Yesterday we noted that Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid were looking like the four favorites to become the finalists to host the 2016 Olympics, and today those four cities were named the finalists.But while Chicago is currently looking like the favorite, a rift between the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee could derail the Windy City's chances. The USOC gets a share of Olympic revenue that many IOC members think is unfair, and those members could punish the USOC by withholding the Olympics from Chicago:
Hein Verbruggen, an I.O.C. member from the Netherlands, called the deal "immoral" and said he was "angry with these people," meaning the U.S.O.C., for their reluctance to renegotiate. "I simply do not understand how you can justify that the rest of the world has to pay for the training of American athletes," he said. "Are we out of our minds?"If the USOC agrees to re-slice the Olympic revenue pie, Chicago will become an overwhelming favorite. If not, it'll be a close race. The host city will be chosen in October of 2009.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-04-2008 @ 5:27PM
Kustie the Klown said...
Those IOC reps, no doubt themselves creepy bagmen for the associated dictators and tyrants they represent, want all that money to go where it rightfully belongs, into their own pockets as kickbacks!
I would personally rather not see the Olympics stages in the United States. Because staging the games generally leads to all sorts of havoc and destruction in the host city, I would rather see the games plague cities in unfriendly countries, such as Paris.
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