Unlike most nations around the world, there is very little government financial support for the Olympics in America, so when NBC broadcast a taped ceremony over the weekend of the USOC’s latest inductees it was for a good cause.
The 2009 inductee class, who have been a part of a combined 21 Olympic and Paralympic Games earning a total of 46 medals, includes Michael Johnson (athletics), Picabo Street (alpine skiing), Teresa Edwards (basketball), Willye White (athletics), Mary T. Meagher (swimming), Sarah Will (Paralympic alpine skiing), the 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, longtime Men’s Gymnastics coach Abie Grossfeld, skiing veteran Andrea Mead-Lawrence, and special contributor Peter Ueberroth. They were part of a banquet-style induction ceremony held earlier at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event raised $5 million serving as a final fundraiser for the Chicago 2016 organizing committee’s bid to bring the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the city.
The IOC votes in Copenhagen on October 2nd to determine the 2016 Summer Olympic host city.
Hope Chicago gets it. Good sports town.
I live in the great city of Chicago and adding the Olympics would be terrific, especially since the Games have been held on both coasts and down south for both winter and summer games in the past.
I tell you the USA hasnt hosted a summer games since 1996! We have certainly earned the right since we contribute so much money to the IOC coffers.