CBS News Chicago
October 2, 2009
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CBS) Despite four years, millions of dollars in planning and a last-ditch pitch from President Obama, the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid ultimately fell short.
The City of Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting, before any host city was selected.
An expert called it the “biggest shock in IOC history.”
A disappointed USOC President Larry Probst left the venue and refused to comment, saying the Chicago delegation would respond later.
Supporters gathered in Chicago were equally shocked. Many left the rally in Daley Plaza tears.
Tokyo was also eliminated in the first round.
Even the president’s star billing wasn’t enough to put Chicago over the top in what some experts said was the tightest race for the Games in its history.
The contest lasted four years and endured several stumbling blocks. But many believed that when President Barack Obama elected to go to Copenhagen to deliver the closing remarks of Chicago’s final presentation, the move would seal the deal to send the games to Chicago.
But the president’s pitch, along with the star power of First Lady Michelle Obama and TV queen Oprah Winfrey, couldn’t sway enough votes.
CBS 2 Mike Flannery reports that the Chicago defeated leaves Obama politically wounded by taking on a fight that he really didn’t have to take…
The article continues here.
