Oct 12, 2006 6:11 pm US/Central
Chicago Unveils Its Olympic Logo
Daley Also To Travel To Find Out About Past Olympic Bids
by Jay Levine
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
With
Mayor Richard Daley about to leave on an
Olympic fact-finding trip to Athens and London this weekend, Chicago today unveiled an Olympic logo in its bid to host the games in 2016.
As CBS 2's Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, it evokes the city's strength and spirit.
They call it the beacon, an Olympic torch with a base symbolic of Chicago's front yard -- blue water and green parks. A flame representing the
Sears Tower dominates a skyline of a city rebuilt from the ashes of the Chicago Fire. It is designed as a rallying point for Chicago's Olympic bid
"We haven't seen, for example, anything like this from
Los Angeles and
San Francisco," said logo designer Dana Arnett.
Daley was surrounded by former Olympic athletes, including 1980 Olympic hockey star
Jack O'Callahan, a Chicago resident for 25 years now.
"I'm just here to get behind it. I'm a winter athlete, and I think this would be a great place for the summer games," O'Callahan said.
Aside from the logo, Chicago's major advantage appears to be the concentration of Olympic Village and venues, with most athletes living close to where they'll compete.
"They will be a compact games, celebrated in the heart of our beautiful city," said committee chair Patrick Ryan.
Ryan is raising money to cover the estimated bidding cost of $25 million. The games themselves will cost billions, with security a huge expense. Daley said much of it will already be in place, with surveillance cameras on virtually every corner.
"We believe that by the time 2016, we'll be far ahead, much farther ahead than any other city in regards to security and safety," Daley said.
He touted Chicago's bid over Los Angeles and San Francisco, but he urged lawmakers in Washington to get behind whoever gets the nod.
"We should want the 2016 to come back to America, to basically portray what America is all about. Our history, what we stand for, our great athletes, and what we believe in," Daley said.
Chicago is now awaiting a formal
U.S. Olympic Committee questionnaire used to prepare what is called a "bid book" -- our formal proposal and vision of a 2016 Chicago Olympics. That will be compared to bid books from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
A final decision on which city will be chosen is still 6 months away.
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