Chicago Mayor Leads Delegation from U.S. Bid
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley will lead a delegation to Beijing from the U.S. bid city for 2016. Spokesman Patrick Sandusky says up to 15 people will be on the ground at any one time for the bid.
Each of the 2016 cities is granted eight credentials for observers, but each team will be supplemented with officials from the NOC and government leaders.
In the case of Chicago, U.S. President George Bush as well as his father, will be in Beijing. All of the 2016 cities will have the heads of their national governments at opening ceremony.
Chicago 2016 activities will be split between the Hyatt, the bid’s hotel and the Hilton, where the USOC leadership is quartered.
“We are there to enjoy sport and the Games and take the opportunity to learn from the observer program, how to best run an Olympic Games,” says Sandusky.
“We don’t anticipate any challenges and are sure that the Chinese will be great hosts,” he says.
Madrid Prepares to Listen and Learn in Beijing
Madrid 2016 is sending a 30-strong delegation to the Beijing Olympics.
Key members include CEO Mercedes Coghen, Jaime Lissavetzky, Secretary of State for Sport, Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee and Madrid mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon. They will be joined by the board of directors of the bid.
Madrid 2016 will be headquartered at Crowne Plaza Hotel. A press conference is scheduled at the Cervantes Institute in Beijing on Aug. 10.
Bid spokesman Jorge Híjar says Madrid has three objectives for the Beijing trip.
“Listen to Olympic Family recommendations on how to develop a better project to move Olympism forward.
“To learn from the best possible model of organizing the Olympic and Paralympic Games: Beijing 2008. And support and learn from the athletes on how to live the Games and how that model could be applied to each one of us in our everyday lives.”
Rio de Janeiro Ready to Learn from Beijing
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will be at the top of delegation from Brazil and the bid for 2016 from Rio de Janeiro.
The rest of the Rio de Janeiro team should number about 16, including four levels of government, observers from the bid and NOC leaders.
Rio de Janeiro State Governor Sergio Cabral and Sports Minister Orlando Silva are the top government leaders below the Brazilian president who will be in Beijing.
The bid team will headquarter at the Jianguo Garden Hotel where Casa Brasil will be located. Plans for a press conference have not been finalized.
“I think our main objective in Beijing is to learn,” bid leader Carlos Osorio tells Around the Rings.
“We will be there with a multi-discipline team covering most of the areas that will be contained in our dossier,” says Osorio.
Osorio, who is also secretary general of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, says attention has been paid to bringing a strong team of competitors to Beijing.
He says the 277-member team, the biggest-ever from Brazil, “shows Brazil’s commitment to the development of Olympic sport”.
Tokyo Kickstarts International Campaign
About 30 members of Tokyo 2016 are heading to Beijing. The bid team will formally launch its international campaign during the Olympics.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who acts as supreme advisor to the bid, will be joined by Shintaro Ishihara, Tokyo 2016 president and governor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government, bid CEO Ichiro Kono and president of the Japanese Olympic Committee Tsunekazu Takeda.
Staff members from international affairs, international communications and the bid's sports department will also attend.
Tokyo 2016 will be based at Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong. A press conference is planned at Grand Ballroom II, Grand Hyatt at 2pm on Aug. 4.
“The Beijing Games is obviously the best opportunity to further expand our knowledge, and Tokyo 2016 would like to experience every single aspect of the Games. This is our priority,” says bid spokesman Masa Takaya.
He says another key objective is to raise awareness of Tokyo's bid concept, including its plans for an urban, sporting and environmental legacy.
Written by Ed Hula and Mark Bisson
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