Bidding for the Games -- Federations Approve Rio 2016 Venues

All the Summer Olympic sports federations approved of Rio’s venues plan this week. (Rio 2016)Federations Approve Rio 2016 Venues

Rio de Janeiro’s venues plan for the 2016 Olympics gains the approval of all 26 summer Olympic sports federations. It will form part of the city’s candidature file due for submission to the IOC four weeks from today.

According to Rio 2016, the federations praised different aspects of the plans “particularly their compactness, the functionality of the venues, the legacy of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games and the beauty of the locations chosen for open-air competitions.”

Plans for the venues built for the 2007 Pan-Am Games – the João Havelange Stadium, the Barra Velodrome, Maria Lenk Aquatic Park and the Rio Arena – were among those approved.

“This confirms that Rio de Janeiro has Olympic-standard sports facilities and that the Rio 2016 plan is well conceived and meets the expectations of the international federations,” said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of Rio 2016. “The facilities will excite athletes, officials and spectators.”

Under the Brazilian bid, two new venues would be built to complement existing infrastructure: the Olympic Training Center in Barra da Tijuca, which will also serve in legacy-mode as a center of excellence for the training and development of Brazilian, South American and African athletes; and X Park, an extreme sports center to be built in Deodoro.

Public Support Grows for Tokyo Bid

A new nationwide poll in Japan reveals that 70.2 percent of the population —more than 90 million people — now support Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Games. This is an improvement on the 62 percent in the last survey commissioned by the bid team in December 2007.

Around 1,000 cheerleaders showed their support for Tokyo 2016 at the Japan Cheer Dance Championship in November. (Tokyo 2016) Tokyo 2016 said the new figures showed that all sectors of Japanese society were getting behind the bid. Officials claim a slew of new initiatives have resulted in the increased support including events such as the Tokyo 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Supporters Assembly, a symposium called “Get Fit Japan," and the formation of the Tokyo 2016 Sports Supporters Squad.

“I feel that Japanese expectations for Tokyo 2016 are increasing day after day, especially among the younger generation. I’d like to bring home a big present from Copenhagen this October,” said Shintaro Ishihara, governor of Tokyo and president of Tokyo 2016.

The poll of 3,000 citizens across Japan was conducted by Yahoo Japan Value Insight Corporation from Jan. 7 to 9.

On Sunday, the Japanese bid will further raise awareness of its campaign when four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima delivers a speech in front of Tokyo's two major railway stations, Shinjuku and Shibuya, where millions of people pass by every day. Kitajima is head of the Tokyo 2016 Sports Supporters Squad and acts as an athlete ambassador.

Madrid Seeks More Sporting Success

Madrid 2016 leaders are hoping Spain's sporting successes in 2009 can match those of last year to boost their bid campaign.

Bid CEO Mercedes Coghen said, “2008 was an amazing year for Spain and everyone involved in sport in our country. Sport is all about people. It brings them together, unites them, and truly has the power to change lives. We want the 2016 Games to bring about social transformation and be the Games with the 'Human Touch.'"

Spain's triumphs in 2008 included the UEFA European football championships, Rafa Nadal's victory in the Wimbledon tennis final and Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre. There were also some strong showings at the Beijing Olympics and from Spanish driver Fernando Alonso in Formula One racing.

The January issue of Elle magazine (Spain) features a number of Spanish sporting celebrities reflecting on the difference sport can make to people’s lives and an interview with Madrid’s Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, one of the faces of the 2016 bid.

“There is nothing more important to me than bringing the 2016 Games to Madrid,” he told the magazine. “We already have three quarters of our venues and infrastructure ready and with the global economic downturn that is something in Madrid’s favor.”

Meanwhile, an initiative aimed at increasing sports participation in Madrid has launched to city residents. The new Abono Deporte Madrid (season ticket) means citizens will have to pay less in 2009 for practicing sport in municipal sports facilities.

Under the scheme, they will also enjoy access to more activities and services. The new system replaces the monthly season ticket scheme. There are different categories of ticket - it costs about $57 for an adult aged 21 to 64 years; youngsters pay significantly less.

Chicago to Use Property Tax to Fund Bid

The city governmentChicago Mayor Richard Daley is seeking heavyweight backers, including former U.S. presidents, to support the city's 2016 bid. (Getty Images)of Chicago has authorized the use of new property tax revenues to fund the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid.

The vote was cast Tuesday and guaranteed the city would cover additional police patrols, street cleaning and other services for the Summer Games.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and the Olympic bid team have said the city would not have to cover the $500 million guarantee for hosting the Games, with taxes on ticket sales offsetting the $45 million costs of providing city services.

Daley said yesterday he want to create a dream team to boost the city's 2016 Olympic campaign, saying he hoped to get former U.S. presidents, secretaries of state, overseas ambassadors and counsels general to get behind the bid. He described President-elect Barack Obama, a native of Chicago, as the “quarterback” of the bid.

“We’re asking for everyone’s input because the delegates [of the IOC] are like a national convention,” Daley was quoted as saying in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Daley said he expects Obama to be in Copenhagen, Denmark in October when the IOC votes on the 2016 Olympic host. “If you don’t have the president or prime minister going to Copenhagen, it seems like the president is not supportive. That is the quarterback coming over [the goal line] for the touchdown,” Daley said.

Also this week, USA Gymnastics partnered with Chicago 2016 to promote youth fitness. Some 4,400 kids in the Chicago Park District gymnastics program began a six-week fitness program called the Tyson Fitness Challenge.

The Chicago tourism office launched a Web site to promote the Olympic bid and the city as an international destination. The Web site, explorechicago.org, was launched Wednesday.

Media Watch

MSNBC has a story how local Chicago politicians are using the Olympics to get political leverage.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28655579/

Chicago Public Radio aired a piece on how community organizers hope the Games will lead to urban renewal in parts of Chicago.

http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=31434

Written by Mark Bisson and Ed Hula III.