Olympic host city chosen today

So as you're reading this, a host city may have already been selected. But even if that is the case, here are my thoughts and rankings.

Choosing the host city
Four years ago, on July 6, 2005, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) met in Singapore. My choice — and favorite at the time — Paris lost in the final round to London. Also losing to London: Moscow, New York and Madrid.

To determine a host city, once the final four have been decided, a candidate city must win a majority of the votes. According to IOC rules: "If there is no majority in the first round, the city with the fewest votes drops out of the running, and the members vote again for the remaining candidates. If two or more cities are tied for the lowest number of votes, a run-off election is held between them, with the city gaining the most votes going on to the next round."

For example, in 2005, London triumphed after four rounds with 54 votes from a possible 104 in the final round. So really, a candidate city can win outright but with four cities competing, the odds are slim.

The four competing cities: a pithy analysis
(in order of final presentations)
Chicago
Pro: Most sponsors of the Olympics are American-based. Could help for revenue. President Obama and Oprah are in Copenhagen rallying support. Much better plan than NYC for 2012 bid.
Con: Money issues. Can Chicago afford the games?

Tokyo
Pro: Very economically conscious and good use of existing structures.
Con: The 2008 Games were in Beijing, which is in the same area as Tokyo. The country's population is not very enthused about the Games coming.

Rio de Janeiro
Pro: Never before have the Games been held in South America. Growing economic power and huge young population.
Con: Rio is already hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the crime rate there is pretty bad.

Madrid
Pro: Good planning and use of existing structures. Highly supported by population.
Con: London is hosting the 2012 Games. Would the IOC award the Olympic


My thoughts
I want Chicago to win. I'm a Midwest kid and would love to see my favorite event (besides the Oscars) come so close to me. If Chicago does not win, I think Rio would be a good second choice. It's only an hour ahead of the Eastern time zone, which would help put more events "live in prime time." Let's see what happens…

Final report before the vote
The announcement of the Host City for the 2016 Games will be made during a 30-minute ceremony which will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Good luck, Chicago!

Caption: In spirit of the Olympics, here I am outside the Olympic Museum and park in Lausanne, Switzerland

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Online document creation in a Flash

Post details: • Adobe introduces Acrobat.com • A review of the features Microsoft and Google, watch out for Adobe. On Monday (6/2), Adobe released the public beta of Acrobat.com , a product for online document creation and sharing. Think Google Docs, but by Adobe and all in its powerhouse software Flash. The new Web site allows users to create simple documents and collaborate with other users (using Buzzword ) and when you are finished, you can export the file as a PDF, Word document, among other file types. With Share , you can upload up to 5.12 gigs of files, share the files with others and create PDFs. ConnectNow , the third part of the semi-disconnected set of offerings, allows users to communicate multifariously via different "Pods": chat, Web cam, file view, white board, screen sharing and note sharing - all at one URL. You can even use microphones to create a true conference. And remember, this is all done in Flash. No software required (except Flash, that is) and onl
Read more

Recent Star cuts represent growing trend

Post details: • Kansas City Star announced job cuts • Graphic designer creates Google Map to track cuts On Tuesday’s front page (6/17), the Kansas City Star staffer Dan Margolies wrote the Missouri-based newspaper is cutting 120 jobs (about 10 percent of its work force) – about 20 to 22 positions are expected to be eliminated in the newsroom. “These cuts are part of the way we must respond as we strategically realign our company for success in this digital age,” said Star Publisher Mark Zieman, who also called the move “a painful but necessary step,” in a memo to employees Monday. Zieman cited reductions in revenue because of increased competition and the current economic downturn as reasons for the cut. The Star is “struggling to replace lost print advertising revenue quickly enough with new online revenue,” the article stated. (Having one of the worst designed newspaper Web sites in the country and one that is hard to navigate, I can see why the Star is having problems online.) Oth
Read more

Week one in Chautauqua

Image
Looking out the window of the tour, I thought to myself, "Where am I? What is this place?" That was last Tuesday afternoon, June 16th. Today, I'm still asking that same question to myself - if only to a smaller extent. I am spending the summer as a design editor at the Chautauqua Institution's daily newspaper, the Chautauquan Daily . I'll be here at this utopia-like place until the end of August. That may answer the first question I asked myself, but there's still the second... Trying to describe the Institution is very hard. Over dinner Tuesday night, Institution president Tom Becker gave us a better idea of the place. It's like chocolate in that it's incomparable to anything else, he said. For me, Chautauqua is like many things: a resort, a summer home or lake house, a small college town, Disney World and, in a sense, Monaco. On Monday, resident archivist and historian Jon Schmitz stopped by the newsroom and helped describe the Institution anecdo
Read more