The International Olympic Committee’s Evaluation Committee has been double-teamed during their visit to Chicago this week, sort of, by the White House administration.
The International Olympic Committee’s Evaluation Committee has been double-teamed during their visit to Chicago this week, sort of, by the White House administration. While he couldn’t be here in person to welcome the committee, President Barack Obama sent a video on Saturday spelling out why Chicago is the perfect place to host the 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games. His senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, was in town today doing the same on his behalf. The president said in the video that the city, rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, hosted the World’s Fair in 1933, and is a melting pot for all to “reach for the American dream.” “After your visit, once you discover the Chicago that I know, the city that I made my home, the city where my wife grew up, the city where we raised our daughters just blocks from where these games will be held, I am confident you will discover that you’re already in the perfect host city,” the president said. Jarrett said the pitch to the evaluation committee is simple: Chicago is a “world class.” “The Obama administration is committed to helping in any way we can to bring the Olympics home. This is home for us and the fact that we have this relationship between the federal government, the state and the City of Chicago, I think it’s a strong advantage, not to mention it’s just a world-class city,” Jarrett told the Defender. Chicago is one of four –– including Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo –– competing for the 2016 games and is the first stop on the evaluation committee’s tour of the potential host cities. The committee wraps up its visit Tuesday. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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