Chicago 2016 One Year Later

Has it really been a year? A year since "Black Friday" in The Windy City?

Until receiving an email from World Sport Chicago on Friday, it almost slipped by this weekend: The anniversary of Rio de Janiero winning the 2016 Olympic Games bid, and Chicago's first-round elimination in the big vote at Copenhagen.

The loss for Chicago was a disappointment to thousands of people, notably the hard-working army of volunteers who donated time and resources to World Sport Chicago and the multi-year bid effort.

On this day, there are likely folks in Madrid and Tokyo pondering their Olympic dreams denied as well.

It still hurts thinking about the stunning news delivered via satellite when my girlfriend, her sister, thousands of Olympic enthusiasts and I stood shoulder to shoulder in Daley Plaza on a Friday morning. Like Phil Rogers expression and the "face" of the plaza's famous Picasso sculpture, the devastating news -- Chicago was out -- left us all breathless and frozen. Stunned silence. Like a kick hit everyone in the solar plexus.

I was very happy to learn yesterday, however, that one year later, World Sport Chicago, NBC 5 in Chicago and others collaborated to create a one year later video titled "Making Big Plans: The Story of Chicago's Olympic Dream" to focus on the positive aspects of the bid, and (I suspect) to close the books on the 2016 with an inspirational message for a future potential attempt to host the Olympic Games in Chicago. This was a classy move.

The trailer for the film includes Patrick Ryan, father of the bid, Mayor Daley and other key players from Chicago 2016. Here's wishing someone can share a recording of the full broadcast with me -- I really would like to view it.

Love that Ryan states "Chicago didn't lose. Rio won. But Chicago won in so many ways" and Mayor Daley summed it up with, "You have to take risks and if you don't you never succeed in life, and that's why I'm glad we did it in Chicago."

In my bones I have a feeling that Chicago will someday be a great Olympic host city. For 2016, it just wasn't our turn again for North America and the U.S. When another bid team is ready to start work, sign me up to help make some big plans.

Gut Wrenching Anxiety

Upon arrival in Chicago this morning, it was a sight to see O'Hare airport dressed to the nines in Chicago 2016 Olympic bid signage. On the plane, in the concourse, on the CTA train and all over downtown, everyone is talking about THE BID.

It's been awesome to run into fellow Chicago 2016 volunteers and Edelman colleagues/friends on streets. Strangers have come up to ask about 2016 and the logo embroidered on my shirt, some to ask where the Olympic bid gear is available, others to chime in with their two cents, pontificating on the outcome of the IOC vote in less than 24 hours.

In just a few hours on the ground, have now met at least one former resident from each of the cities competing with Chicago; the Japanese CTA employee, the Madrid home-towner who works at a translation office, a Brazilian-born colleague who is eight months pregnant. No matter one's favorite in the vote, everyone has something to say.

Over at Daley Plaza, where tens of thousands are expected to view the decision tomorrow morning, more than a dozen media/satellite trucks are already set up, with more jockeying for nearby street parking. City officials and Chicago 2016 volunteers are working around the public farmer's market making final set-up decisions, and the Picasso statue is donning a giant 2016 logo "medal" and laurel wreath. This is awesome!

It almost feels like the Olympics are already on here. Nervous knots in many stomachs, to be sure. No matter what happens, tomorrow will be quite memorable.

Photo via Yahoo! News and Associated Press AP Photo/John Smierciak

Where I've Been and 2016

For Facebook and Twitter aficionados, check out this contest. The Facebook folks who created "Where I've Been" have a Twitter contest in play related to the 2016 Olympic bid.

Text from their Facebook page states:

Enter for a chance to win round-trip coach-class airfare for travel to Chicago, Madrid, Rio, or Tokyo in the Where I've Been Olympic Twitter Giveaway. All you gotta do is:

1. Follow Where I've Been (@whereivebeen) on Twitter.

2. A message will be posted by @whereivebeen at 9am CT on Thursday, October 1st. Tune in and RE-TWEET THAT MESSAGE!

Winner will be selected at random & announced on the @whereivebeen Twitter page on Friday, October 2nd.

