2016 Summer Olympics

2016 Summer Olympics

The 2016 Summer Olympics (officially known as Games of the XXXI Olympiad) is a major international sports and cultural festival to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). While a host city has not yet been determined, various cities have begun a bidding process for that honour. A host city will be announced at the 121st IOC Session (which will also be the 13th Olympic Congress) to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 2, 2009. The 2016 Summer Paralympics will also be held in the same city and organized by the same organizing committee.


Bidding

The bidding process for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was officially launched on May 16, 2007.[1] The first step for each city was to submit an initial application to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by September 13, 2007, confirming their intention to bid. Completed official bid files, containing answers to a 25-question IOC form, are to be submitted by each applicant city by January 14, 2008. The final candidate cities will be shortlisted in June 2008, and the final selection will be made by the full IOC membership, on October 2, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark.[2]

• Baku, Azerbaijan [3] - Baku 2016 Olympic bid
  

• Chicago, United States [4] - Chicago 2016 Olympic bid
  

• Doha, Qatar [5] - Doha 2016 Olympic bid
  

• Madrid, Spain [6] - Madrid 2016 Olympic bid
  

• Prague, Czech Republic [7] - Prague 2016 Olympic bid
  

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [8] - Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic bid
  

• Tokyo, Japan [9] - Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid

Cancelled bids

There were several bid cities that became derailed along the way. In particular, Monterrey, Mexico's bid fell through at the very last moment when Mexico's Olympic committee declined to bid.[10] Toronto, Canada abandoned any plans for a bid after Vancouver won the 2010 Winter Olympics,[11][12] as did Montreal.[13][14] Havana, Cuba, and the South American cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile expressed interest in hosting the games. In the United States, Chicago beat Los Angeles for the right to bid, and other internal cities included San Francisco (the leading contender until it lost stadium funding), Houston, and Philadelphia.

The sports minister of Kenya expressed interest in having Nairobi bid, but the Kenyan Olympics head said it was not the right time.[15][16][17] Also in Africa, both Cape Town and Durban, South Africa expressed interest.[18]

Tel Aviv, Israel had some talk about hosting the games. Bangkok, Thailand expressed much enthusiasm after their strong performance in the 2004 Games, but instead applied to host the 2010 Youth Games. Another internal candidate city in Japan was Fukuoka. Delhi was originally set to enter a bid;[19] however, in April 2007 it announced it would bid for the 2020 games instead.[20] Dubai, United Arab Emirates,was also posed to make a serious bid, but in the end did not for unknown reasons.

For a time, Rome, Italy seemed to be a leading candidate, but they also pulled out of the race, preferring to wait for a later Olympiad.[21] Lisbon, Portugal considered bidding,[22] and Istanbul, Turkey broke with their standing policy to bid for every games, but vowed to try again.[23]

Finally, several cities in Australia also expressed interest, as well as a potential joint bid from San Diego, United States and Tijuana, Mexico[24]. However, the IOC Charter, as stated on page 73, is clear: a single city is awarded the right to stage the Olympic Games.[25]



References

1. 2016 Bid Process Launched. International Olympic Committee (16 May 2007).
   
2. Bellandi, Deanna (2007-05-16). IOC rules mean change in Chicago's Olympic logo. USA Today. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
   
3. Azerbaijan To Launch 2016 Summer Olympic Bid. GamesBids.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
   
4. 2016 Bids (Chigago, USA). GamesBids.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
   
5. Doha To Launch Serious 2016 Bid – Chairman Appointed
   
6. 2016 Bids (Madrid, Spain). GamesBids.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
   
7. Prague Assembly Confirms 2016 Olympic Bid
   
8. Brazil Selects Rio As 2016 Bid Candidate City. GamesBids.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
   
9. 2016 Bids (Tokyo, Japan). GamesBids.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
   
