Apr 14, 2007 12:16 am US/Central
Fate Of City's Olympic Bid To Be Decided Saturday
City Officials Tout Security, Diversity As Best Features
by Jay Levine
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
After months of hard work Chicago is about to see if its Olympic bid will pay off. The U.S. Olympic Committee decision is just hours away.
Mayor Daley leaving a news conference late Friday afternoon ran into his Los Angeles counterpart, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
In a last-minute move, Los Angeles upped its financial guarantees for the Games.
Despite that, Daley said he was left with a good feeling after the last-minute preparations and rehearsals.
Both sides rehearsed their final arguments. Each team has six presenters whose presentations will be followed by the report by the USOC's Site Selection Commission.
"At the end of the day this has been a very competitive process and we have two cities that could host a great Olympic games," said Jim Scherr, CEO of the USOC.
"We feel very confident, quietly so," Villaraigosa said of his city's chances.
"We're not cocky," said Pat Ryan, Chicago 2016 CEO. "We're confident that we have a great, great bid."
And Friday night Paralympics gold medalist and was one-time world record-holder Linda Mastandrea was excited at the prospect of helping make Chicago's case to the USOC.
"My message is that Chicago is home and I can't think of a better place for the 2016 games to be than Chicago," Mastandrea said.
She and the five other members of the Chicago team rehearsed their 40 minute presentation Friday.
"We are supremely ready," Mastandrea said.
Ready, but maybe a bit nervous.
"If you don't have butterflies, you're not ready," Ryan said.
U.S. Olympic chief Peter Ueberroth will preside over the closed door presentations by the two cities. Los Angeles has a proud track record of well-run, profitable games and facilities already in place. But Chicago, a fresh face with a bold new plan, has clearly impressed Olympic leaders.
For Ed Hula and his Web site, AroundTheRings.com, it's all Olympics all the time, and has been for nine years.
"I think the edge still goes to Chicago slightly," Hula said.
He has watched the Chicago bid take shape from a vision to videos, from ideas to animation, now approaching Saturday's final presentation.
"When you look at these cities side by side, I think you'll be able to see Los Angeles has the experience, but on the other hand, Chicago has a very practical bid," Hula said.
"For example in the last month, the way mayor and city respond to the request for financial guarantees. I think Chicago has a very strong reputation of being able to get done what it sets out to do," Hula said.
And, Daley said Chicago is a city solidly behind the bid.
"Just people walking down the street saying we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it – it's really exciting," he said.
"The people who will be ambassadors for the Chicago bid, we're not really part of the committee, but are really committed having Chicago be the host city," Ryan said.
Daley will be joined in presenting by his brother Bill, the former U.S. Commerce Secretary.
Another Daley will be waiting back in Chicago.
"I really hope that we get it," said the mayor's wife, Maggie. "We're all very hopeful. It would be a wonderful opportunity for the city and for everybody.
If Olympic officials are convinced Chicago can deliver on its promises – and it appears they are – the final, determining issue is, who can attract the international support needed, and who has a better plan to try and get it?
The announcement on which U.S. city won this contest will come at 3 p.m. Chicago time.
The U.S. city that wins the bid will go on to compete with other cities around the world to host the 2016 games. The winner will be announced in 2009.
SATURDAY: CBS 2 and
cbs2chicago.com will carry the U.S. Olympic Committee's city selection announcement live, beginning at 3 p.m.
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