It's that simple. The first link is www.twitter.com/whereivebeen and the second is www.twitter.com/nickwolaver. Tweet away!

Pele Power

Just read a Jan M. Olsen report for the Associated Press regarding the Olympic feats, and 2016 Olympic bid contributions, of Pele. Interesting read.

Contemplating some of the Rio bid's tactics, as reported in the news today, I keep coming back to a few quotes from Olympic bid-related conversations in Beijing.

During the Around The Rings breakfast event in Beijing, at which all four 2016 Olympic bid city CEOs were quizzed, Patrick Ryan, leader of Chicago 2016, made a remark that stuck with me.

He said (paraphrasing here) that one of the biggest lessons they took from previous Olympic bids was the notion that remaining humble [in the eyes of the IOC] is a key factor for the potential success of the bid by any candidate city.

Some of the Rio 2016 comments today -- at least as they were portrayed by media -- started to smack of "sans humble." When people ask me "why do you think Chicago may win?" this is now part of the response: Chicago remains humble in the process.

No matter the 2016 city chosen on Friday, the Games of the XXXIst Olympiad will be spectacular. Let the Olympic nail biting continue!

Photo via Yahoo! News and Associated Press/AP Photo/POLFOTO, Tariq Mikkel Khan

Planting A Seed For GOP Drivel Banter

OK, a quick departure from Olympics (well, actually, this post does discuss Michelle Obama, part of the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid delegation, so there is a five-ringed connection of sorts).

I just read the Reuters report about the First Lady's upcoming segment on the season premiere of "Sesame Street."

To promote nutrition and healthy diet, Mrs. Obama will teach young viewers about planting fruits and vegetables. This seems pretty cool to me.

Given the Red State responses (in media report comments) to President Obama's decision to head to Copenhagen for the Olympic bid, or the recent headlines regarding Obama speaking directly to school children across the U.S., I'm bracing for the Senate Minority response.

Screaming, ludicrous headlines coming to a conservative network or website soon include ...

"Michelle Obama To Plant Seeds of Deceit and Left Agenda on Leftist PBS Program!"

"Ketchup-Gate! First Lady Plants Tomatoes With Big Bird To Help Teresa Heinz Re-Enter Political Arena"

"Obamas Want Cookie Monster to Devour Childrens' Brains!"

"Snuffleupagus (think Rep. logo/symbol) Leaves GOP To Roam Obama Garden"

Any to add?

Photo via Wikipedia screen grab from "Sesame Street"

Possible Theme Songs for Olympic Bids

A colleague recently nominated me as "most likely to break into song."

With that new title in mind, here are some suggested theme songs the media might use regarding each city vying for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Note: The tunes are set to match recent headlines for each bid city, Tokyo, Rio de Janiero, Madrid and Chicago.

Tokyo 2016 -- "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston -- With thanks to this AFP Report.

Rio 2016 -- "Lets Face The Music And Dance" by Irving Berlin -- Via the Associated Press.

Madrid 2016 -- "Takin' It To The Street" by The Doobie Brothers -- As noted by the Chinese outlet People's Daily and some mesmerizing Reuters photos.

Chicago 2016 -- "My Kind Of Town" composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Sammy Cahn -- via the Chicago Tribune.

No matter the bid city, all may be thinking of their final presentations Friday in the context of this tune created for the 1988 Olympic Games of Seoul.

Music Festival logo via this link.

Room With A View

In Chicago this Friday, looks like Daley Plaza is not the only option for viewing the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid decision live. Check out these indoor venues noted by Concierge Preferred Chicago on their blog.

Mayor Richard Daley has a busy week in progress. Here's a link to some of his comments last year regardign the bid.

Odds for 2016 Olympic Vote

During the next few days, it's safe to anticipate a deluge of Olympic bid coverage and buzz. I predict that some media outlets will even quote Olympic industry experts and polls and GamesBids.com, InsideTheGames (cast a vote on the right side of home page online) and/or Around The Rings, which each have good info on the quest for 2016 and other future Olympic bids.