10. Mexico's Olympic Committee Rejects Monterrey's 2016 Olympic Bid
    
11. TheGlobeAndMail.com No Toronto bid for 2016 Games, mayor says
    
12. Third time lucky for T.O. Games bid?, www.TheStar.com, July 10 2007
    
13. Montreal Contemplates Bid For 2016 Summer Olympic Games - GamesBids.com
    
14. Thirty years later, Montreal's Olympic Stadium has finally been paid off - CBC.ca
    
15. Kenya plans to bid for 2016 Olympic Games, People's Daily Online, 13 Jan 2005, accessed 12 Oct 2006
    
16. Kenya Is Making A Surprise Bid For The 2016 Summer Olympic Games, GamesBids.com, 12 Jan 2005, accessed 12 Oct 2006
    
17. Kenya not ready to bid for 2016 Olympics
    
18. Durban to bid for the 2016 Olympics, iAfrica.com, 22 Jun 2006, accessed 24 Jun 2006
    
19. BBC News: Delhi set for 2016 bid
    
20. BBC News: Delhi will bid for 2020 Olympics
    
21. Rome To Become Italy’s 2016 Olympic Bid Candidate, GamesBids.com, 3 Oct 2006, accessed 12 Oct 2006
    
22. Portugal Considers 2016 Summer Games Bid
    
23. Istanbul Refrains From 5th Consecutive Olympic Bid - Will Bid For 2020 Games Instead
    
24. SanDiegometro.com The World's First Binational Olympics Proposed For Tijuana And San Diego.
    
25. Olympic Charter

External links

International Olympic Committee

Tokyo - 2016

Chicago - 2016

Rio de Janeiro - 2016

Prague - 2016

Doha - 2016

Richard M. Daley

Richard M. Daley

Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party and current mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. His 2007 re-election set him to become the longest running Mayor in Chicago (a record currently held by his father Richard J. Daley), should he remain in office past December 25, 2010.

Chosen by Time Magazine in its April 25, 2005 issue as the best out of five mayors of large cities in the United States,[1] he has presided over such successes as the resurgence in tourism, the modernization of the Chicago Transit Authority, the building of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city's North Side, as well as the near South and West sides. He remains widely popular with city residents, taking over 70% of the mayoral vote in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Recently, he has been in the public eye for playing a large role in making Chicago the U.S. bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.


Biography

Daley is the fourth of seven children and eldest son of Richard J. Daley and Eleanor Daley, former mayor and first lady of Chicago, respectively. Originally from Bridgeport, a traditionally (and partially) Irish-American neighborhood located southwest of the Chicago Loop, Daley graduated from De La Salle Institute and obtained his bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor from DePaul University. Prior to earning his law degree, Daley served in the Marine Reserves.[2]

Mayor Daley is married to Margaret Daley, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and is still undergoing treatment.[3] They have four children: Nora, Patrick, Elizabeth and Kevin. Daley's second son, Kevin, was thirty-three months old when he died of complications of spina bifida in 1981. Kevin's death still weighs heavily upon Daley; he typically refers to Kevin in the present tense, as if he were still alive.

Mayor Daley is brother to William M. Daley, former United States Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton, and John P. Daley, a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Commissioners on which he serves as the finance chairman.

Daley grew up as, and is to this day, a fan of the Chicago White Sox over the crosstown Chicago Cubs.


Political beginnings

Daley was elected to his first public office as delegate to the 1969 Illinois Constitutional Convention. On the strength of his father's political machine, Daley next ran for and won a seat in the Illinois Senate, serving from 1972 to 1980. He left Springfield to become Cook County State's Attorney, serving from 1980 to 1989. Daley's tenure as county prosecutor was interrupted in 1983 with his first mayoral campaign, losing in the three-way primary to Congressman Harold Washington. Incumbent Jane Byrne, a former protege of Daley's father, was also defeated.

Four years later, on November 25, 1987, Washington died in office of a heart attack. The Chicago City Council elected an interim mayor, David Orr, who served from the day of Washington's death to December 2, 1987. As Orr stepped down, Eugene Sawyer won a special election. However, a second election was held in 1989 to fill the remaining two years of what would have been Washington's second term.

