Businesses show support for Olympics bid
When Chicago was said last month to be lagging behind some of its competitors for the 2016 Olympics, the remark was seen as a jab to get local business leaders to work harder.
On Friday, hundreds of the city's top business bosses showed up at a Michigan Avenue hotel to hear Jacques Rogge, International Olympics Committee president, speak and -- local officials hope -- demonstrate their commitment to supporting a Summer Games here.
The luncheon featured a dais studded with local CEOs from McDonald's to Boeing to Baxter International and Chicago 2016 chairman Pat Ryan, founder of the insurance giant Aon Corp.
Reminders sent to corporate leaders by Chicago 2016 to "show the interest'' by crowding a ballroom at the Chicago Hilton and Towers was a success, Ryan said.
"The promotion worked,'' he said, though a few seats were empty. With an audience estimated at 800, "I think clearly [business] showed their interest."
Last month, Peter Ueberroth, U.S. Olympic Committee chairman, urged Chicago companies doing business in countries with IOC members to politick more, in part because they are free to lobby in ways that Chicago 2016 members cannot under IOC rules.
While Rogge was being wooed to help Chicago win the games, Rogge took the opportunity to pitch back.
Kodak and General Motors, two longtime Olympic corporate sponsors, are dropping out after next year's Beijing games. But Rogge said the Olympics can be "a powerful foundation for building, enhancing and promoting brands.''
Last month, Ueberroth said Chicago was in third or fourth place but Rogge, after meeting with Mayor Daley at City Hall, told reporters it's too early to rank the seven cities.
The IOC will select a host city in October 2009.
Rogge is in Chicago for the final bouts today of the AIBA World Boxing Championships, a qualifying event for next year's Beijing Games.
Contributing: AP