Where in the World Will the Olympics Occur?

1. Where in the World Will the Olympics Occur?

2. Olympics Facts • The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world - Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana. • Every national flag in the world includes one of the five colors of the Olympic rings, which are blue, yellow, black, green. • From 776 BC to 393 AD, the early Olympic Games were organized, being celebrated as a religious festival. • It was 1894 that Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator, proposed the revival of the ancient tradition of Olympics, giving birth to modern-day Olympic Summer Games. • The first Olympic Summer Games were held in Athens, in 1896

3. What is the IOC? • International Olympic Committee • 115 members, who serve 8 year terms. • A majority of members whose memberships are not linked to any specific function or office; their total number may not exceed 70; there may be no more than one such member national of any given country; • Active athletes, the total number of whom may not exceed 15, elected for eight years by their peers during the Olympic Games; • Presidents or persons holding an executive or senior leadership position within IFs, associations of IFs or other organizations recognized by the IOC, the total number of whom may not exceed 15; • Presidents or persons holding an executive or senior leadership position within NOCs, or world or continental associations of NOCs, the total number of whom may not exceed 15; there may be no more than one such member national of any given country within the IOC.

4. Tokyo • Tokyo is touting "the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever" with a dramatic setting on the shores of Tokyo Bay. • Tokyo will refurbish a run-down industrial area, and also reclaim some land from the bay. A new stadium will seat 100,000 (and later be scaled back to 80,000) and the Olympic village will consist of five high-rises representing the Olympic rings overlooking the water. • The Japanese will need to build only two venues, refurbishing many venues from its 1964 Summer Olympic Games which are just 20 minutes from the planned site and also just minutes from the famed Ginza district. Tokyo has also stressed its "green" approach to plans. • Tokyo has continued its attempts to popularize the bid in high profile venues and events, a "been there, done that" attitude may pervade as the Beijing Games will have been held nearby eight years before, as well as Tokyo's own previous hosting. Specifically, the voting only one year after Beijing may interfere with Tokyo's bid. • Tokyo's logo is a musubi, a traditional knot which signifies times of blessing, in this case using the Olympic colors. .

5. Madrid • Madrid benefits from its strong reputation from the 2012 bid as well as having 85% of venues in place and many experiences hosting Olympic qualifying events. Recent plans have stressed two clusters of venues, one on the east side, the other along the Manzanares River • The bid is also popular with the Madrileños, boasting 85% support and 60% believing they can win the bid. • One potential problem is that no continent has hosted successive Summer Games since 1952, when Helsinki followed London as host city. • London is hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics, and Athens, Greece fielded the 2004 Summer Olympics. Furthermore, the 2014 Winter Olympics are also slated for Europe in the Russian city of Sochi, and the 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Torino, Italy. • Bid head Coghen has pointed out, however, that the IOC chooses "cities, not continents". • The bid logo is a colored hand print called "Corle" welcoming citizens to Madrid. An "m" is hidden in the palm standing for Madrid. It was selected via a public contest.

6. Rio • Rio would become the first Brazilian and South American city to host the games. • Rio de Janeiro is planning to perform all the competitions inside the city, bringing dynamics to the games and facilitating the athlete's interaction. • There will be seven competition centers in four Olympic regions—Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro, and Maracanã—where football matches will be held in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador and São Paulo. The entire city will be transformed into an Olympic theater for the celebration of sport. • The logo was revealed in December 17, 2007, during the Brazil's Olympic Award ceremony at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, and was selected by a jury from among four finalists. The BOC chose the Sugarloaf Mountain a prominent landmark of the city, as their symbol. This landscape results in a heart shape that, in its turn, represents the Brazilian's unquestionable passion and enthusiasm for sports.

7. Chicago • Chicago has an extensive public transit system, a wide range of venues, and a strong sports culture • The planned dramatic setting for Olympics on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the entirely urban experience are positive factors. • Another possible benefit is the city's central location in the United States, since the Central Time Zone is well-suited to the North American television coverage for television networks and cable broadcasting, which in turn benefits NBC, the media company which pays the highest broadcasting rights to the IOC. • Plans include a temporary Olympic Stadium in Washington Park on the city's South Side, a swimming venue on the West Side, and a number of events at McCormick Place convention center and the lakeshore as well as the Olympic Village just south of the Loop. • 22 of the 27 Olympic venues will be in four clusters within 15 km of the Olympic Village. Five new venues and eleven temporary venues will be built for the games. • The bid costs (US$49.3 million) • The logo is a 6-pointed star, as found on the flag of Chicago, with colors representing the sun in the sky, green parklands, and blue waters of Lake Michigan.

8. And the Winner is… • We will find out Friday, October 2, 2009. • Discussion: • Do you want the Olympics? • Why would a city want the Olympics? • What are some of the perks of the Olympics?