POLL: The 2016 Olympic Summer Games

rio!!

ya rio for sure

I kind of liked the original Chicago Olympics logo, but apparently it was nixed by the IOC because logos can't use the torch for some reason:

http://www.logoblog.org/wp-images/old-chicago-olympics-logo.jpg

That said, I'm a Chicagoan and I'm voting Rio. I like to spread the Olympics around, and they've never been in South America before.

i'm not going to vote for kidnappings

Rio in a landslide!

Rio will probably win the ILX vote, but they're currently in 4th place in the IOC scoring system. :(

(Tokyo is in first place)

I'm voting Tokyo

sorry, didn't anyone see Manda Bala? (yes, i know, sao paulo, but rio actually has more per year) (and the reason this matters with the olympics: the kidnappers notoriously target athletes' relatives) (see: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/11/MNGJ2DLUUB1.DTL)

the rejected chicago logo makes me think of ayn rand.

As a former Chicagoan now living in Vancouver (site of 2010 winter games), I vote Rio. I would never wish this hell on my beloved Chicago.

sorry you're getting a new subway line

i want rio to be the opposite of these lifeless games

definitely Rio.

An opening ceremony with elements of Carnival would be magical.

Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Jesus statue etc would make an excellent backdrop for the TV pictures.

It would be great for spectators from overseas.

Being on the coast, the sailing events could be held at the actual place, rather than thousands of miles away as is often the case.

i am applying for a job if chicago gets it

(the actual olympics not this poll)

(also voted chicago)

madrid!

http://gawker.com/assets/images/gawker/2008/08/bball_ad.jpeg

spain, the us and japan have all had olympics in the last 20 years

the olympics are always more fun in 'little-known' cities too, or at least in cities that arent already humongous and internationally-know like madrid and tokyo and i guess chicago. or cities that have something to prove and treat the olympics like an international coming-out party

Rio, most interesting logo, sexiest atmosphere

Tokyo seems to have a noose..

I think rio has a more defined character than madrid and is more internationally recognisable but agree about spain, the us and japan have all had olympics in the last 20 years

not agree that it is true but that it should have a strong bearing on the selection

poor Madrid. They're really trying so hard even though it is so unlikely to go to a european nation directly after London.
Too bad Doha couldn't cut it.
Though great logo Madrid! You too Tokyo

Tokyo's last time to host was in the 1960s, btw.

(o rite, Nagano)

A book about the future in the library when I was in school said it would be on the moon in 2020. I look forward to it.

^^ good idea

i voted rio, would not want to be here for the olympics. a lot can happen in 8 years anyway.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

not tokyo. anywhere where the time zones are convenient for me to watch, beijing is killing me.

i guess chi-town or rio, then.

Why in the HELL hasn't Dubai bid on a summer games yet?? Seems like a logical fit.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Not Tokyo, and not Chicago.

more like oh limp dicks

The hype here is unbelievable. Right now the website for the Chicago Tribune reads "Depression Spreads". Come the fuck on people, get a grip.

still really want rio

madrid would be dope tho so whatev

Please remember that Olympics are decided by a convocation of International Sockless Loafer Men with titles (how busy must it keep Albert of Monaco?) and that Samaranch has been leaning hard on the 'give me a Madrid olympics before I croak' rhetoric.

Phew. That was a close one.

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1002/oly_u_livereaction_576.jpg

^^^these people are probably from the suburbs

Yay. ILX has spoken.

Right now the website for the Chicago Tribune reads "Depression Spreads".

Argh. The thing I've hated most about this whole situation is how much the local and national media are on the Chicago bandwagon. There's usually a tokenistic "some Chicagoans are against the Games," but it's always presented as though it's a small faction, rather than over 40% of the city's residents.

Chicago, you won today.

Yes, Rio!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgq1g-2cQ54

Rio seems like the right choice, except there is a strong possibility that they'll clear their extensive slums by just tearing them down and not providing any replacement housing. Not so good for the poor of Rio, if that happens.

