It has been a busy month for Chicago 2016 and we are happy to share with you an update on what we have been doing. Earlier this month Chicago was formally submitted by the United States Olympic Committee to the International Olympic Committee as the U.S. applicant city competing for the privilege to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On September 14, the IOC then formally announced the seven applicant cities including: Baku, Azerbaijan; Chicago, IL, USA; Doha, Qatar; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan. We are honored to be in this competition with so many world class cities, and we look forward to the campaign ahead.

Later in September, in front of hundreds of cheering school children we unveiled our logo for the international campaign, which we have included here:

The New Chicago 2016 Logo featuring the Chicago six-pointed star floating on three color bands changing from gold at the top to lake water blue at the bottom.

In creating this new logo, we wanted to keep the soaring colors we had established previously. The reds, oranges and yellows rise like our skyline toward the sun, while the greens, emeralds and blues reflect our parks and lakes. This logo speaks of our past, but also looks to the future. We envisioned it as a symbol that would help us tell the story of our city, while being inspired by the Olympic Ideals.

The Chicago Star is a symbol with real universal meaning. For us, the Chicago Star has a literal connection to the city, as seen on the Chicago flag. The logo reflects Chicago 2016’s plan to put the athletes at the center of the Games, as the real stars. Most importantly, the Chicago Star is designed to carry a message to our children, to help teach the next generation about the ideals and values found in the Olympic Games.

We are delighted with the response and feel it truly captures the star quality we hope to inspire in Chicago’s bid.

Here’s what the mayor said about our new logo:

Mayor Richard M. Daley:

“The strength of our new logo is that it connects Chicago’s history and passion with the spirit of the Olympic Movement. We hope the elements of this new symbol will inspire the young people of our city and the world to embrace the ideals and values learned through sport. This logo will become a great symbol of hope for our city and our nation as we work together to seek the privilege to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

GET YOUR TICKETS WHILE THEY’RE AVAILABLE!

You’ve seen the logo. You’ve heard of the event. Now get your tickets to the largest world boxing championship in the world!

Chicago will welcome the greatest amateur boxers in the world to our country less than one year before the Beijing Games. The World Boxing Championships, hosted by World Sport Chicago, will double as the first qualification tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Chicago will host more than 600 athletes from 118 countries over 11 days. The World Boxing Championships will take place October 23 through November 3, 2007 at the University of Illinois – Chicago Pavilion.

Get tickets now by calling 866-WBC-TIX1 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Volunteer opportunities are still available. For more information, please visit www.worldboxingchicago.org.

Chicago 2016 would like to congratulate Chicagoan Holly Price. Holly is the winner of the Chicago 2016 Sweepstakes for a trip for two to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Holly will get a chance to see what a day in the life of a training Olympic or Paralympic hopeful is like, as well as spend time in beautiful Colorado Springs. Congratulations to Holly and thanks to all who entered our Sweepstakes at the Taste of Chicago!

We are excited to be out supporting all the local, national and international runners at this year’s LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 7. Chicago 2016 will be visible all along the race course, from our 60 foot long banner at the starting line to a cheering station in the last mile at Grace O’Malley’s.

If you are running, have a wonderful race. Otherwise, please feel free to join the Chicago 2016 team to cheer on the runners at Grace O’Malley’s, located at 1416 South Michigan Avenue. We will be giving out complimentary t-shirts to all those who come by to cheer on the athletes.

When Tyson Gay isn’t busy winning races or training, he’s back in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, with his six-year-old daughter, Trinity. But with the way his accomplishments have been going lately and with the Olympic Games less than a year away, finding family time can’t be easy.

Earlier this month, Gay, 25, became only the second man in history to win titles in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 x 100 relay at the same Athletics World Championships with his victories during the meet held in Osaka, Japan.

“I really feel great about my accomplishments,” he said. “I am so thankful for all the support from the Japanese fans, and from my family. I really feel that I and my fellow Americans represented ourselves well on and off the track.”

Gay defeated world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica in 9.85 seconds to become the new 100 meters world champion on August 26. Four days later, he won the 200 meters in 19.76 to break the meet record of 19.79 set in 1995 by American Michael Johnson, edging bronze medal winner and training partner/college teammate Wallace Spearmon, a Chicago native.

Jennifer Ruddell would have never dreamed she would become one of the nation’s top Paralympians in the sport of wheelchair basketball.

As a student at Stevenson High School, she played with current Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings (basketball, 2004) and helped her team capture two state championships in 1995 and 1996. Then she headed to college at the University of Illinois where she played a year of softball. In the meantime, she suffered career-ending knee injuries, which included torn anterior cruciate ligaments that led to five surgeries with months of rehabilitation. Or so she thought.

“Because I walk, I didn't think I was eligible,” Ruddell, 29, said. “About one-third of every team has ‘walkers.’ It has to be permanent. Now I make it my mission to tell people about their eligibility.”

Ruddell learned about wheelchair basketball in 2001, and later had a physician write a letter to “eligibility clarifiers” with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. She spent five years on the University of Illinois team, being named 2004 U of I Student Athlete of the Year, 2005 and 2006 U of I MVP and served as a team member in four wheelchair basketball national championships 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Now she has a gold medal from the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens plus a gold medal from the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Ruddell was the top American scorer in Rio to lead the United States to victory against rival Canada and earned the team a qualifying spot in Beijing in 2008 in the process.

“I like wheelchair [basketball] better because it’s more strategic,” she said. “I feel like we play more because we love basketball.”

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