Mar 5, 2007 10:47 pm US/Central
Olympic Officials In Town To Evaluate City's Plan
by Jay Levine
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Chicago is making the case this week for its 2016 Summer Olympics bid. Members of the United States Olympic Committee are in town to evaluate the city's plans.
As CBS 2's Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, the team will take a look at the event sites, security and what the city has to offer visitors.
The U.S. Olympic Committee told CBS 2 news Monday night that Chicago and Los Angeles will have to answer very different questions in the quest for the 2016 Summer Games.
Chicago's bid drew 1,500 people, pledging $9 million to McCormick Place last week, but it will take more than impressive displays, large turnouts and creative drawings to win the bid.
"There's a lot of names on paper, there's a lot of good work turned in, but we've got to see the people who'll bring this bid to life," said USOC Vice President Bob Ctvrtlik.
Ctvrtlik led his Evaluation Commission to Los Angeles last week, seeking an answer for why the games should be in Los Angeles again.
"From the beginning we've made it clear they had to be able to answer that question. Why a third time. They made their best attempt at doing that," Ctvrtlik said.
For Chicago, he told CBS 2 Monday night, the questions will be different.
"We're gonna be very tough on Chicago to make sure there're guarantees and commitments are what they said they are," he said.
In other words, can Chicago build what they say they will for what they say it will cost?
"Having major construction projects does not disqualify a city," Ctvrtlik said. "What is very important to us and the IOC is having major construction projects finish on time, on budget."
Los Angeles has proved it could host successful games, financially and otherwise, twice before. The question that kept coming up last week in Los Angeles was, "Why go back there for a third time?"
Chicago's first lady, Maggie Daley, joined Chicago's bid chairman to try to build the city's Olympic spirit on the eve of the USOC visit.
2016 limited edition t-shirts went on sale the Macy's "Chicago 2016 Shop" on State Street. The event took place as the USOC's City Evaluation Commission was arriving in Chicago.
"These t-shirts will capture, I think, they do capture the excitement of our Olympic bid," Daley said.
While in Los Angeles last week, the 11 members of the USOC Evaluation Commission saw proposed housing for athletes, already built at UCLA and already used for the 1984 games.
In Chicago, they will see drawings of a new Olympic village, and hear from developers who want to build a new neighborhood for future generations.
In Los Angeles, they saw a stadium where minor modifications will take less than a year.
In Chicago, they'll see a vision. A temporary "C"-shaped grandstand, which will be down-sized after the games into an amphitheater in an under-served community.
"We'll show them graphics, yes, but we'll show them a story that has the certainty of completion, the certainty of financing, the certainty of building," said Patrick Ryan of Chicago 2016.
Ryan and Mayor Richard M. Daley will welcome the committee Tuesday morning with opening remarks at Soldier Field.
They will get their first look at Chicago's video presentation, followed by a briefing and reception and dinner at the Art Institute.
On Wednesday, they will tour the proposed venues for the 2016 Games, getting a first hand look at just how close to one another they are. Then, there will be news conferences, first by the USOC, then by Chicago.
If Chicago can prove to the site selectors that it can deliver on its plans and promises, April 14th should be a day to celebrate.
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