Now that the IOC has awarded NBC the rights to four more Olympics -- 2014
through 2020 -- for the princely sum mentioned above ($4.38 Billion), there is the matter of where the 2018 Winter Games and 2020 Summer Games will be.
Next month, the IOC will pick the 2018 Winter host from candidates Munich, Germany; Pyeongchang, South Korea; and Annecy France.
Countries have until Sept. 1 -- less than three months from now -- to submit a bid city application for the 2020 Summer Games. So far, Rome is the only official applicant, with Tokyo expressing strong interest.
USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun told me Tuesday by telephone from Switzerland the first matter of business between the USOC and IOC is resolving the longstanding dispute over the shares of U.S. television rights (12.75 percent) and the IOC's global sponsorship program (20 percent) that the U.S. currently receives. There is tremendous pressure on the USOC to take a smaller cut.
But Blackmun did not rule out a 2020 bid and said he had talked informally to people in a few cities, including Chicago 2016 bid chief Patrick Ryan, about such a possibility.
The thinking is that the IOC would throw a bone to NBC and give them a US based games (since the amount of money NBC would make on that would be higher).
So will Chicago throw it's hat in the ring again? We can't imagine this happening. Would Rahm really want to put his new political capital on the line so soon after taking office? It seems like our city has bigger issues and to be embarrassed again internationally seems unlikely.
Then again, the main advocate for the games - private resident Mr. Rich Daley - has some extra time on his hands these days. Maybe this could become his new pet project?
Doubtful.
(Hat tip: SoloMotorRow!)
8 comments:
Nothing would make this city greater than hosting the 2020 Olympics! There will be so many opportunities for Chicagoans if this happens.
Those of you that feel Chicago is not ready to handle this type of event, go to the library and read some Chicago history... we have done it in the past with great success and had steeper mountains to climb to reach that goal. This is what we are known for, making big plans and succeeding. I look forward to contributing to this effort and continuing Chicago’s reputation as a hard working goal-oriented city.
Taxes are too high as it is. No thanks.
It's not that Chicago couldn't "handle" it. It's that the Olympics are a huge drain on public on public resources for very little if any return. Usually a loss. Investigate what happened in Vancouver, Montreal, what's about to happen in London ... hell, Atlanta. You have to dance to the IOC's tune and build huge venues that will become white elephants after the Games are over. The only people who champion these sorts of things are the same suckers who tell you that it's a good public investment to pay taxpayers' dollars to build stadiums for the millionaires who own pro sports teams.
This is bigger than Chicago - the US is going to hold another Summer olympics at some point, Chicago has the perfect layout to do so (and we can take the opportnity to enhance what we have). Our 2016 plan was sharing the wealth in Lincoln Park, West Loop, South Loop, South Side.
I hope not...
Paula Deen told me that Chicago has already been granted the 2020 olympics, behind closed doors.
It was a blessing when Chicago was not "awarded" the 2012 Olympics. Until we can fix the many issues our city is facing, I'll pass on the Olympics.
The Olympics are rarely, if ever, good for local economies. We're better off without it.
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