The disappointing finish Friday by the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee’s bid before the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen will not be forgotten anytime soon.
The disappointing finish Friday by the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee’s bid before the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting after receiving the lowest number of IOC votes–18–and Rio de Janeiro went on to edge Madrid and Tokyo for the 2016 summer Games.
All 19 Black aldermen voted for financial guarantees Mayor Richard M. Daley said were needed to remain competitive in the bid process.
Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) said if they had a chance to vote all over again they would vote the same.
“I was not initially a big supporter of the Olympics but gradually I came aboard,” Dowell told the Defender. “I still feel that it was worth the bid but improvements needed to our public transportation and even our foreign policy issues may have contributed to some members not voting for us.”
Dowell and other Black aldermen crafted a Memorandum of Understanding with Chicago 2016-the city’s Olympic Committee-that would have guaranteed that a percentage of jobs go to minorities who live near proposed Olympic venues.
Chicago Urban League leaders said areas of weakness identified during the bid process should be the focus now.
“The long bid process sparked a fruitful and informative debate around community development and how to uplift the city’s economically depressed neighborhoods,” said Herman Brewer, acting president and CEO for the Urban League, in a written statement. “That debate revealed weaknesses in our workforce, our transportation system and in our entrepreneurial development.”
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-2nd, said even though Chicago was not selected Daley should continue to build the city into a world-class place.
“I’m disappointed that our great city won’t have the opportunity to play host to the world in 2016. While this is certainly a let down for Chicago, it should in no way deter us from forging ahead in making the Second City the greatest city in the world,” Jackson said in a statement released shortly after Chicago was eliminated from the voting in Copenhagen.
Some South Side residents said the Games pushed other issues facing the Black community to the side.
“Unemployment continues to rise in Chicago. Kids are still being murdered at school and public transportation is a joke,” said Benjamin Porter, 49, who lives in the Washington Park area on the South Side. “Maybe now the mayor can get back to running the city more effectively.”
Washington Park was where an Olympic stadium was proposed to be built for the Games. Kesha Palmer, 35, also lives near Washington Park and said she was actually happy Chicago lost.
“I not only live around here but I also work in the area at Provident Hospital and had we got the Games, traffic would have been a nightmare,” she said. “And public transportation around here is horrible because it takes too long for buses and trains to reach their stops. The mayor should concentrate on fixing the city up before going after international projects like the Olympics.”
For his part, Daley said Chicago’s bid was strong considering the tough competition it faced and he does not regret the effort.
“To see the president make an unbelievable speech. I was never prouder at any moment of our life of the United States of America, at that time, no matter what the outcome was,” Daley said. “(Of course) you’re disappointed (but you) go on with life.”
In a press statement, No Games Chicago, a non-profit organization that opposed the city’s bid, expressed happiness the bidding war is over.
“We are relieved, but we also feel sympathy for everyone who passionately wanted the games to come to Chicago. We know there is a lot of disappointment in the city today, now that this long process ended in the way it did, and in no way are we taking any sort of pleasure in this disappointment.”
The $50 million in private funds Chicago 2016 spent to compete for the Games was money well spent, said Arnold Randall, director of Neighborhood Legacy for Chicago 2016.
“We don’t know why the IOC voted the way it did. We felt we had a strong bid,” Randall said.
Ald. Willie Cochran, whose 20th Ward borders Washington Park, said he disagrees with those who said the mayor neglected the city for the Olympics.
“When you are trying to achieve something like the Olympics it takes a lot of energy,” Cochran said. “The mayor and Chicago 2016 did just that so I don’t think we should be blaming them for their efforts.”
Ald. Ed Smith, whose 28th Ward cover portions of the West Side, said that losing the Games means no new jobs for the area.
“More jobs are needed in my ward and the Olympics could potentially provide 173,000 new jobs to Chicago,” he said.
Douglass Park on the West Side was proposed to host track and BMX cycling. Previously the aquatic center was to be built there to host swimming competitions but in December organizers announced it would be built in Washington Park instead.
Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Dorothy Brown said Daley and his Olympic team should be proud.
“The decision by the International Olympic Committee to not have Chicago host the 2016 Summer Olympics is a disappointment to me personally, the people in the City of Chicago, and all Cook County residents,” said Clerk Brown in a written statement. “I want to extend both my condolences and congratulations to Mayor Daley, and Chairman Pat Ryan. While they were ultimately unsuccessful in bringing the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago, they have certainly raised the profile of our home, and their work is something we can be proud of.”
Now that the Games will be held for the first time in Brazil, what’s next for Chicago 2016?
“We will (now) begin the painful process of dissolving Chicago 2016, which should conclude around December,” said Kurt Summers, chief of staff.
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