USOC picks Chicago to bid for 2016 Games - Yahoo! News

USOC picks Chicago to bid for 2016 Games - Yahoo! News: "USOC picks Chicago to bid for 2016 Games " By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer 44 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Now Chicago takes on the rest of the world. The Windy City's bid to hold a Summer Games for the first time moved to the international stage Saturday when the U.S. Olympic Committee capped a yearlong search for an American candidate for 2016 by picking Chicago over two-time host Los Angeles. "It's just beginning," said Patrick Ryan, Chicago's bid committee chairman. "It's a long road." Having won over the USOC despite lacking venues ready for an Olympics, Chicago's task is to persuade the International Olympic Committee that it deserves to be the host, joining a group of bidders expected to include Madrid, Prague, Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. The IOC will award the 2016 Games in October 2009. "This contest ultimately is not about the economics, it's not about the surplus, it's about the magic that can be created through the Olympic and Paralympic games, and how that by itself can transform a city, can transform a nation, can transform the world," USOC chief executive officer Jim Scherr said. "And so we look forward to trying to earn that prize." The USOC had said beforehand it would not release Saturday's vote count and stuck to that policy. "It was a very tough decision," USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth said before opening a sealed envelope and revealing the winning city. "If I had all the power — and sometimes people accuse me of that — I would take the map and merge the two cities, because I'll tell you what: If you could take the mayors of these two communities and have them run our country, we would all be better off."