Chicago Is First City Eliminated From 2016 Games

NFL News - October 2nd, 2009 - Written by John

The firey debate about whether Chicago is stable enough to field an Olympics is now moot. The International Olympic Committee announced that the Second City is the first eliminated in the vote for the site of the 2016 Games.

Despite pleas from President Barack Obama, which many thought would give Chicago a leg-up in the vote, IOC members decided against the only U.S. city eligible. Citizens of the Windy City were seen crowded around video boards to watch the process, and looked stunned as they were informed of the results.

ESPN broke the story early Friday, and reported that voters were uneasy about voting for any American city.

It was perceived that Chicago was a favorite for the Games after Obama elected to travel to Copenhagen and make his case to the committee. DSI Sportsbook had them as +600 to win the bid and rumors are that people in the area think very highly of the President and were pleased when he chose to attend. He had previously said he would stay in the states to moderate the health care debate and tend to local issues. But after leaders from the other possible cities announced they would attend the conference, Obama changed his course and met up with his wife in Denmark.

This week, citizens of the city began to collect support for the bid with a long list of celebrities, many of them former Olympians like Michael Johnson. But opposition grew and streets began to flood with protestors, who said the city was not stable enough to handle such a rush of infrastructure, and that more immediate issues like poverty and health were more pertanent.

The committee soon announced that Tokyo was eliminated second, leaving only Madrid and Rio de Janeiro as the remaining possible cities.

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