Oct 1, 2009 11:28 am US/Central
New Poll Places Chicago Ahead In 2016 Race
Chicago 2016 Team Hopes President Obama Will Be Wildcard To For Windy City Win
COPENHAGEN (CBS) ―
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Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama prepare to address Chicago 2016 Olympic supporters in Copenhagen.
CBS
With barely a day left until the final decision on 2016 Olympic host city, a new poll places Chicago at the head of the pack.
Chicago came out ahead of Rio de Janeiro in the poll by InsideTheGames.biz, which received votes from nearly 150,000 people from around the world. Chicago received a total of 65,749 votes while Rio got 63,823.
InsideTheGames.biz says experts are calling the 2016 host city race the "closest contest in the history of the bidding process."
"This really is too close to call and it could go either way tomorrow," InsideTheGames.biz publisher and editor Duncan Mackay said in a news release. "Both Chicago and Rio would undoubtedly stage fantastic Games and it is a shame that there has to be a loser."
IOC voters met at a Copenhagen hotel on Wednesday, and many also insisted the race is just too close to call.
The final vote is expected to take the maximum of three hours. IOC voters are notoriously unpredictable, with sentimentality, emotion and politics all playing big parts in their decision.
Meanwhile, as the International Olympic Committee prepares to select a host city in Copenhagen, Chicago Olympic athletes stepped up Thursday morning and talked about what getting the games would mean for them. Former Olympians including Bart Conner and NBA star David Robinson said they will be lobbying members of the IOC for Chicago's bid, highlighting the many benefits for the athletes.
On Thursday, CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine said the atmosphere in the lobby of the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel was one of organized frenzy, or disciplined chaos, with IOC members being lobbied by representatives of the four candidate cities.
With less than 24 hours until the vote, the Chicago 2016 bid committee was pulling out all the stops on Thursday to bring the Olympics to the city.
Levine said it was an unbelievable sight in Copenhagen as hundreds of Chicagoans -- all dressed in blue and orange -- waved orange bandanas at a boat carrying International Olympic Committee members to the opening ceremony Thursday evening.
Chicagoans have been all over Copenhagen all week long, including at a bicycle race through downtown Copenhagen. Meantime, many of the athletes who came to support the bid were talking about what the impact would be from President Barack Obama visiting Copenhagen to present the closing speech for Chicago's final pitch on Friday.
"This is about the honor of hosting the world," said basketball Hall of Famer and gold medal-winning Dream Team member David Robinson. "And this is about giving a platform for every athlete and every story to be told and I think we can do that."
Gold medal gymnast Bart Conner said, "For a short period of time, the world kind of stopping and watching in Copenhagen as to what happens."
Jerry Colangelo, co-founder of the Chicago Bulls, owner of the Phoenix Suns and USA Basketball national director, said, "We must be humble, we must show respect and I would hope that tomorrow Chicago is the winner."
CBS 2 has learned the final lineup for Chicago's presentation Friday morning. It consists of 10 people in the following order:
--Anita DeFrantz, the U.S. IOC member;
--Larry Probst, head of the U.S. Olympic Committee;
--Mayor Richard M. Daley;
--Pat Ryan, Chicago 2016 Chairman;
--Linda Mastandrea, former Paralympian;
--Bryan Clay, decathlon champion at the 2008 Beijing Games;
--Doug Arnot, Chicago 2016 Operations Director;
--Bob Ctvrtlik; U.S. Olympic Committee International Relations Specialist;
--First Lady Michelle Obama;
--President Barack Obama.
Chicago 2016 bid team members talked Thursday about the significance of President Obama's choice to attend.
"He is a very integral and important world leader, not only for today, but historically," said Bill Scherr of Chicago 2016. "The fact that he is coming to Copenhagen shows a great respect for the members of the International Olympic Committee, and for Olympic sport, and for sport in general."
President Obama leaves for Copenhagen on Thursday night, just before 7 p.m. Chicago time. He is expected to try to woo IOC voters before giving the final speech during the Chicago 2016 pitch Friday morning.
But Obama is not expected to stick around for the final vote. Instead, he will fly home and learn about the decision back at the White House.
But regardless, IOC voters say the president's visit is the wildcard that could turn the tide Chicago's way.
Mrs. Obama has been in Copenhagen for a day, and met overnight with IOC members and IOC President Jacques Rogge. She will meet with more IOC members later Thursday to try to convince them to vote for Chicago.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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