Olympic bid 2016

The city of Chicago lost its bid for Olympic Games 2016, the head of Chicago 2016 said Tuesday.

Pat Ryan chairman of the city's Olympic bid committee said there was nothing the city could have done to improve its bid to host the 2016 Summer Games.

The U.S. first lady Michelle Obama reportedly appealed to the International Olympic Committee members to give Chicago the opportunity.

Chicago competed with Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo and was eliminated in the first round of voting. 

Tokyo was eliminated in the second round and Rio de Janeiro defeated Madrid in round 3 and won the opportunity to be the host city of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016, according to a press release by the IOC.

"Rio 2016 will provide the best possible environment for peak performance. athletes will enjoy world-class facilities, including a superb village, all located in one of the world's most beautiful cities, in a compact layout for maximum convenience." the IOC says in its statement.

Ryan indicated that the loss of Chicago bid 20016 is due to the regional presentations. He said the representatives for the region covering the u.S. were limited.

He also said it may have something to do with the strained relationship between the U.S. Olympic Committee and the IOC.

The loss of Chicago's Olympic bid 2016 is a disappointment to many, but not everyone. 

"The city of Chicago and the Chicago Park District do not fulfill the current needs of outdoor park space for any of the adult or children leagues, including Chicago MSA [ and ] Chicago Sport and Social club, to name a few," Marcia Hill, president of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) was quoted by Windy City Media Group as saying.

"If Chicago had won, Chicago MSA would have lost the softball fields at Waveland, which [ are ] used for our women's softball league and our Senior Cup softball tournament. We can now focus on our needs of improving our current facilities."

By David Liu davidl at foodconsumer dot org