Olympic wrestling bronze medallist Bill Scherr has been
grappling with a sizeable problem for the past two years.
What do you do when you have spent billions staging the
Olympics and after two weeks the show is all over?Well, the
circus pulls the tents down and moves to the next location.
And that is partly the solution the team working with the
Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympics has come up with.
Scherr is in Queenstown for the Oceania National Olympic
Committee (ONOC) annual meeting this week.
He told the Otago Daily Times what distinguished Chicago's
bid from the other three cities Rio, Tokyo and Madrid was how
the city planned to use the facilities once the Games were
over.
"For the most part, the venues will be very well utilised
after the Games to further sport," Scherr said.
"Our Games take place in five large parks in Chicago.
These parks currently house facilities for youth sport and
many of our venues are purpose-built ...
"We've designed many of our facilities to revert back into
control of the city and to be used for sporting programmes in
the city.
"We think that this is a plan that has great promise, not
only for Chicago but for the Olympic movement in general, and
one that others can emulate."
Chicago has budgeted $US49 million ($NZ84 million) for its
bid and will spend up to $US3.4 billion to host the Games if
successful.
"However, the city expects to earn $US3.8 billion in revenue
which will leave a real legacy", Scherr said.
"We are forecasting a significant surplus which will remain
in Chicago in order to promote sport as a legacy to the
Games."
United States Olympic Committee member Anita DeFrantz is also
in Queenstown for the meeting and to promote the Chicago bid.
She echoed Scherr's sentiments.
"Sport is a part of our national fabric," she said.
"You take part in sport in schools and it's part of
education.
And what will happen for Chicago is they will have these
facilities to use for the citizens that they don't have right
at the moment.
"It will increase the ability to take part in all that sport
has to offer."
Chicago, along with the other three cities, will get a
20-minute opportunity to promote its bid at the ONOC annual
meeting today.
The five sports bidding for entry in 2016 will also get a
brief opportunity to make their case.
Baseball, softball, squash, karate and rugby sevens will get
five minutes each.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge will
give an address today and Lord Sebastian Coe and James McLeod
will present an update on progress on the London Games
tomorrow.
It is just the second time the ONOC meeting has been held in
New Zealand and will be attended by 160 delegates.
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