Olympic boss doubts violence will affect 2016 bid
PAT RYAN | Head of local effort says Chicago still is a 'very safe urban center'
The July 4th weekend violence downtown that left three people shot, one fatally, is a "tragedy," Chicago Olympic bid boss Pat Ryan said Tuesday, but he doubted it would harm the city's chances to win the 2016 games.
"It would be a tragedy in any city,'' said Ryan. "In terms of it resonating with [International Olympic Committee] voters and saying Chicago is an unsafe city, I don't think that would be the case at all."
(Chris Sweda/John J. Kim/Sun-Times)
Ryan said "Chicago has proven to be a very safe urban center," and "people who come here to visit marvel at the safety and security of Chicago." Indeed, Chicago scored comparatively high marks for safety in a recent Olympic evaluation of the four cities bidding for the games. The IOC evaluation did cite competitor Rio de Janeiro's crime rate as "an issue.''
If the city wins its bid for the 2016 Olympics, Grant Park would serve as a festival site that could draw 100,000 people a day with sporting activities and big-name entertainment.
Meanwhile, Ryan said IOC sentiment toward Chicago likely wouldn't be affected by Sen. Barack Obama's comments that if he were currently president of the United States, he would not go to the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies in protest of China's human rights record.