Chicago and Tokyo are out.

Blame it on Rio?

Kevin, you always crack me up. Lame as that is, you crack me up...

Is that official word?

While I'm not shocked, I had a strong feeling that they would finally take the opportunity to get the games south of the Equator (well at least on this side of the world). We'll find out here in a bit if that is the case.

Just saw AP link, so it's official. Didn't realize, I guess, that the IOC went through more than one round of voting. Guess it's between Rio and Madrid now. I agree with Venture in that Rio has always seemed to be the top-runner as a Games have never been held in South America.

I figured Tokyo was a longshot since they just held a Games in Asia. I figured that Chicago would at least be able to go toe to toe with Rio, though. Disappointed the loss came this early in voting.

High level Olympic politics are very Euro-centric. Will be really curious to read any post-vote analysis, if any.

Wonderful News!
I watched the whine-fest put on by our "dreamy team" late last night live. The mayor of Chicago came across terrible, Michelle O had one sad sob story after another, The rest of the speakers for the US were not impressive. Can't say sorry enough and whine into the games.
There was questions asked by IOC members as to the distance for some venues. not answered well.

Announcement coming now...well...in 25 minutes. LOL

http://www.universalsports.com/mediaPlayer/media.dbml?id=371912&catid=-2&sid=13050&db_oem_id=23000

They dinged us on the bombing in Atlanta and the ice skating debacle in Salt Lake. The bombing I can understand....the salt lake thing...(it was other nation's judges in the hot seat).

I would say the other things against the US besides that...we've had Summer and Winter games in the last 20 years. The Games are meant to be shared around the world. We can't be entitled to them every decade. :)

Rio has the games.

Well, you can definitely say they'll be colorful!

Salt Lake put on a very laudable Winter Games. Atlanta, well, I can still hear in my mind the Samaranch Closing Ceremony speech that wasn't; a quick, a terse "thank you" and faint praise, where there are usually glowing exultations of a job well done. Atlanta was a debacle, from funding/sponsor issues, to the bombing, to transportation, housing. Really a mess.

Congrats to Rio!!! They deserve it. From what I saw of Chicago's presentation it was pretty weak, I just dont think the passion was there, even the citizens of Chicago itself were divided on whether they wanted the games. Passion won't be a problem in Rio. Im sure it'll be salsy.

The only things I find a bummer are that we will now be watching the summer olympics in winter, and with that we'll have an extra lag of 6 months between either the previous..or following winter olympics. I think I can live with it though.

I agree, congrats to Rio. I just dont think we need that kind of headache in this country right now. Passion definitely won't be a problem for the Brazilians. I went to a world cup game in Dallas years ago when they had it in the US and the Brazilians were incredible fans with constant singing, drumming..it was memorable.

I think South America needed a chance at it.

Yep...Brazilians will definitely rally around it, hopefully, and in the same step - work to clean up their city.

As far as having them in the US...honestly, people bitching about "oh this isn't a good time for the games" - unless you can say for certainty what the state of the country/city/state/whatever...is 7 years from now, shut it. Last I checked, things weren't too good in 1990 when Atlanta was awarded. I'm sure the same can be said for the 70s when LA won its bid. Yes I understand the financial burden the games have on cities, but in the end...the US host cities have made money. Not to mention the exposure and PR for your home town is 2nd to none.

I think though we have to pause and realize...the US has hosted 8 Olympics so far - winter & summer. That is more than any other country, France is 2nd with 5. Looking at it by continent...Europe has 30, North America 12, Asia 5, Australia 2...and now South America 1. Africa has yet to join the list, but that may be an option for 2020...though I'm not sure if they would go south of the equator again. I think the US can get it again for 2020, but we'll need a strong host city application. Personally I would like to see that "little" city south of the Red River go for it due to the fact we'll see benefits up here.

