Michelle Obama Says Shes Confident Of Chicagos Olympic Bid
“Having the leader of the free world there supporting the bid sends a good message,” she said in an interview this afternoon at the White House with more than a dozen reporters. “It will demonstrate to the IOC that this bid has unprecedented commitment throughout our government.”
The first lady is leading the U.S. delegation to Copenhagen where the International Olympic Committee on Oct. 2 will choose among Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
The president will make a brief appearance, joining his wife and the rest of the U.S. delegation for the final presentation to IOC members. The first lady said her husband is “thrilled” that he can go.
Michelle Obama said she and the president are likely to give separate presentations to the IOC voters. In discussing thevirtues of Chicago, she talked about her citys beauty, transportation and the compactness of locations for proposed Olympic venues.
“So much of where the games are going to be held are sort of right in my backyard,” she said.
The first lady said she and her husband know well the importance of turning out the vote in the final days of a campaign. “People are making up their minds until the very end,” she said.
Gloves Are Off
Michelle Obama said she sat next to the first lady of Brazil at a dinner last week in Pittsburgh and joked that the two women were already in battle mode over the Olympic bids.
“I said, Im going to hug you now and then Im going after you.” Michelle Obama said. “She said, You, too. So, the gloves are off.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are also scheduled to be in Copenhagen.
Chicagos bid would bring the Summer Games to the U.S. for the first time since Atlanta was the host in 1996. Getting the games would mean billions of dollars in construction, tourism, sponsorships and advertising, as well as national prestige.
Venue Location
After growing up and spending most of her life on Chicagos South Side, Michelle Obama knows the locations where most of the Olympic venues would be placed even better than her husband, who lived there off and on since 1985.
Many of the proposed venues are near the couples brick home in Chicagos Kenwood neighborhood. The Olympic Stadium would be three blocks away.
In the final days of campaigning before a decision, the first lady will meet one-on-one with IOC members once she arrives in Copenhagen on Sept. 30.
Two weeks ago, the president said he wouldnt be able make the trip because he was occupied with getting health-care legislation, his top domestic priority, moving in Congress.
Easing Pressure
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama decided to go, in part, because he now believes the health-care debate is “in a better place” than it was several weeks ago. He also said the games would provide the U.S. with a “big economic benefit” worthy of the presidents time.