Chicago 2016 announced today their successful participation in Mayor Daley’s Holiday Sports Festival, an annual three-day event created by Mayor Richard M. Daley to bring Chicagoland’s youth together to partake in sports. The event took place from Friday, December 28, through Sunday, December 30, with more than 85,000 Chicago area youth in attendance.
Chicago 2016 brought the Olympic Movement and values to Chicago with their specially designed section at the festival entitled the “Olympic and Paralympic Experience.” Olympians, Paralympians, Olympic hopefuls and athletes gave presentations and demonstrations and hosted interactive activities for attendees.
At a press conference during the event, Mayor Daley spoke of the success of Chicago 2016’s “Olympic and Paralympic Experience.” "The new edition will help children become better acquainted with amateur sports, and many of them will become participants. Even if they don't become world class athletes, they will develop new interests that will last them a lifetime," said Mayor Daley.
Athletics, hurdles, rowing, boxing, fencing, cycling, basketball and wheelchair basketball, badminton, shotput and high jump were among the sports featured at this year’s event.
Chicago 2016 also hosted the “Passport Program to Understanding,” where participants were encouraged to visit all of the Olympic and Paralympic sports on display and familiarize themselves with the many disciplines that make up the Olympic and Paralympics Games. For each sport participants visited, they received a stamp on their “passports” that they then could redeem for 2016 t-shirts, hats and lapel pins.
In addition, laptops linked to the Chicago 2016 Web site (chicago2016.org) allowed participants to register for e-mail updates about the bid, volunteer and show their support by leaving messages of inspiration.
“Chicagoans of every age are passionate about sports, and Chicago 2016’s presence at Mayor Daley’s Holiday Sports Festival gave us an opportunity to excite Chicago’s youth about Olympic sport and engage a future team of Olympic hopefuls and fans,” said Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO Patrick G. Ryan.
The Holiday Sports Festival also featured the U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships and the Killerspin Holiday Open. For the former, more than 100 table tennis athletes from around the world (including several Paralympians and Paralympic medalists) competed. The diverse group of participants hailed from 25 different countries, ranging from Austria to Uzbekistan. The event was the last opportunity for competitors to earn world-ranking points in order to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Killerspin Holiday Open included recreational youth events, a USATT-sanctioned competition and SPINvitational matches which featured several top international table tennis stars.
About Chicago 2016
Chicago 2016 is a 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to gain the privilege of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Chicago. The committee’s board consists of business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO. Chicago is one of seven cities, along with Prague, Tokyo, Rio, Baku, Doha and Madrid, bidding to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Contact:
Mica Matsoff
+1.312.861.4826 (Chicago 2016 media line)