**Update** Chicago looses bid to Rio de Janeiro! No blues here. See photos. More.
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First Lady Wants Olympics In Her Town, Chi-Town!
Hosts Olympics, Paralympic youth sport event at White House.
First Lady Michelle, along with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, makes bid for the 2016 Olympics to be held in hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
“It's not just the infrastructure or the resources of the city, and it's not just the beautiful parks, because there are many" said the First Lady. "It's not that gorgeous lakefront that so many will see during the Olympic Games. And it's not just the excellent public transportation and the accommodations. What makes Chicago such a great host is its people. It's truly the people.”
It’s the people indeed. A lot of great people (and things) come from Chicago: Lou Rawls, Howlin’ Wolf, deep dish pizzeria, former astronaut,Joan Higginbotham, Maria Shriver, Harpo, this guy, and the latest NBA HOF inductee won titles there.
It’s also a fond place of remembrance for our President, who told the audience, "Now you see one of the reasons that I love Chicago so much. It's the city where I met the woman I love.”
Certainly when it comes to sports, the woman the president loves says Chicagoans hold a special place in their hearts for its sports teams.
“Nobody loves sports like the people of Chicago -- trust me", said the First Lady.
“I have spent endless hours in front of baseball TV games, you name it. Whether it's football or soccer, baseball, boxing or a good marathon, Chicagoans know how to enjoy sports. You know, you have to admit, even White Sox fans are impressed by the fact that even though the Cubs haven't won a World Series in centuries, Cubs games sell out. Everybody's there. It doesn't matter. Win or lose, we are going to watch the Cubs.”
The initiative is so dear to the First Lady that the White House has created the first ever Office of Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport, tasked with coordinating with federal agencies to support and promote Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to support and promote the Olympic spirit.
To date, more than 2,500 Olympic and Paralympic athletes have signed up to be athletic ambassadors for Chicago 2016's World Sport Chicago Initiative.
The First Lady will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark next month in a show of full support for her home city's bid in front of the International Olympic Committee.
The president will not attend as he reported yesterday. “I would make the case in Copenhagen personally, if I weren't so firmly committed to making real the promise of quality, affordable health care for every American. But the good news is I'm sending a more compelling superstar to represent the city and country we love, and that is our First Lady, Michelle Obama”, said the president.
“She's going because she and I share the conviction that bringing the Games to the United States isn't just important for the city, but for the American people. And I'm confident she, and my senior advisor and Director of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport, Valerie Jarrett, will represent the American people well.”
The IOC is meeting in Copenhagen during the first week of October to decide the host city for the 2016 Games. Among the finalists: Madrid, Tokyo, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro.
Olympians who attended the White House event included Dominique Dawes, Jair Lynch, and Jackie Joyner Kersee. Also seen: Roland Burris, and congressman Bobby Rush.
Students from Brown, Lake Ridge, and Sousa Middle School participated in several olympic-style fitness stations that included fencing, Judo, and gymnastics.
Related
Fight Promoter Pushes To Add Olympic Female Boxing
2016 Olympic Countdown
Wizards', Gil Arenas, works out with Chicago trainer Tim Grover
____________________________
First Lady Wants Olympics In Her Town, Chi-Town!
Hosts Olympics, Paralympic youth sport event at White House.
First Lady Michelle, along with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, makes bid for the 2016 Olympics to be held in hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
“It's not just the infrastructure or the resources of the city, and it's not just the beautiful parks, because there are many" said the First Lady. "It's not that gorgeous lakefront that so many will see during the Olympic Games. And it's not just the excellent public transportation and the accommodations. What makes Chicago such a great host is its people. It's truly the people.”
It’s the people indeed. A lot of great people (and things) come from Chicago: Lou Rawls, Howlin’ Wolf, deep dish pizzeria, former astronaut,Joan Higginbotham, Maria Shriver, Harpo, this guy, and the latest NBA HOF inductee won titles there.
It’s also a fond place of remembrance for our President, who told the audience, "Now you see one of the reasons that I love Chicago so much. It's the city where I met the woman I love.”
Certainly when it comes to sports, the woman the president loves says Chicagoans hold a special place in their hearts for its sports teams.
“Nobody loves sports like the people of Chicago -- trust me", said the First Lady.“I have spent endless hours in front of baseball TV games, you name it. Whether it's football or soccer, baseball, boxing or a good marathon, Chicagoans know how to enjoy sports. You know, you have to admit, even White Sox fans are impressed by the fact that even though the Cubs haven't won a World Series in centuries, Cubs games sell out. Everybody's there. It doesn't matter. Win or lose, we are going to watch the Cubs.”
The initiative is so dear to the First Lady that the White House has created the first ever Office of Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport, tasked with coordinating with federal agencies to support and promote Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to support and promote the Olympic spirit.
To date, more than 2,500 Olympic and Paralympic athletes have signed up to be athletic ambassadors for Chicago 2016's World Sport Chicago Initiative.
The First Lady will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark next month in a show of full support for her home city's bid in front of the International Olympic Committee. The president will not attend as he reported yesterday. “I would make the case in Copenhagen personally, if I weren't so firmly committed to making real the promise of quality, affordable health care for every American. But the good news is I'm sending a more compelling superstar to represent the city and country we love, and that is our First Lady, Michelle Obama”, said the president.
“She's going because she and I share the conviction that bringing the Games to the United States isn't just important for the city, but for the American people. And I'm confident she, and my senior advisor and Director of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic, and Youth Sport, Valerie Jarrett, will represent the American people well.”The IOC is meeting in Copenhagen during the first week of October to decide the host city for the 2016 Games. Among the finalists: Madrid, Tokyo, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro.
Olympians who attended the White House event included Dominique Dawes, Jair Lynch, and Jackie Joyner Kersee. Also seen: Roland Burris, and congressman Bobby Rush.
Students from Brown, Lake Ridge, and Sousa Middle School participated in several olympic-style fitness stations that included fencing, Judo, and gymnastics.
Related
Fight Promoter Pushes To Add Olympic Female Boxing
2016 Olympic Countdown
Wizards', Gil Arenas, works out with Chicago trainer Tim Grover
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