A friendly fellow P.R. pro alerted me that Mickey Richardson, CEO of Bookmaker.com ("one of the largest sports books in the world") apparently "... tasked his team of experienced odds makers with analyzing the chances for each city to take this event and have listed Tokyo as their favorite to host the games, with Madrid as a close second."

I think it would behoove their odds makers to take a look at GamesBids.com, InsideTheGames and Around The Rings, as Tokyo and Madrid are consistently ranked the least likely to win the 2016 hosting duties in their polls.

But I'll keep an eye on this -- it's a safe bet that President Obama's decision to head to Copenhagen is a game changer. Any other odds makers out there want to comment with their two cents as to who will claim the 2016 prize?

I asked of Bookmaker.com, "What odds did this Bookmaker have on Sochi 2014, London 2012, Vancouver 2010 (GamesBids.com posted a report about an Australian oddsmaker on this one) or other recent winning cities? What is [Bookmaker.com's] track record for picking the right cities?" -- will post their response as received (they acknowledged this might be a new category for the Bookmaker.com team).

T-Minus Five ...

It's now just five days and counting until the big vote in Copenhagen. In about 120 hours, the International Olympic Committee will bestow the 2016 Olympic Games upon Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janiero or Tokyo.

Several Olympic-minded friends, as well as colleagues and even a blog reader or two have offered their take on the race. Some are absolutely convinced a particular victor will be named. Others are less certain about the winner, but seem to feel 100 percent clear about which metropolis they DON'T want to visit in 2016.

Here's my brief, late-night take on the candidates (I will list the city followed by its bid advantage and bid Achilles' Heel, from my view):

Tokyo -- Familiar Olympic destination as the only finalist to previously host the Games (I am paraphrasing a friend who mentioned today he felt this was more a disadvantage); the fact that Beijing just hosted the Games in Asia may be a disadvantage.

Madrid -- Repeat bidder that came a long way since previous bid; unfortunately, London 2012's proximity puts this European capital behind other finalists.

Rio de Janiero -- Now the favorite, and also would take the Games to South America for the first time, AND this city is absolutely gorgeous; but in spite of hosting global events lately, the favelas and the issues faced by millions in the city are a weakness.

Chicago -- First time bidder, outstanding financial support, great TV time zones for advertising and beautiful lakefront setting; What's not to love about this candidate city?

Of course, my Olympic fan-dom will continue no matter the 2016 site. Good luck to all the hard-working bid committees on the home stretch! I'm heading to Chicago on Thursday to pitch a tent and get a great seat for the vote in Daley Plaza. If anyone reading this will be there, please stop by the Picasso statue -- I'll be in a black suit and Olympic bid tie. Hope to see you there!

Go-Chicago-Go!

Photo via Rogue3W on Flickr

Hail To The Chief!

Bravo, President Obama! The former Man About Chicago today hosted a Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid sendoff on The White House lawn. Glad to see this Executive Branch support weeks before the big vote at the IOC Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Oct. 2. Would be cool to be there!

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (interview with him from Beijing available here) gave an inspiring speech regarding Chicago Olympians who competed in the 1936 Games of Berlin.

News reports from today's event in Washington include scenes similar to the Chicago 2016 live athletic demonstrations at the IOC Evaluation Commission visit in April. Michelle Obama is set to be the U.S. delegation lead in the Danish city. Go, Chicago, GO!

The IOC currently offers a video contest through which they will give two individuals an all expenses jaunt to Copenhagen! To enter, anyone may submit their own video via YouTube. It was fun to view many of the fellow competitors' videos (good luck, everyone!) -- the important thing is not to win but to compete!

Here's a link to the official contest rules; deadline to post is Sept. 22.

Photo via Yahoo! News and the Associated Press/AP Photo

Logo via IOC and International World Games Association website

The Onion: Haiti Enters Olympic Bid

Got a chuckle from the Sept. 4 report in The Onion regarding Haiti's Olympic bid for the Games of the LXXXIth Olympiad (that's 2216).

