Today the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected the City of Chicago as a Candidate City to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The announcement came during the international SportAccord meeting in Athens, Greece. With the announcement, Chicago officially becomes a Candidate City and enters the next stage of the bid campaign. Madrid, Spain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Tokyo, Japan, were also named Candidate Cities.
The selection marks the start of the international phase of the bidding process. Previously, Chicago and all of the other Applicant Cities could only partake in a domestic campaign.
Mayor Richard M. Daley, the honorary chairman of Chicago 2016, said, “This is a great day for Chicago, I want to thank the International Olympic Committee for this vote of confidence in our city. We are honored to be chosen as a Candidate City and congratulate our competition from some of the finest cities around the world. The IOC’s selection of Chicago indicates that the city has the capability of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and we look forward to refining our plan that focuses on athletes and builds a passion for sport, culture, education, education and the Olympic movement.”
The IOC Working Group Report was released concurrent with the announcement. Patrick Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016, said, “We are thankful for all of the feedback and insight that the IOC has provided on our Applicant File. It will prove invaluable to us as we refine and strengthen our plan in the coming months. We are looking forward to submitting our detailed plan for hosting the Games in February of next year.”
The IOC’s selection of Chicago marks another significant milestone in a bidding process that began in 2006. The United States Olympic Committee named Chicago as the U.S. bid city in April 2007. Chicago 2016 made its first official submission to the IOC in January 2008. A delegation from Chicago 2016 and Mayor Richard M. Daley will attend the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in August to meet with leaders of international sport and to observe the Games in an official capacity.
SportAccord is an annual international sports convention that brings a number of groups together to discuss the sports industry and its key topics and challenges. The event is organized by the GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations), ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) and AIOWF (Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations), as well as the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, The conference also provides a valuable opportunity for bidding and host cities, architects, sports lawyers, broadcasters, games organizing committees, rights holders and other specialists to attend meetings and seminars and network with key players in the international sports movement.
Chicago is honored to be competing for the privilege of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games alongside such world-class cities including: Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan.
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About Chicago 2016
Chicago 2016 is a 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Chicago. The committee’s board comprises business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO. Contact: Mica Matsoff, 312-861-4826, media@chicago2016.org.