Name of Publication: Sporteconomy  Date of publication: 29.07.09  Exclusive – Sporteconomy.it interviews the leaders of Chicago2016 

On 2 October in Copenhagen (Denmark) the IOC, the leading body in the governance of world sports, will announce who, among Chicago (USA), Tokyo (Jap), Rio de Janeiro (Bra) and Madrid (Spa), can claim to be the host city for the summer Olympic Games of 2016. Sporteconomy, during the World Swimming Championships Roma09, met and interviewed Patrick G. Ryan, the President and CEO of Chicago 2016.  Patrick George Ryan, besides being the CEO and President for the Chicago 2016 Bid (in the photo the official logo), is also the founder of Aon (one of the American insurance giants). It is no coincidence that the American city’s project, in its bid to host the Games, has a winning card in its 1 billion dollar insurance cover which enables the organisers to sleep soundly in terms of the financial coverage of the event.  "Unlike Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, our candidacy does not have any public sector support", the CEO of Chicago 2016 explained in an exclusive interview with Sporteconomy.it. "Behind the candidacies of our rivals for 2 October there are their respective governments, in our case the Bid is totally managed from private contributions. There are guarantees from the State and city for around 800/900 million dollars, but these are simply "guarantees" not direct loans. What is more important is the insurance cover which, for the first time, has been adopted by an Olympic Bid to guarantee the success of the event. It is our strong point, as well providing security from a financial viewpoint. So we have cover of over one billion dollars which we took out by linking up with a pool of major international insurers".    “It will be the Olympics of the people, of the general public". Patrick G. Ryan, the CEO and President of Chicago 2016 has no doubts in this regard, as he said yesterday in the interview with Sporteconomy.it, during the third day of the swimming competition (where, among other things, their star supporter Michael Phelps was defeated for the first time post Beijing 2008 by the German Paul Biedermann).  "We want this emotion to be shared by as many people as possible", stressed the CEO of Chicago 2016. "Let me give you two examples. The Olympic stadium, where the athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies will take place, will have a jumbo screen on the outside to show whatever is happening inside. It’s a completely new idea, but it helps you understand our approach. The same will also happen in the area for the canoeing events. On Lake Michigan we have planned stands for around 20 thousand spectators, but once again thanks to the jumbo screen system another 200 thousand people will be able to enjoy coverage of the races. Besides this, unlike at previous Olympics, we want the athletes and the public to meet before, during and after events. We believe this will create an incredible and unique atmosphere". The involvement of other cities outside the urban area of Chicago is also planned (up to 4-5 hours drive from the host city). They will be involved for the use of sports facilities (for team training sessions) and to create, above all, associated business and tourism to generate pre- and post-Game benefits for the whole "regional" economy.   In just 64 days, 23 hours and a few minutes and seconds there will be the official announcement of who among Chicago (yesterday the only Olympic bid-city present at the Roma2009 Championships), Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo (probably the most dangerous "rival" for the final victory) will host the summer Games in 2016. (in the photo Patrick G. Ryan, the CEO and President of Chicago2016).  "We respect all three contenders for the final victory", says Patrick G. Ryan, CEO and President of Chicago 2016. "It’s not just a banal comment to say that we all currently have a 25% chance of pulling it off (even if none of the rivals can boast the support of Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America, or of a multiple Olympic champion Michael Phelps, ed.). So far we have more than 2,500 Olympic athletes, not only Americans (such as, for example, the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci), who support us in this project and, more generally, we can boast that our website has 1,227,082 friends who back the Bid. This is so far one of the most important results achieved in terms of image".  One of the strengths of the Stars and Stripes Bid is also the sound economic basis for the project. The wholly private (if we exclude the State and the city’s bank guarantees) Chicago 2016 operation is estimated, in the case of a successful candidacy, to be worth 3.8 billion dollars, with a difference between costs and income of around 300-400 million dollars.   This is reassuring also for the IOC which, among its considerations, also includes the final figures at the end of the event. Still today, for example, the Greek public are paying for the hole in the accounts caused by the Athens 2004 Games, while Sydney2000 must resolve the problem of the use of the facilities (overestimated in relation to the demand from the local population).   "From this point of view", concludes Patrick G. Ryan, CEO and President of Chicago2016, "our city has a successful sporting history. Not only in the organisation of events, but also in the use of facilities by the public. Our events almost always see a full house. This will also be true, we believe, for the Games. Indeed the Olympics will be an incredible driver for the economy of the whole State and will introduce Chicago and the surrounding area in terms of tourism to numerous foreign visitors…Another important aspect which I wish to highlight is that of philanthropy. This will be a further asset for our candidacy, above all if we win. In some years, for example, we have achieved 1 billion dollars in private donations. These are record figures which have enabled us to build museums and undertake initiatives aimed at the general public. We believe that for the Olympics these figures can be easily surpassed because all the population and benefactors of this city will compete with each other to ensure the success of the project".  
 
www.chicago2016.org

On 2 October in Copenhagen (Denmark) the IOC, the leading body in the governance of world sports, will announce who, among Chicago (USA), Tokyo (Jap), Rio de Janeiro (Bra) and Madrid (Spa), can claim to be the host city for the summer Olympic Games of 2016. Sporteconomy, during the World Swimming Championships Roma09, met and interviewed Patrick G. Ryan, the President and CEO of Chicago 2016. (in the photo an image of Chicago)