The illustration, and photo with the story, tells the tale of Port-Au-Prince's Olympic Dreams. Believe!

I love the quote attributed to International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, speaking to media "pushing away a goat ..." on site.

It could be great to see the realization of a Silvio Cator Olympic Stadium, named for Haiti's Olympic medal winner -- he took home the silver in long jump at the 1928 Summer Olympics at Amsterdam, according to the IOC site and other sources (interesting to note Haiti's other Olympic medal, a bronze, noted here).

On the real news front, GamesBids.com today updated the 2016 Olympic BidIndex, which shifts the lead among the four candidate cities.

Graphic via The Onion.

IOC Commission Report

The International Olympic Committee 2016 Evaluation Commission Report is now public regarding the Olympic bids of Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janiero and Tokyo for the 2016 Olympic Games.

About 90 pages await review, and some media reports are already popping up stating the fine print. Will post more later, but here's a link in case you want to peek yourself. Oct. 2 is only a month away ... big day on the Olympic calendar for the IOC vote.

It is my understanding the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid team will host a press conference later today. More updates to follow this evening.

Olympics In The News

Lots of Olympic headlines this week:

Today's Wall Street Journal features a good read of what the 2016 Olympic bid cities, including the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid committee, will tackle on the home stretch of the International Olympic Committee bid process.

The U.S. Olympic Committee yesterday announced a new multi-Olympiad sponsor, Proctor & Gamble, as reported by USA Today. Here's the link to the U.S.O.C. press release.

National Public Radio also got into the act recently with an update on the Olympic bid process.

More to come later regarding the I.O.C. announcements expected today.

John Hughes, RIP

Another '80s icon now gone ... sad to learn of John Hughes' death today.

Just the other day, was commenting to a friend about how Hughes' films taught me much of my introductions, and re-introductions, to Greater Chicago -- so many scenes from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" became destinations visited numerous times.

"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" taught me about O'Hare and airport car rentals.

"Vacation" (the first Hughes film I screened ... also the first Beta videotape I ever rented) showcased the start of Route 66.

One summer, the neighbor kids, my sister and I must have watched "The Breakfast Club" more than 100 times.

And more recently, "She's Having A Baby" offered a peek at the suburban commute around the Windy City. The older I get, the more I can relate to Kevin Bacon's character in this one!

Hughes' favorite music became part of the soundtracks for these and many other films, and those soundtracks became the tunes of my youth (and since).

I was secretly hoping that Hughes would make another great Chicago-based film that somehow centered on the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid (or the city ultimately winning the Games hosting duties). Here's hoping the city may honor Hughes in some manner at the 2016 Cultural Olympiad, when the time comes.

John Hughes, R.I.P.



Photo via http://www.nndb.com/people/043/000024968/john-hughes.jpg.

More News From Back Home

On the heels of posting about the new U.S.O.C.-designated Olympic and Paralympic facilities in Oklahoma City, I just read Brian Barber's report in the Tulsa World and on GamesBids.com that this northeastern Oklahoma metropolis has a small team that wants to pursue a 2020 Olympic Bid.

Tulsa.

[insert "Huh?!" and "Come again?" or "Oh, really?" and head scratching motion here]

Tulsa is an interesting city with historic downtown and riverfront districts, lots of art deco architecture (if memory serves me, Preservation magazine reported Tulsa has one of the biggest collections of art deco buildings outside of Miami) and a solid business school.

The news reports quote the bid team's comparison of Tulsa in 2009 to Atlanta in 1990, when the Southeastern city made a run for the Games. This is a good foundation for stating their case, but one must stop and think about the scale and sales tactics of the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid and wonder how the Tulsa bid team is going to present its case against recent (and potentially 2020 fellow bid) U.S. cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Windy City in the event that come Oct. 2, the International Olympic Committee picks Madrid, Tokyo or Rio de Janeiro over Chicago.

