We're likely to make the cut -- but not as No. 1
ATHENS | Several cities vying for Games will be dropped next week
While the first round in the last battle to host the 2016 Olympics isn't until next week, the Chicago bid group is looking past that elimination contest.
"We've been playing the regular season, and now we're going into the playoffs,'' Doug Arnot, the Chicago 2016 group's director of sports and operations, said Thursday.
"We're excited to begin the next phase," said Bob Ctvrtlik, the U.S. Olympic Committee vice president.
Three to five of the seven cities vying for the games are expected to be knocked out June 4 by an International Olympic Committee panel, based on technical aspects of the bids.
But while officials here think Chicago will make the cut, they doubt it will be top-ranked when the first-round bid grades are released in Athens. "We wouldn't be surprised to see some remarks on transportation,'' said Arnot, referring to Chicago's aging and finicky public transit.
Post-9/11 visa restrictions and the lack of a federal financial guarantee also will count against Chicago, said Ctvrtlik, who cited Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid as strong competitors.
The Chicago bid plan could change in the wake of the IOC grades. Asked about moving the proposed Olympic Village near McCormick Place West to the campus of Michael Reese Hospital, Arnot said, "A broader footprint would help us.''
Previous top-scoring, first-round bid cities have ultimately failed to win the Games. Noting that the full IOC will name the winner in October 2009, Arnot said, "There's only one day I want to be No. 1: the day of the actual vote."