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CBS 2's Jay Levine, Kristyn Hartman, Derrick Blakley and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (CBS) ― A fired-up Mayor Richard Daley told thousands of people gathered in Daley Plaza that everyone will be an ambassador for the Olympics to help Chicago win the 2016 Summer Games.

The Mayor's Office of Special Events says 5,000 people gathered at the downtown plaza for a lunch-hour rally to celebrate Chicago's successful quest to become the U.S. Olympic Committee's bid city for the 2016 Games.

"I think it's great because it actually gives the world a chance to see what Chicago has to offer," said Beverly resident Rick Gervin, who attended the event.

Daley, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Sen.Barack Obama all spoke to the cheering crowd.

"I know its not til 2016, but I should be back from Washington by then and so I can't wait to be back home in 2016 and say one thing: Let the Games begin," Obama said.

The USOC on Saturday chose Chicago over Los Angeles to represent America in the international competition.

The city's next task is to persuade the International Olympic Committee that it deserves to be the host. Other expected bidders include Madrid, Prague, Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. The IOC will award the Games in October 2009.

U.S. Olympic Committee officials cited Mayor Daley's passion for the bid as one of the reasons for selecting the Windy City. That passion was obvious when Daley literally jumped out of his seat as the announcement was made.

"I didnt know much about the Olympic movement but when they announced that [Chicago had won] I jumped off my seat just like everybody else did," Daley said. "It didnt matter who you were. We said yes and we did it."

CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine said the media even seemed to play a role in the decision as six TV cameras from Chicago TV stations and a host of Chicago newspaper reporters attended the announcement, but no L.A. TV stations attended, apparently showing L.A.'s lack of enthusiasm for hosting the 2016 Summer Games.

The mayor visited two Chicago schools on Monday to thank students who sent letters to the USOC in support of Chicago's bid. At Burley Elementary School in the Lakeview neighborhood, a Chicago alderman introduced Daley as a "gold medalist of government."

Daley thanked students for helping the Olympic effort. "You put us over the hurdle and I just want to thank all the students," the mayor said. "The Olympic movement is about kids and the future."

"We knew we did our best in making that presentation. It wasn't just words, it was more than that. It was the emotion," Daley added.

The mayor also visited Dunbar Vocational High School on the South Side later Monday, where he encouraged students to get involved with the Olympic push.

"I need your help because during this whole process we have to compete against great cities," Daley said. "It's all about competition. It's all about bringing out the best of Chicago ... What I want to show is the best of the young people here."

Chicago has to secure 60 world votes, and the competition to host the 2016 summer games is fierce. Cities such as Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Tokyo and Prague also want the honor.

Daley will also attend a celebration at Washington Park Monday afternoon, where Chicago's proposed Olympic stadium would be built.

After today's city celebration, the push to win over the International Olympic Committee really begins in earnest.

Ryan, the architect of the city's bid, said he "couldn't be more excited" that Chicago will be the American candidate for the 2016 Olympics.

He said the city's effort has "captured the imagination of all ages," noting that he has gotten letters from many students who want to be a part of the organizing efforts or participate in the games themselves.

Ryan said the fact that Chicago won the vote to present the U.S. bid was a big surprise, even to leaders of the USOC.

"I don't think everybody really knew, including the man holding the envelope," Ryan said. "I definitely think it was a surprise ... I don't think anybody really knew coming out of there what was going to be the decision ... thank God it went our way."

Although Ryan said he is excited to celebrate the city's bid, he won't be celebrating for long. "That's the key. We're celebrating for a very brief period of time," Ryan said.

The push to convince the International Olympic Committee to choose Chicago will begin right away.

"We're starting right now," Ryan said, adding that he will leave for Beijing this weekend to take a look at that city's preparations for the 2008 Olympics.

"We've had a very creative and bold approach," Ryan said. "We're just going to keep that same thing going."

"The key thing is people want to help us. We have ambassadors all around the world who love Chicago," Ryan added.

Chicago's committee also has a number of former Olympians supporting their push.

Bob Berland, who won a silver medal in Judo in the 1984 Summer Olympics in L.A., compared winning the U.S. bid for the 2016 Olympics to making a national Olympics team. "Now we're on the Olympic team and now we've got to make our push," Berland said.

Asked if he feels any pressure to change the international perception of the U.S. in making their bid, Berland said, "I don't feel that it's going to be us that changes their minds ... what we have to do is present this non-political event … in the true spirit of what it's intended to be ... hopefully we become a catalyst in the goodwill process that the Olympics represents."

Fellow Olympian Michael Conley Sr., a former Olympic track and field athlete, said he is confident Chicago has a bid prepared that can win the international competition.

"I know only one way to compete and that is compete to win," Conley said. "We've got this thing."

Though Conley set a record in the triple jump in the 1992 Summer Olympics, he said he was more nervous awaiting word of whether Chicago would be the American candidate for the 2016 Games.

"By far, because at that moment I had no control over the outcome," Conley said. "It was out of our control at that point."

Officials know landing the games could have far-reaching benefits.

Experts say the Olympics could bring a $4 billion to $6 billion boon to Chicago, but Daley said the desire to host the Olympics is not about money. "We want to showcase America in 2016; the best of America, the best of American cities," he said.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said, "It's going to revitalize communities, it's going to provide economic opportunities and economic development for a lot of businesses in our state."

First, Chicago has to win. Experts say the city has a few things going for it, including a lakefront Olympic village that would put 88 percent of the athletes within 15 minutes of their competitive venues.

Stadium consultant Mark Ganis, of Sportscorp Ltd., said, "They literally could walk from the Olympic village over to their facilities. That's unheard of. It's one of the best parts of Chicago's plan."

That Olympic village would be converted to mixed income housing after the games and would be one of the legacies of 2016 here in Chicago.

Plans also include an Olympic stadium that would be converted to a smaller stadium after the games and doesn't carry as big of a price tag as the permanent ones.

But all that for now is a dream. Monday folks are celebrating the reality of winning the U.S. bid.

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