As a result, Sawyer faced voters for the first time, and Daley challenged him in the primary. After defeating Sawyer handily, Daley moved on to the April 4, 1989 general election against Aldermen Timothy C. Evans and Edward Vrdolyak, a former Democrat who had antagonized Washington on the city council while Washington served as mayor. After winning the general election, Daley took office as Mayor of Chicago on April 24, 1989.


Political positions

Despite Daley's opposition to the War in Iraq, his only surviving son Patrick enlisted in the U.S. Army and announced the decision publicly on November 30, 2004.

Daley has been a supporter of gun control, with a de facto ban on handguns in Chicago.[4] He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[5] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

Daley is also a supporter of LGBT rights and Chicago's gay community. Chicago hosted the Gay Games VII, with Mayor Daley officially opening the games at opening ceremonies.
Daley is helping create initiatives to increase green roof usage within the city. Chicago City Hall's own rooftop, completed in 2001, is a pilot of that program. His advocacy of cycling has led to proliferation of city bike lanes, bicycle racks and bike safety programs[3][4][5]. Another of his pet projects, and a quite successful one, was bringing the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum to a permanent home in Chicago.

Daley took over the Chicago school system in 1995,and has brought graduation rates up from 51% to 54%. Daley emphasizes that in order to keep the middle class from fleeing to the suburbs, a city needs a strong and effective school system, and he believes that such a school system is the first step to fighting urban crime and poverty.[6]
He appointed Lori Healey to direct the Department of Planning and Development in 2005, to encourage the revitalization of emerging neighborhoods.

Daley has also been an advocate for Chicago 2016 Olympic bid, which was selected as the United States Olympic Committee's applicant bid on April 14, 2007


Criticisms

Meigs Field

One of Daley's first major acts upon re-election on February 25, 2003 was the demolition of Meigs Field on March 30, 2003. A small lakefront airport adjacent to Soldier Field, it was used by general aviation aircraft and helicopters. Its single runway was demolished overnight, with work starting just as local news was going off the air, and with high powered lights being shone towards Lake Shore Drive to prevent photography of the destruction. A unilateral decision by the mayor without approval from the Chicago City Council or Federal Aviation Administration, the act resulted in public uproar. Aviation interest groups unsuccessfully attempted to sue the city into reopening the airport, claiming Daley had been trying to close Meigs Field with non-safety-related reasons since 1995 to create a park. However, the only citation handed over to the city concerned a failure to notify the federal agency of the plans within a thirty day time period as required by law. The city was fined $33,000, the maximum then allowed by law.

Other citations were not handed; the courts noted it was well within Daley's executive powers and jurisdiction to make the decision he made. The city has since agreed to a settlement with the FAA, the terms of which include both the $33,000 fine and the repayment of $1 million from taxes to federal airport development grants. The city admits no wrongdoing under this settlement.[7]

Daley and his supporters argued that the airport was a threat to Chicago's high-rise cityscape and its high profile skyscrapers, Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center. Daley defended his decision with the now-infamous quote "Mickey Mouse has a no-fly zone", referring to the restrictions in place over Orlando and Washington, D.C. and his longstanding conviction that Chicago should have similar restrictions. In reality, closing the airport made the airspace less restrictive. When the airport was open, downtown chicago was within Meigs Field's Class D airspace, requiring two-way radio communication with the tower[8]. The buildings in downtown

Chicago are now in Class E/G airspace, which allows any airplane to legally fly as close as 1000 feet from these buildings with no radio communication at all[9]

He also argued that the lakefront needs to be opened to all residents of Chicago, not just the relatively small portion of the population who have the necessary resources to operate an aircraft. This led to the development of current Northerly Island park venues, including a concert staging area.


Children's Museum

On September 28, 2007, Mayor Richard Daley's proposal—a new $100 million Chicago Children's Museum near the Grant Park playground—had been protested by Alderman Brendan Reilly, Figiel, Cate Plys and local residents.[14]




See also

Graffiti Blasters


External links

Article on Daley's Corruption

City of Chicago official site

Mayor Richard Daley 2007 official campaign site

CityMayors profile

Mayors Against Illegal Guns homepage