Chicago Reader journalist Ben Joravsky has been a vocal opponent of the Games, writing several articles explaining why Chicago is ill-equipped for them. Here's his reaction to this morning's news:

"I was driving down 57th Street headed to Washington Park when I got a call from a friend telling me Chicago had lost its bid for the 2016 Olympics.

"I honked my horn, rolled down the window, and let out a whoop of joy.

"And other people were honking their horns and shouting right back at me. I've now been walking around Washington Park for more than an hour and I haven't found one person who feels bad about this. We will be analyzing the International Olympic Committee's decision for weeks, but the bottom line is this: in Chicago, nobody really wanted the games.

"It's one of the best days of my life since Harold Washington was elected mayor."

Tokyo residents also voiced widespread opposition (or strong ambivalence) about hosting the games. In some polling in Tokyo, the good majority polled opposed it.

Yeah, Chicago would've been a mess. Jesus christ, the CTA can't handle rush hour on a given weekday with any grace or aplomb. And that was only one of my concerns.

rio is pretty much best case scenario for americans imo. we don't have to deal with having them in our country (terrorism fear-mongering and clogging of news etc) and instead we get to watch them in a cool & exotic locale that is only... what, two time zones earlier than EST?

Good for Rio. They are one of the 3 biggest cities in the world (behind Tokyo and Mexico City) and have never hosted the games before.

Also, Chicago seems to close to Vancouver who is hosting the 2010 winter games. I'd hope they'd try to spread them out a bit.

america shouldn't get to host a summer olympics for another 100 years to atone for atlanta

except there is a strong possibility that they'll clear their extensive slums by just tearing them down and not providing any replacement housing

That was one of my arguments against having the games in Chicago.

They did it in China, they do it pretty much everywhere, right? It's all about sanitization.

The favelas are famous around the world for their poverty, but also now getting some renown for their art -- does the state dare to bulldoze them completely, or will there be cleaned-up guided tours of approved sites, or what? Seems like it could play out in a few ways....

Rio. They are one of the 3 biggest cities in the world

This isn't actually true, I don't think. At least according to wikipedia.

I should amend - by "slums," I meant "affordable housing in lower income, predominately minority areas where the residents have limited political pull."

you're right dr. johnson, i was confusing Rio with Sao Paolo.

Here in Vancouver, we have seen some removal/renovation some slums in predominately minority areas where the residents have limited political pull. But these were most certainly "slums". Not "affordable housing".

I should amend - by "slums," I meant "affordable housing in lower income, predominately minority areas where the residents have limited political pull."

"some of which just happens to be beautiful Lake Michigan waterfront property"

"And other people were honking their horns and shouting right back at me. I've now been walking around Washington Park for more than an hour and I haven't found one person who feels bad about this. We will be analyzing the International Olympic Committee's decision for weeks, but the bottom line is this: in Chicago, nobody really wanted the games.

What a load of horseshit. Did he take a poll? Everyone on the north side should never have a public opinion again. By the way, I'm pro-Rio but spare me the same old north side media whores who turn the anti-Chicago cause into an excuse to love and promote themselves using the same north-side biased organs. Because let me tell you, "everyone in Chicago" does not read the stinking Reader. I hate those people and I'm glad I no longer live around them. They are relentlessly negative about everything.

I am pro-RIO because I am pro underdog, not because I am a typical privileged Chicagoan who is given yet another opportunity to promote myself and my irrelevant opinions in public.

I mean, if you're honking your horn about a lousy Olympics, maybe your life isn't difficult enough.

what

im still pro olympics on the moon

I'm all for Olympics on the moon as long as scheduling is somewhere between CST and GMT.

What a load of horseshit. Did he take a poll?

His column this week made mention of this Tribune article from September 3:

Support in Chicago for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games has dwindled, with residents now sharply divided over whether the city should host the Games, a Tribune/WGN poll has found.

Nearly as many city residents oppose Mayor Richard Daley's Olympic plans, 45 percent, as support them, 47 percent. And residents increasingly and overwhelmingly oppose using tax dollars to cover any financial shortfalls for the Games, with 84 percent disapproving of the use of public money.

