Bidding for the Games -- 2016 Bids, Prague, 2014 Youth Olympics

Chicago Olympic Village

Plans for the Olympic Village in the Chicago bid win the support of city council. By a unanimous vote this week, alderman approved the purchase of the 37-acre site that would be used for the Chicago village. The $86 million price for the parcel, site of a closed hospital, is considered a bargain for Chicago real estate.

But approval came after members of the council expressed concerns that blacks and Hispanics were being left-out of hiring for the Olympic bid team. Council members also say their neighborhoods should benefit from the both the bid and the Olympics, if Chicago wins.

For the ninth year running, Mayor Richard Daley's office is sponsoring a holiday sports carnival for young people at McCormick Place, the giant convention center that's part of the venue plan for 2016. The festival runs from Dec. 27 to 29 and features nearly two-dozen activities, Olympic and non-.

Department store Macy's on State Street in downtown Chicago has opened a small shop selling Chicago 2016 branded merchandise. A decision is pending on whether the shop will remain open after the holidays. It's the only retail outlet for bid merchandise in the city.

Government Gets Behind Madrid 2016

Madrid 2016 has won overwhelming all-party support from the Parliament for the campaign to bring the Olympics to the capital. The lower chamber (Cortes) offered its official vote of support for the Olympic bid on Tuesday.

"As representatives of the citizens of Spain, the Congress of Deputies considers the Olympic Games to be a cultural and sporting manifestation of the highest order which constitutes an expression of peace and understanding between towns and humanity. To host a Games will not only be an honor for Madrid, but for the whole Spanish people," said a Cortes statement.

The mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Deputy Mayor Manuel Cobo and Madrid 2016 bid leader Mercedes Coghen were in the Cortes when the vote took place.

"The Madrid bid has full support from all areas of Spanish life and culture - everyone from citizens in the street through companies and the king and government back us in trying to bring the Games to Madrid," said Coghen.

"This vote of support from the Parliament shows how all politicians are behind us, regardless of party or affiliation."

Rio Finalizes Bid, Athletes Support

Rio de Janeiro bid leaders say they have finalized their bid for 2016 ahead of the February deadline for submitting the file to the IOC. No significant modifications to previously announced plans were revealed in the press release issued by Rio on Friday.

"In collaboration with all three levels of government, we have devised a concept that will be both a blueprint for great Games and the long-term legacy for Rio, featuring every sport inside the city. Our Master Plan, aligned with a broader agenda of urban transformation across the city, comprises four venue zones that promote economic, environmental and social sustainability," said Carlos Nuzman, President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the Rio 2016 bid committee.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee honored its top athletes for the year at a ceremony this week in Rio de Janeiro. More than 200 people attended the event spotlighting athletes in 43 disciplines.

Athlete of the Year honors were awarded to Cesar Cielo, gold medalist in the 50m freestyle and Maurren Maggi, long jump gold medalist. Cielo and Maggi both used the ceremony to make a pitch for the 2016 Olympic bid from Rio de Janeiro.

"The Rio 2016 Games would leave a significant legacy to further develop sport and meet the expectations of current and future athletes in Brazil, South America and the world through additional athlete scholarships, increased investment in sport, additional training facilities and physical education programs," said Maggi.

Tokyo Finalizes Venue Plans

A permanent aquatics center and new site for the velodrome are the main changes to venue plans finalized by Tokyo 2016's bid committee.

The swimming facility at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center was originally designated as temporary but becomes permanent under efforts to leave a lasting legacy.

The velodrome moves to the Sports Forest of Ohifuto-Chuo-Kaihin Park - significantly closer to the Olympic village and other Games venues proposed in the Japanese bid.

Bid officials also confirmed that the marathon course will start from Kasumigaoka National Stadium, the showpiece venue of the 1964 Olympics, and finish at the new Olympic stadium.

Tokyo 2016's executive board met Thursday to finalize the venue plan that will be included in the bid book submitted to the IOC by the Feb. 12 deadline.

The revisions were made to deliver a more compact Games proposal and to demonstrate the bid's commitment to create an enduring legacy. Under the plan, most training facilities would be within 30 minutes of the Olympic village and competition venues.

The official IOC hotels for the Games were also finalized at the executive board meeting. They are: the Hotel Okura Tokyo; the ANA Intercontinental Hotel Tokyo and the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka. And the decision to hold all Paralympic events at Tokyo 2016 Olympic venues was ratified; 13 days are designated for the Paralympics rather than 12.

Ichiro Kono, chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016, said completion of the bid's venue plans "will ensure that Tokyo 2016 hosts the most compact Olympic and Paralympic Games ever in 2016."

Newest member of the Tokyo 2016 executive team is Olympic specialist and seasoned broadcaster Yosuke Fujiwara. He was named this week as senior executive officer, planning and PR Tokyo 2016.

Fujiwara brings more than three decades of sports and Olympic journalism experience to Tokyo's bid. He will take responsibility for media and public relations, and have an active role in promoting the bid both in Japan and internationally.

Having joined NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1976 and been in charge of its 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy output, Fujiwara took a leading role in the corporation's coverage of every Summer and Winter Games between 1992 and 2006. He left NHK to become head of broadcast relations for Beijing Olympic Broadcasting.

IOC Opens Bid Process for 2014 Summer YOG

The IOC has sent a letter to all 205 national Olympic committees inviting bids for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games. The bidding process is purposely on a fast-track timetable to ensure the city which follows Singapore in staging the Summer Youth Olympics is given plenty of time for preparations.

Deadline for the submission of candidatures is Feb. 2. NOCs must submit YOG candidature files and accompanying documents in July.

The IOC Executive Board will draw up a short list of candidate cities in October. An evaluation commission appointed by President Jacques Rogge will report back to the EB, which will recommend the finalists to be submitted to a vote at the 122nd IOC Session in Vancouver in February 2010.

The 2014 YOG will bring together around 3,500 athletes aged 14 to 18 years. The sports program will be chosen from the program of the 2016 Olympics that will be finalized at the IOC Session in Copenhagen in October 2009. There will be a limited number of disciplines and events.

Czech Bid for 2020 Lacks Government Support

Prague's plans to bid for the 2020 Olympics appear to be diminishing due to lack of governmental support. Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek claimed Wednesday that staging an Olympics would be too expensive. He said the state subsidies required to get the upcoming FIS World Ski Championship Liberec 2009 off the ground was an indicator of the vast sums needed to hold an Olympics.

"If this expenditure was to give just a small proof that the Olympics cannot be held in this country, then it was not wasted money," Kalousek was quoted by the Prague Post.

But Prague City Hall reportedly remains hopeful of launching a bid for the Olympics in the Czech capital, despite the city's failure to be named a finalist last June in the race for 2016.

Earlier this month, City Hall announced it would provide an additional $554,000 to the Praha Olympijská company, the group behind the failed 2016 campaign, and pledged its commitment to a 2020 bid.

But Praha Olympijska is likely to find it difficult to secure financial guarantees for this bid, according to the Prague Post. It was the government's failure to issue financial guarantees that ultimately killed off the city's 2016 hopes; any future Olympic bid would have to win political consensus to give Prague any hope of success.

With reporting from Mark Bisson and Ed Hula.