If people are interest...voting results:

Round 1
Madrid - 28
Rio - 26
Tokyo - 22
Chicago - 18

Round 2
Rio - 46
Madrid - 29
Tokyo - 20

Round 3
Rio - 66
Madrid - 32

Looks like once Chicago lost, those voters went right to Rio..same with the Tokyo voters. Europeans (I would guess) seemed to stick with Madrid all the way through but the rest didn't want to go there.

Rush Limbaugh was having a field day with the news. I haven't heard him so excited in a few days.

I like it that Rio got it. I get sick of the Obama's and Oprah thinking they can just go anywhere and the whole world will bow down to their wishes.

Oprah thinks she can throw her weight around (and if you've seen her lately you know how much weight that is!) but this time it didn't work.

Anyone who thiks the Obamas and Oprah "lost" the bid for the US is delusional. Chicago was a long shot from the beginning. I wanted Chicago to win, but I think Rio deserves it more....so apparently does the IOC. As for Rush and anyone who takes enjoyment in an American defeat they're .................sadly unamerican. Has it really come to this?

It has, they rather America fail then win, or more Americans suffer so they can take delight in it.
They're traitors and should be encourage to leave,and I'm sure since they want a Fascist theocracy and with their VAST numbers, and with those same guns and explosives that we "have to pry from their cold dead hands",they can take over Iran.
And when they do leave, good damm bloody riddance!

I expect Kia to cash-in by announcing the 2016 Kia Rio-Olympic Edition sedan/coupe.

. Africa has yet to join the list, but that may be an option for 2020 .

I can see Johannesburg or Cairo as the prime contenders.

I can see Johannesburg or Cairo as the prime contenders.

Cairo I think would be an amazingly unique location for something like this. Can just imagine the opening ceremonies with the pyramids in the background.

Part of me is disappointed for Chicago but a bigger part of me is relieved. It may be short sighted because it would bring in money for Chicago but we have got so many bills to pay, right now... Yes, I know that could result in people being hired but these things have just gotten so expensive and I'm sure the rest of us would have been the ones who ended up picking up the tab. All the state taxes would have gone there. We'd have gotten the bill. Congratulations to Rio.

Chicago dinna really want it. I figure that's gotta be the case.

Cause if anyone knows how to persuade voters, it's folks with Chicago connections. Hells bells, they used to know how to get dead folks to vote fer cryin' out loud.

We now return you to the regular discussion.

I dont think with the exception of the 1st LA (held) Olympics, any of them lost money.
So I doubt WE would have ended up paying for it.
If someone knows the figures, of the US held Olympics that showed a (loss) or profit.
Please include the link.

The only real reason Chicago lost out, was because the Fascists has become more traitorous and violent.
All the IOC was thinking was "we dont want to expose the Olympian athletes to another Munich type event".

Anyone who thiks the Obamas and Oprah "lost" the bid for the US is delusional. Chicago was a long shot from the beginning. I wanted Chicago to win, but I think Rio deserves it more....so apparently does the IOC. As for Rush and anyone who takes enjoyment in an American defeat they're .................sadly unamerican. Has it really come to this?

It has come to people like Rush, Hannity and Savage to make it an American thing to do to be against most anything that President Obama stands for.

I was pullin' for Birmingham.

;)

Just saw AP link, so it's official. Didn't realize, I guess, that the IOC went through more than one round of voting. Guess it's between Rio and Madrid now. I agree with Venture in that Rio has always seemed to be the top-runner as a Games have never been held in South America.

They go through more rounds if none of the finalists get a majority in a particular round. If none do, they eliminate the bottom vote getter and vote again, continuing until one of them gets a majority.


I dont think with the exception of the 1st LA (held) Olympics, any of them lost money.
So I doubt WE would have ended up paying for it.
If someone knows the figures, of the US held Olympics that showed a (loss) or profit.
Please include the link.

No actual numbers, but NPR had an interesting story about it where they talked about how the games don't really provide the economic boom the bidders claim they'll be and how it's either much less than they claim, or even a negative affect like in the case of Montreal. Montreal just finished paying the debt from their games 20 years after they held it.

