October 2, 2009

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Jessey Neves (562) 453-6342

Earlier today, the International Olympic Committee decided not to select the city of Chicago to host the 2016 Olympic Games.  Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting, receiving the fewest number of votes among the four cities in contention to host the games.  The 2016 Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro. 

Though the city's Olympic bid was not accepted, local leaders remain optimistic that Chicago's push for the 2016 Games will still produce many positive effects for the region, including a rise in tourism and business resulting from nationwide - and worldwide - publicity.    

Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, candidate for Cook County Board President, and a key figure in the 2016 bid process, argued that the city's effort to host the Olympics has galvanized support for much-needed development plans. "This has been a great opportunity for the region to look at long term economic planning issues.  We've begun to create a vision for what Chicago should look like 6 to 8 years down the line, and we will continue to work toward that future," said Preckwinkle.  

Since April 2007, when Chicago was officially selected as the U.S. Bid City for the 2016 Olympic Games, public and private developers have come up with dozens of potential construction plans. While some, such as the proposed 86,000-seat Olympic stadium, will now be abandoned, other projects remain viable possibilities.

Long before the Olympic bid began, Alderman Preckwinkle has been a proponent of development projects that would help usher Chicago into the 21st Century.  "With the support of Barack Obama's administration, we're still looking forward to bringing a high speed rail system to the Midwest. This train network will connect Chicago to its Midwest partners like Detroit, Milwaukee, the Twin Cities, and St. Louis."