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ATHENS (AP) — Chicago was among the four cities picked as finalists Wednesday for the 2016 Summer Olympics, setting the stage for a high-profile bidding contest between candidates from the United States, Europe and Asia.
Also making the IOC shortlist were Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eliminated from the race were Doha, Qatar; Prague, Czech Republic, and Baku, Azerbaijan. The final field was selected by the International Olympic Committee executive board. The big four — Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio — all had been virtually assured of advancing to the final stage. The main issue had been whether Doha also would make the cut. The finalists now advance to a 16-month race that will culminate on Oct. 2, 2009, with a secret ballot by the full IOC at its session in Copenhagen, Denmark.
REPORT: Read the IOC's evaluation of the contenders (.pdf)
An IOC evalutation report assessing the technical merits of each bid ranked Tokyo with the top overall marks, followed closely by Madrid. Chicago and Doha were tied for third, with Rio fourth. Prague and Baku were sixth and seventh. Chicago is a contender to take the Summer Olympics back to the U.S. for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Games. Madrid is back again after a third-place finish in the vote for the 2012 Olympics, which went to London. Tokyo, which held the Summer Games in 1964, hopes to bring the Olympics to Asia eight years after Beijing. And Rio, which hosted the 2007 Pan American Games, would be the first South American city to get the Olympics. Doha, capital of a tiny but wealthy Arab Gulf country of about 1 million people, had loomed as the wild card as it sought to bring the Olympics to the Middle East for the first time. It cited its hosting of the 2006 Asian Games as evidence that it can handle the Olympics. Due to Qatar's searing summer heat, Doha proposed holding the games in October, outside the IOC's preferred time frame of July or August. Some rival bid officials had been worried that if Doha made the shortlist, the city — while a long shot to win — would have the capacity to take away crucial votes in the early rounds of voting. Cities that made the cut will have to submit their detailed bid files to the IOC by Feb. 12, 2009. After that, a panel of IOC experts will visit each of the cities, tour the proposed sites and meet with bid and government leaders. The panel will release an evaluation report to the IOC members a month before the October 2009 vote. The 2016 decision was the centerpiece of a three-day IOC board meeting in Athens, the last before the committee gathers in Beijing on the eve of the Aug. 8-24 Olympics. Making the cut are Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. Three cities were eliminated from the race. They are Doha, Qatar; Prague, Czech Republic, and Baku, Azerbaijan. The decision was made Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee executive board. The finalist cities will now advance to a high-profile, 16-month global bidding contest. The IOC will select the winner by secret ballot on October 2nd, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Finalists: Chicago •Dates: July 22-Aug. 7 •Positives: Compact Games central to city and along waterfront. USA last hosted Winter Games in 2002 (Salt Lake City) and Summer Games in 1996 (Atlanta). Eighty-one percent of venues are existing or will be temporary. •Negatives: U.S. government does not financially support host cities as other governments do. U.S. visa restrictions. — Madrid •Dates: Aug. 5-21 •Positives: Strong technical bid, with 84% of venues complete. Was runner-up behind Paris as London won race for 2012. •Negatives: Europe had 2004 (Athens, Summer) and 2006 (Torino, Winter) Games and will have 2012 (London, Summer) and 2014 (Sochi, Winter). — Rio de Janeiro •Dates: Aug. 5-21 •Positives: IOC has interest in seeing South America host its first Olympics. City has financial backing of government and held successful Pan American Games in 2007; most venues are built. •Negatives: Can Brazil turn around quickly enough after hosting World Cup soccer tournament in 2014? — Tokyo •Dates: July 29-Aug. 14 •Positives: Has financial backing of government. Strong transportation system. Bid calls for compact Games. •Negatives: Asia will have had 1998 (Nagano, Winter) and 2008 (Beijing, Summer) Games. — USA TODAY's Janice Lloyd contributed to this report Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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