will be crucial.
But so will the efforts of Americans working abroad.
When asked if Chicago and U.S.-based companies can do more to woo Olympic voters, Ueberroth said, "I think they haven't been given the leadership and direction. But the answer to your question is yes."
"I'm not going to get into agree or disagree with Peter Ueberroth," Sandusky said. "He's the president of the USOC. He has his opinion and he's a very knowledgeable person of the Olympic movement. Our focus is to shift from domestic to international and I think we'll continue to do that."
Ueberroth emphasizes that he's being realistic, not pessimistic. Just like the Cubs, who he's rooted for since growing up in Evanston, Chicago still has time for a comeback.
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