The Chicago Olympic Bid centers around the construction of a temporary stadium in Washington Park, which is located off of the Garfield Blvd Green Line Station. There has already been some controversy around this venue, as many people expect that the low-income residents whom live in the area will become victims of gentrification. I recently took the opportunity to visit Washington Park and take part in a Locative Storytelling tour, which offered audio commentary from many area residents about the possible impact of the Olympic Games.

While the Chicago Olympic Bid will continue to bring about many tough questions about money, land rights, government power and taxpayer rights, it’s my opinion that Chicago would see a great benefit from hosting the 2016 Olympic Games.

Many people want to look at Mayor Daley and judge that he runs Chicago with absolute power. Looking at his record, this is a hard thing to deny. While we might not always like his choices or agree with his tactics, I cannot deny his commitment to The City of Chicago. Yes there is some money floating around, but I tend to believe that his actions are targeted and building Chicago into a great and prosperous city.

The Olympic Host City will be named in October 2009 and if Chicago is chosen, we will see an era of growth and development that is unrivaled in our city’s history. The economic growth that would result from the eight years of preparation leading up to the Olympic Games would be explosive. Expansion of our transit system, improved city services, new and improved public facilities all over the city – these are just a few of the promises held by the Olympics.

For updated information about Chicago’s Olympic Bid, check back to Chicago Hot Blog or get updates emailed to your inbox. You can also checkout the official Chicago 2016 website.

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“All the bids were of a very high standard,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge.”It is a tribute to the health of the Olympic Movement that the field was so strong. I congratulate the Candidate Cities and I hope that those cities which were unsuccessful this time have benefited from the process.”

The candidate cities now advance to a 16-month campaign that will end on Oct. 2, 2009, with a secret ballot by International Olympic Committee.

For more information, visit the International Olympic Website or the Chicago 2016 website.

Olympic Candidate City

Today in Athens, Greece, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected Chicago as a finalist city in its bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Chicago is now officially a Candidate City and enters the international phase of the bid process. A special event is planned on Friday, June 6, at 11:30 AM in Daley Plaza.

This is a significant milestone for Chicago 2016 on a road that began in 2006. The United States Olympic Committee selected Chicago as the U.S. bid city in April 2007, and the bid submitted its Applicant File—an overview of its plan for the Games—in January of this year. The IOC will select a Host City on October 2, 2009, in Copenhagen.