I have to say, I don't really understand your weird anti-Reader sentiment, though! For one thing, I appreciate that there's a paper in town that dares to voice dissent on the topic. Joravsky especially has done a good job at shedding light on municipal issues that the Tribune and Sun-Times aren't covering, like TIFs or the parking meter scandal.

i came back from break (during class) and all of my students already knew
we rejoiced together

GO RIO!

i should note that we are in chicago

"some of which just happens to be beautiful Lake Michigan waterfront property"

That's not an excuse to displace residents!

apparently this is a humilating defeat for obama. michelle malkin seems to think it's a sign that health care reform is dead. rush limbaugh says it's "the worst day of his presidency." (yeah, we should be so lucky.)

xp Come on now, do you really think I meant it that way? Developers have been trying to get a free pass into South Shore for a while now if what I've read and heard is correct, and the building of the Olympic village there was their big chance.

We did get the Art Institute and the Museum of Science and Industry out of the Columbian Expo...

Don't forget Devil in the White City!

More handwringing

Did Chicago lose the chance to host the 2016 Olympics because of airport security issues?

Among the toughest questions posed to the Chicago bid team this week in Copenhagen was one that raised the issue of what kind of welcome foreigners would get from airport officials when they arrived in this country to attend the Games. Syed Shahid Ali, an I.O.C. member from Pakistan, in the question-and-answer session following Chicago’s official presentation, pointed out that entering the United States can be “a rather harrowing experience.”

President Obama, who was there as part of the 10-person team, assured Mr. Ali that all visitors would be made to feel welcome. “One of the legacies I want to see is a reminder that America at its best is open to the world,” he said.”

But Mr. Obama’s assurances may have not been enough to assuage critics like Mr. Ali. A few hours later the Games went to Rio de Janiero.

The exchange underscores what tourism officials here have been saying for years about the sometimes rigorous entry process for foreigners, which they see as a deterrent to tourism. Once the news came out that Chicago lost its Olympic bid, the U.S. Travel Association didn’t miss an opportunity to point that out, sending out a critical press release within hours.

“It’s clear the United States still has a lot of work to do to restore its place as a premier travel destination,” Roger Dow, U.S. Travel’s president, said in the statement released today. “When IOC members are commenting to our President that foreign visitors find traveling to the United States a ‘pretty harrowing experience,’ we need to take seriously the challenge of reforming our entry process to ensure there is a welcome mat to our friends around the world, even as we ensure a secure system.”

International travel to the U.S. declined by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2009 according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. To lure visitors back, U.S. Travel has been pushing the Travel Promotion Act, which recently was passed in the Senate and is awaiting action in the House, to create a campaign to strengthen the image of the United States abroad.

That video of the Chicago police beating a guy to death last week probably didn't help either.

I not only do we have the fakest of fake-ass airport security, O'Hare is a nightmare, aging badly and totally inadequate to handle the massive traffic that it struggles to handle daily. It should be a source of great shame to the city. It probably should be razed to the ground.

And yes, we don't have anywhere near the proper infrastructure to handle the Olympics.

In short: WHEW! That was close!

(Or at least it seemed that way before the Olympic voters smacked us down HARD.)

Looks like the IOC made its decision based on the ILX poll.

Look what we talked about on the GOP thread!

Is there a city in Africa that could come up with a good Olympic bid?

― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, October 3, 2009 8:05 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_metropolitan_areas_in_Africa

Cairo?

― StanM, Saturday, October 3, 2009 8:06 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

let's see what happens with the world cup next year

― mookieproof, Saturday, October 3, 2009 8:06 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark

booooring

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Archive/Search/2011/1/10/1294667581446/rio-olympic-logo-007.jpg

one ring to rule them all

There's an article about it here: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/holding_hands_in_rio.php

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/rio_2016_sugarloaf.jpg

If you're going to base a shape on something, might as well do it on the local landscape.

Did they turn the Olympics into an international film festival?

Hahah

http://www.altmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/Rio2016_logo.jpg

Two words: chastity belt.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/a0e71f05cf9e313a370ec34ea643aceb/tumblr_mssvgwAQci1qibfuto1_500.gif

"And the gold medal is awarded to... KANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"