Well. Chicago lost on their Olympic bid, or at least, the Obamas and the Winfreys did. Since it was speculated by those in the know, that Chicago was a front runner, did all those "celebrity" appearances have anything to do with the ultimate decision.
Oprah is not necessarily known all over the world, and Obama may not have the world-wide charisma that he thought. I do think that perhaps it is a shame though, that many are elated at the outcome because it is perceived as an Obama loss.
Obama tried to turn the loss around as a victory, he was proud of the Chicago group and their presentation. They did well, however, he neglected to mention in was a disastrous loss.
Chicago had a Worlds Fair in 1933, and pulled that off, I would love to know what prompted the voters to turn Chicago down, in my opinion, here are some of the reasons.
I think a lot of it had to do with the way they hosted the 2007 Pan Am games, as I recall that was a tremendous success, and in doing that, they proved their capabilities.
More than half of Rio 2016's venues are already built. They include state-of-the-art facilities constructed for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games: the magnificent João Havelange Stadium (the proposed 2016 venue for Athletics), the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre, the Rio Olympic Arena (which will host Gymnastics and Wheelchair Basketball), the Rio Olympic Velodrome, the National Equestrian Center and its close neighbor, the National Shooting Center.
And, a little about Rio:
Brazil's economy is now the tenth largest in the world - and predicted to be fifth by 2016.
They are the world's second biggest food exporter, one of the world's largest oil and ore producers and the fifth largest advertising market. Their diverse economy is the engine of South America and one of the world's top 10 consumer markets.
They have the highest levels of Internet use in the world.
The enduring strength of their economy - even in the current global climate - has enabled the Government to guarantee the investments needed for the 2016 Games, including direct funding of US$700m for the OCOG.
Rio was ready. I don't like to brag, but I predicted they would be the winner, just on the success of the Pan Am Games and the venus they already had constructed ...... Always go with a proven winner, and Rio was.
And, they have that statue looking out over the city .........