Olympics aren't necessarily an economic bonanza : NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113468686)

And another from NBC Chicago specifically about the overall affect of the Atlanta Olympics.

Atlanta's Olympic Benefit Went to the Dogs | NBC Chicago (http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Atlantas-Olympic-Benefit-Went-to-the-Dogs-60032607.html)

All this goes to show is the investment the games take isn't guaranteed to provide a positive economic benefit. Of course, any debt would hopefully fall to the city, rather than the country as a whole, if there was one.

Articles on the internet insist that a lot of people think this is Bush's fault.

I'm serious.

No actual numbers, but NPR had an interesting story about it where they talked about how the games don't really provide the economic boom the bidders claim they'll be and how it's either much less than they claim, or even a negative affect like in the case of Montreal. Montreal just finished paying the debt from their games 20 years after they held it....All this goes to show is the investment the games take isn't guaranteed to provide a positive economic benefit. Of course, any debt would hopefully fall to the city, rather than the country as a whole, if there was one.

Thanks Hawk for more information..
I guess the investment in the arenas and the sports center and playing courts,wasnt a guarantee of an economic boom...
Just makes you think of the New Ford Center renovation and the MAPS3 Convention Center, and what is the push for..

I dont think its Bushs' fault anymore then Obama's failure.
Of course I think Oberhelfers (Limbaugh,Beck,and Boehner) is more to find fault then either Bush or POTUS.

I dont think with the exception of the 1st LA (held) Olympics, any of them lost money.
So I doubt WE would have ended up paying for it.
If someone knows the figures, of the US held Olympics that showed a (loss) or profit.
Please include the link.

The only real reason Chicago lost out, was because the Fascists has become more traitorous and violent.
All the IOC was thinking was "we dont want to expose the Olympian athletes to another Munich type event".

GM, I would love to hear your examples of fascism exhibited and enacted by the republican party.

I believe that Chicago lost out because of several factors:

1. Crime - Chicago has a reputation around the world (points finger "bang-bang") and while not as bad as his has been in the past, it's certainly not the safest city as was demonstrated in recent weeks.

2. The fact that a South American country hasn't hosted the games and deserve a chance.

3. The perception of a lack of complete support. Did the other cities on the list have demonstrations aimed at keeping the games out? If they did, you didn't hear much about them.

Thanks Hawk for more information..
I guess the investment in the arenas and the sports center and playing courts,wasnt a guarantee of an economic boom...
Just makes you think of the New Ford Center renovation and the MAPS3 Convention Center, and what is the push for..

Studies show that sports in general tend to cost a city more than they ever make them, which is why they shouldn't be looked at as an investment, but as a venue for the citizens of a city, something to be paid for to improve civic pride and quality of life, like the arts.

The reason the Hornets made money for the city was because OKC didn't actually have to build the infrastructure for them. The team literally just fell into place and played. Now with the expansion of the Ford Center, they are, so you probably won't see any profits to the city from now on.

This is a great article on the Obama's sales pitch to the IOC. The First Narcissist couple at their finest.

American Thinker: The Obamas Violated First Three Rules of Selling (http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/10/the_obamas_violated_first_thre.html)

From C. Edmund Wright

In their academic arrogance, they thought they could sell a product they clearly do not believe in (the United States) and moreover, they could do so by stressing the benefits to the seller (Chicago) and not the buyer (the IOC). And to top it off, they committed the faux pas of talking too much about the sales force (themselves) and not about the product or the buyer.


Anyone who has had to succeed in the real business world -- and that includes few if any on Team Obama -- instinctively knows that to get business done you have to believe in what you are doing and offer a product or service that is focused on the benefits to the customer. In the Obama World of Chicago pay-to-play power, business gets done by flexing muscle and clearing the field of your competitors. You don't have to sell anything. You don't have to believe in anything. It is fine to be self-focused. You simply have to apply the power of the applicable political machinery and you win.

