Bidding for the Games -- Chicago Announces Venue Changes

ATR) Some major sports venues are on the move in the enhanced plan unveiled Friday by the Chicago 2016 bid committee. Organizers say they hope the improvements will impress the International Olympic Committee with a meaningful legacy and a more "cohesive and festive Games." Olympics would create 315,000 new "job years" over a seven year span (175,000 job years in the city). (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The changes have a domino effect: The aquatic venues will leave Douglas Park and join the athletics stadium in Washington Park. Douglas Park will now be the site of a velodrome and host the BMX and track cycling events, which were originally slated for Northerly Island. And Northerly Island will take over canoe/kayak slalom and sailing.

Chicago 2016 spokesmen say the enhancements incorporate feedback from the international federations, national governing bodies, athletes and the local community.

"The essence of our plan has not changed," said Doug Arnot, Chicago 2016 Senior Vice President of Sport, Venues and Games Operations. "Some of the elements have shifted, with an eye toward both the Games and legacy."

The announcement comes a day after an economic impact study released by Chicago 2016 said the games would cost $4.7 billion and would bring in $22.5 billion in additional economic activity -- $13.7 billion in the city of Chicago alone.

The study also said the Olympics would create 315,000 new "job years" over a seven year span (175,000 job years in the city).

"We know what Chicago can do for the Olympic Movement is critical to our winning," said Patrick Ryan, Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO. "However, the economic impact is also important. The effort and resources we would expend to host the Games wuold be returned many times over to our citizens."

Ryan said the study avoided including economic activity that would have occurred even if the Games are not awarded to Chicago.

Chicago 2016 also changed the amount of its projected contingency fund, or surplus, from $725 million to $500 million. The committee lopped off the $225 million in proceeds it had expected for the sale of air rights in the first Olympic Village proposal.

"With current economic conditions, we're not able to project with confidence what the proceeds will be," Ryan said, noting the value of the development won't be known until it is put out for bid, which could take several years.

Ryan said that because the bid committee can't project the numbers with confidence before submitting the bid documents to the IOC on Feb. 12, "It's prudent to zero out those line items for now."

The bid committee also decided not to build suites in the Olympic Stadium, which takes the projected revenue down from $75 million to $50 million, but also decreases the cost of the stadium to under $360 million, Arnot said.

The bid committee announced earlier this week that it is acquiring the Michael Reese Hospital site, moving the Olympic Village from a proposed site nearby.

"This is a much more efficient village for us," Ryan said. "While this is a much different development overall, the project to construct the Village is very similar.

Adjusting for inflation, Ryan said he expected the cost of the village to be five percent higher than anticipated. He added, "We could realize some or all of what we planned, if conditions get better."

The developer eventually chosen to build the Village will be required to provide delivery and cost guarantees and Chicago 2016 will merely rent the Village from the developer for the Olympic and Parralympic Games.

The Chicago City Council will take up a number of bid related issues next week. On Monday, the finance committee will review the Michael Reese land acquisition and on Wednesday the the council will consider an Olympic approval ordinance that authorizes the city to execute the agreements and take the actions required under the IOC candidature procedures.

Venue Specifics: Washington Park

Arnot said the original venue plan for the U.S. domestic bid took four months to forumulate, but his team worked for an additional year and a half to fine-tune it. He said the budget has gone from a couple of hundred lines deep to 200,000 lines and the total increase after inflation is about 5 percent.

The aquatics center, originally slated for the University of Illinois at Chicago, was moved to Douglas Park to provide a legacy on the West Side.

By placing the aquatics and athletics venues close to each other in Washington Park, Chicago can add an element of community and celebration, perhaps similar to the Olympic Green in Beijing.

However, in a departure from previous Games, the 22,000-seat competition pool will be a temporary facility and the smaller warm-up pool will be transformed into the permanent legacy operated by the Chicago Park District. Diving will have its own facility. There also will be a temporary pool and facility for water polo. After the Games, one of the temporary pools will be moved to Douglas Park, so it will still have the pool promised in the original plans.

The post-Games legacy will include splash zones so children can get comfortable in the water.

Arnot also said there would be more green space in Washington Park after the Games than before construction.

Midway Celebration Site

The famous Chicago Midway will be a sports and celebration site to complement activities in Washington Park and Jackson Park. The site will also be utilized for the race walk and marathon competitions. It will also provide entertainment during the Games as part of the Cultural Olympiad and kids sports zones where children can win tickets to events.

"They can see what the sport is about, participate in interactive sports and perhaps the next day, see that sport live at the Olympic Games," Arnot said.

Jackson Park

The Olympic hockey venue will be shifted within Jackson Park because of concerns in the community. Arnot said the international hockey federation agreed to reduce the footprint of the venue and relocate it to a much less sensitive area within the park. The new site is easier to service during the Games and better suited for post-Games use as a multi-sport facility featuring artificial turf for use by the community, including nearby Hyde Park Career Academy High School and the Chicago Park District.

Douglas Park

Track cycling and BMX will go to Douglas Park in response to a community desire for a multi-sport facility and a cycling legacy, especially in BMX, which is very popular with youth.

After the Games, the velodrome would be transformed into a year-round, multisport facility featuring cycling, indoor soccer, basketball, volleyball, a fitness center. The center will be joined by the Olympic pool that will be relocated to Douglas Park.

Northerly Island

Beach volleyball will remain on Northerly Island and will be joined by the new slalom course and sailing. The center will feature a new facility for rafting, kayaking and wall climbing. The southern section of Northerly Island could be developed into a wetland environment to promote conservation and increase the bird population.

Sailing would be a temporary facility in Burnham Harbor, that will bring spectators closer to the action. Post-Games, it would become a center for youth and adaptive sailing "We know what Chicago can do for the Olympic Movement is critical to our winning," said Pat Ryan Chicago 2016 CEO.(Getty Images)

Scandal in Illinois Government

Asked to address "the elephant in the room" -- the scandal involving Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat -- Ryan said, "It's a sad day for Illinois, there's no denying that. The governor has not been involved in our bid to speak of at all, the mayor (Richard Daley) has been out front...

"We don't believe that it will negatively impact the bid."

Written by Karen Rosen

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