FogBat Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Chicago lost in first round of voting. Rio de Janeiro wins the bid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbossy Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 :w00t: Naked volleyball :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudz Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I may be missing something but why was half of Chicago protesting the Olympics? Wouldn't they want all the business/tourism from it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 :w00t: Naked volleyball :thumbsup: bikini waxing? :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcolour Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I may be missing something but why was half of Chicago protesting the Olympics? Wouldn't they want all the business/tourism from it? I live there, most people agree that the Olympics here would lose money any money that would have to be made up would go right to the tax payers of Chicago. It's basically assured that there is going to be a huge deficit from it. The city's taxes and fee's are out of control. They just instituted another booze tax on top of the already high city tax on alcohol. The Olympics are definitely Mayor Daley's baby and I think people are getting sick of him, he sold all the parking meters to a Morgan Stanley company, which quickly jacked up the prices on all the meters and then they hired more people to enforce them. This put more pressure on Daley to assure that tax payers wouldn't pay a dime for the Olympics when every expert says its a definite that the city would lose money. The Chicago Transit Authority is stretched pretty well thin as it is.. I remember reading something where tickets to events would be in the thousands of dollars so the vast majority of Chicago would be watching on tv to begin with. Basically the only positive that would come from this would be an improvement of infrastructure on the butthole that is the Chicago South Side. It all just sounds like a good idea but when you get down the numbers it just seems like a total waste of money to pay for foreigners to enjoy the city for 2 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudz Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I live there, most people agree that the Olympics here would lose money any money that would have to be made up would go right to the tax payers of Chicago. It's basically assured that there is going to be a huge deficit from it. The city's taxes and fee's are out of control. They just instituted another booze tax on top of the already high city tax on alcohol. The Olympics are definitely Mayor Daley's baby and I think people are getting sick of him, he sold all the parking meters to a Morgan Stanley company, which quickly jacked up the prices on all the meters and then they hired more people to enforce them. This put more pressure on Daley to assure that tax payers wouldn't pay a dime for the Olympics when every expert says its a definite that the city would lose money. The Chicago Transit Authority is stretched pretty well thin as it is.. I remember reading something where tickets to events would be in the thousands of dollars so the vast majority of Chicago would be watching on tv to begin with. Basically the only positive that would come from this would be an improvement of infrastructure on the butthole that is the Chicago South Side. It all just sounds like a good idea but when you get down the numbers it just seems like a total waste of money to pay for foreigners to enjoy the city for 2 weeks. I guess it makes sense. I saw what it did for Athens' infrastructure and I was quite impressed on what it brought to the city. Cleaned up some areas, new stadiums that are now heavily used, and an excellent metro system. I just saw a lot of benefits first hand, but the effects could be city to city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FogBat Posted October 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I guess it makes sense. I saw what it did for Athens' infrastructure and I was quite impressed on what it brought to the city. Cleaned up some areas, new stadiums that are now heavily used, and an excellent metro system. I just saw a lot of benefits first hand, but the effects could be city to city. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but Athens has a more homogeneous (same ethnicity) society than Chicago does - which may account for why Athens was able to get itself cleaned up. Chicago is, well, Chicago. IIRC, it has never shed itself of its corruption image since the days of Al Capone. IMHO, I am glad that Chicago didn't get it. I just don't understand why the USOC could have gone with a more stable city to submit to the IOC like Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulax Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it, but Athens has a more homogeneous (same ethnicity) society than Chicago does - which may account for why Athens was able to get itself cleaned up. Chicago is, well, Chicago. IIRC, it has never shed itself of its corruption image since the days of Al Capone. IMHO, I am glad that Chicago didn't get it. I just don't understand why the USOC could have gone with a more stable city to submit to the IOC like Houston. If you're worried about stability you should be terrified with Rio. The crime rate is soaring and the police in Rio have to go to extremes to try to deter it. According to wikipedia, yes this is a horrible source but I'm sure you use it too, Rio police killed 1,063 people there in 2006 as opposed to the whole U.S. where 347 people were killed by police. I saw a couple forums where people described gangs robbing sunbathers at beaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 I live there, most people agree that the Olympics here would lose money any money that would have to be made up would go right to the tax payers of Chicago. Didn't they just spend like 46 million on the losing bid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FogBat Posted October 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 If you're worried about stability you should be terrified with Rio. The crime rate is soaring and the police in Rio have to go to extremes to try to deter it. According to wikipedia, yes this is a horrible source but I'm sure you use it too, Rio police killed 1,063 people there in 2006 as opposed to the whole U.S. where 347 people were killed by police. I saw a couple forums where people described gangs robbing sunbathers at beaches. Interesting info. It's not the first time the IOC has blown it with bid selections. I was (and still am) totally against their selection of Beijing back in 2001. This time around, I was actually rooting for Madrid, but Spain last hosted the Olympics in 1992, and the people in Barcelona (from what I could see) did a fantastic job in hosting those games. I guess they figured that it was too close together for a country that size to hold the Olympics in such a short time gap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Interesting info. It's not the first time the IOC has blown it with bid selections. I was (and still am) totally against their selection of Beijing back in 2001. This time around, I was actually rooting for Madrid, but Spain last hosted the Olympics in 1992, and the people in Barcelona (from what I could see) did a fantastic job in hosting those games. I guess they figured that it was too close together for a country that size to hold the Olympics in such a short time gap. Same could be said for the USA, even though it's a bigger country. We've hosted the summer games 4 times, and no other country has hosted them 3 times (that will change in a few years). 1996 wasn't that long ago, and that was right on the heels of 1984. We've hosted the winter games 4 times, too. It's got to be distributed around the world a little more. I think Chicago was an excellent city for the USOC to promote (the world knows our large cities on the coasts, but doesn't know much about Chicago, which truly is world-class), but I didn't think any of the candidates had a real chance to beat Rio. Its well-known crime problem aside, it's a premier destination for tourists worldwide, has a reputation for nightlife that makes New Orleans look like Salt Lake City, and it is time for South America to get one. Where's monkeygirl and her brazilian flag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Screamin'Weasel Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 I am fully convinced the argument of no South American city ever hosting any Olympics is what swayed it for Rio over Madrid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeleslyobvious Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 I'm disappointed Tokyo didn't win. Amazing city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudz Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 I'm disappointed Tokyo didn't win. Amazing city. Me too. I would actually have debated going back for the games. I stayed right next to an area in Tokyo that some of it would be held, and couldn't say anything bad about the city. If they hosted the Olympics talk about doing everything right, I'm positive they'd nail it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FogBat Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 I am fully convinced the argument of no South American city ever hosting any Olympics is what swayed it for Rio over Madrid. I must confess that at the end of the day, I wanted Madrid to get it over Rio. Then again, Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics back in 1992, so some may have thought that it would have been rather unfair for them to get it so close to 1992. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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