He and the First Lady did not even pretend to be proud of us. They went on an unseemly, surreal begging campaign that mixed in uncomfortable bits and pieces of their personal histories with platitudes about what the Olympic Games could do for the children of Chicago. Oh, BTW, the Obama family would personally find it kind of a cool thing for the neighborhood.

The bottom line is this: this was an Obama epic fail period. They were the sales force, they were the focus of the sales presentation and they were the product. The Obamas were there to sell the Obamas with the Obamas. All Obama all the time. And the world said no thanks.

I think the committee member's minds were made up before the Obamas ever stepped in front of the podium. However, even if that weren't the case, I doubt that any of the speeches in Chicago would have done much to persuade them.

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I am incredulous at the Fascist loons.
POTUS wasnt the only head of state at Copenhagen trying to sway the IOC.
And I think the ICO had already made up their mind to send it to Rio De Janeiro.
The 3 loons/addicts think by saying it often enough it will become true.
Fascism was defeated once before, it will be defeated again but in the USA.

I think it's a little arrogant of us to assume that the POTUS would automatically provide more clout than the Japanese PM, the Spanish Queen, or any other head of state that attended it. I see no reason why we should declare it a personal failure on his part, or anyone else's. They all sent their biggest guns to advocate it.

I am incredulous at the Fascist loons.
POTUS wasnt the only head of state at Copenhagen trying to sway the IOC.
And I think the ICO had already made up their mind to send it to Rio De Janeiro.
The 3 loons/addicts think by saying it often enough it will become true.
Fascism was defeated once before, it will be defeated again but in the USA.

You saw the vote counts didn't you? The IOC did not have Rio as the pre-determined winner. That honor went to Madrid. The world doesn't respect Obama - they just see him as a push over.

I am incredulous at the Fascist loons.
The 3 loons/addicts think by saying it often enough it will become true. uh well make that 4.
Fascism was defeated once before, it will be defeated again but in the USA.

I was pullin' for Birmingham.

;)

I was pulling for Tulsa....:LolLolLol

I was pulling for Tulsa....:LolLolLol

No way Obama goes to Denmark in support of a Tulsa Olympic bid. Even if it is for the children.

No way Obama goes to Denmark in support of a Tulsa Olympic bid.

Let's hope not. Then Tulsa wouldn't get it for SURE.

From Michelle Obama's sales pitch about herself, “Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad’s lap, cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis, and others for their brilliance and perfection.”
Michelle Obama was born in 1964. Carl Lewis was born in 1961.
In 1984, when Lewis competed in his first Olympic Games, Michelle was twenty.
Nadia Comaneci competed in the 1976 Olympics and Olga Korbut was in the 1972 games.
No big deal, unless it was Sarah Palin or any other hated republican.

From Michelle Obama's sales pitch about herself, “Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad’s lap, cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis, and others for their brilliance and perfection.”
Michelle Obama was born in 1964. Carl Lewis was born in 1961.
In 1984, when Lewis competed in his first Olympic Games, Michelle was twenty.
Nadia Comaneci competed in the 1976 Olympics and Olga Korbut was in the 1972 games.
No big deal, unless it was Sarah Palin or any other hated republican.

Who knows, she might have been sitting on her dad's lap at 20.

You saw the vote counts didn't you? The IOC did not have Rio as the pre-determined winner. That honor went to Madrid. The world doesn't respect Obama - they just see him as a push over.

Perhaps it wasn't Obamas fault......he was in Copenhagen trying to get the Olypmics to Chicago. I guess the far-right conservatives were really pulling for Chicago as evident in this video.

YouTube - Americans For Prosperity Cheer United States 2016 Olympic Bid Loss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifpnK6Uwyqw)

While I'd love the Olympics to be in the USA, preferably closer so I can attend, I'd hate to be the city/state that has to go so far into debt for it all. It's kind of a catch 22.

who knows, she might have been sitting on her dad's lap at 20.

eeewwwwww!