Jul 14, 2007 8:24 pm US/Central
Mayor Daley Tours Rio's Pan Am Game Facilities
Chicago Group Toured Several Pan Ams Venues And Took Note Of The Infrastructure Required To Put On The Olympic Games
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CBS) ―
The Pan American Games are now underway in Rio de Janeiro, but unless they're checking out the games themselves, most tourists might not be able to tell.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent reports from Rio de Janeiro where Mayor Richard M. Daley and members of the U.S. Olympic Committee as they get a firsthand look at the competition
It was just a normal Saturday along Rio's spectacular 20-mile-long white sand playground. Even with the Pan Am Games' swimming events being contested just offshore, the games did little to alter most Cariocans' weekend routine of surfing, sunbathing and playing games that are a cross between volleyball and soccer.
Even Mayor Daley caught the fever. He told CBS 2, he biked along the beach early Saturday morning. By mid-morning, though, he and 2016 Olympics CEO Pat Ryan were touring the facilities for the Pan Am Games to see how it stacked up against Chicago's plans.
"I think they've done it very well," said Ryan. "Nice balconies; see some athletes sitting in the sun, their flags, pretty nice."
Ryan said his group was most impressed by the athletes village, which is magnificently landscaped, with fountains and swimming pools and small parks. The village will be turned into residential housing after the Pan Ams, just as Chicago plans to do with its athletes village after the 2016 Olympics.
The main concerns about Rio's bid for 2016 -- and its ability to stage the Pan Ams -- have been traffic issues, technical woes and violence.
Ryan said the Brazilians have done well in moving the crowds around, and that security is a major topic for any such event, no matter where it is held. He also compared Rio to Chicago in one key aspect.
"Because Rio has not held a major event like this in a long time, just as Chicago has not in terms of a multifaceted event, they have to prove they are capable of delivering," Ryan said. "This [Pan Am Games] is half the size of the Olympics, and it reinforces what we have heard about the importance of logistics and seeing what a multifaceted enterprise this is. You are really in the service business, providing services to the Olympic family, the media, hundreds of thousands of spectators. It's all about the experience and it's important that the athletes be able to perform at the highest level."
The games began Friday night. The opening ceremonies crowd booed the president of Brazil. Daley, who was there watching, said that'll never happen to him because his father was never introduced at a sporting event.
"I take that position, "said Daley. "Even in the United States they don't like politicians to be introduced."
Daley's personal policy may include never being introduced at a sporting event, but he didn't have to be introduced to the number of Chicagoans that were in Brazil, including the U.S. team's so-called "chef de mission," Manuel Labored.
"No cooking involved yet. But just about everything else," he said. "The chef de mission position is involved with the well-being of the delegation."
That well-being extended from housing to facilities to transportation for U.S. athletes like race walker Jolene Moore of Northbrook, who also competed in the Pan Am Cup in Rio in April.
She's excited about Chicago's Olympic bid.
"It would be awesome to stay at home and to compete in front of the U.S. crowds," said Moore.
After day one of the Pan Am Games, U.S. swimmers go home with the gold for the men's and women's open water marathon and the Chicago 2016 team prepares to leave with valuable experience for a marathon of its own.
The process of bidding for the Olympics is almost as complicated as staging them or any other multisport event. Chicago; Rio; Madrid; Doha, Qatar; Tokyo; and Baku, Azerbaijan, are the bidders. The IOC will pick a host city in 2009.
One key U.S. Olympic Committee figure, Bob Ctvrtlik, vice president, international, and a former Olympic gold medalist, sees nothing but benefits from the Chicago contingent's visit. He also dismisses any suggestion that bid cities can give away secrets or discover a magic potion during such fact-finding journeys.
"The focus for Chicago is maybe learning how Chicago needs to tweak their plan, and we'll work on the competition later," Ctvrtlik said. "Take the lessons they learn here and move forward.
"To walk around the village and see the needs of the different constituent groups and the extensive demands of transportation is a good thing for Chicago to see. Once again, the Olympics are not like having a championship football game. It's 28 world championships at one time."
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