But I don't want to be a naysayer for Tulsa ... kudos to their team for giving it a try and bringing an interesting idea to the Olympic news cycle.

Here's a link to the Tulsa Olympic feasibility study, for those who are intrigued -- someone on that Tulsa bid team must have some P.R. background given their slide about potential publicity from just attempting a bid. Today's 200+ comments on the Tulsa World site and in other news outlets are indicative people are certainly talking.

People talking ... I've heard that one before, in relation to Oklahoma. I think Hannibal Lecter said it, too, many years later.

From my view, the Tulsa bid team could strengthen their presentation by adding the U.S. Olympic Festival '89 (Oklahoma City) legacies to their deck; they also need to look closer at how many XX thousand hotel rooms would need to be created in Tulsa and Oklahoma -- this could be a big Achilles Heel for their efforts (cruise ships on the river ... OK, it's been done before). The Olympic Flame has been through Tulsa a time or two ... perhaps they can find some archived photos of Torch Relays through the city. The wheels are turning.

Anyone out there ever been to Tulsa? Please share your Tulsa stories.

Photo via http://www.pixelmap.com/sl_city_85.html.

A Glass Half Full

After a previous post about its name change to Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and a proposed new paint look for the iconic Windy City building, I was pleased to learn via several national July 1 news reports and wire photos that "The Ledge" -- the building's newly installed glass cube observation ports on the Skydeck (103rd floor) level -- would open to the public just in time for my July 4 Weekend visit to Chicago. Some must-see video from NBC5 in Chicago was a big incentive to learn more about "The Ledge" first-person.

My girlfriend and I previously signed up for Chicago 2016 Olympic bid volunteer duties in the World Sport Chicago kids zone at Taste of Chicago for July 3; how better to wind down from a day of catering to kids than to walk in the steps (and beyond) of Matthew Broderick as "Ferris Bueller" and stand 1,353 feet above downtown city streets?

When my lady and I pulled into Chicago during sunrise July 3, we spotted "The Ledge" looming above and paused to reflect on the sheer height above us (see photos -- about a quarter-mile up!).

Throughout our on the ground volunteer shift, we joked about stepping off high rise Terra firma and the possible sensations awaiting our afternoon visit to the tower.

In general, I am OK with heights provided my feet are planted at least a few feet back from the glass (outdoor heights are OK, too, when tethered, as during the Sydney Harbour "Bridge Climb" high above the Sydney Opera House). I was both apprehensive and exhilarated by the prospect of being among the first to stand on the clear flooring of "The Ledge" during the start to a Midwest sunset.

Getting out on The Ledge is exhilarating, indeed!

Naturally, Donna (my girlfriend) fearlessly walked out on the 1.5-inch-thick glass, which was jammed full of locals and international visitors taking turns with cameras and squealing with delight. It took me a bit of time to "warm up" and admittedly I procrastinated, winced and whined a lot, before inching out onto The Ledge for real (first a toe or two, then one leg, and finally "all the way." It was at once terrifying and fantastic! Looking down is the real issue -- for the first and only time in my life, my eyes and head spun as did Jimmy Stewart's in that endearing Hitchcock film (among my all-time favorites).

My first visit to the Sears Tower, during a college spring break Amtrak stopover in 1994, was amazing. The Ledge takes the Skydeck beyond that "amazing" experience, and it appeared to be family friendly as a range of kids to seniors made their way into the small rooms of light on the building's western wall. The Ledge is definitely worth a visit for a first-timer or for those who previously put their foreheads on the windows.

I have to admit, we were taken aback by the extremely crowded labyrinth of hurry-up-and-wait lines to get upstairs. Granted, it was Day Two of the grand opening on a holiday weekend, so not entirely a surprise.

But we did overhear a number of fellow visitors [justifiably?] griping about the hours-long wait, and "bait and switch" stages before you even got close to the elevator to get upstairs (visitor hint: there is a winding path from the ticket window, to a waiting room queue filled with Chicago history lessons/exhibits, to another waiting room, to a small cinema for a "preview" movie, to yet another waiting room, and then another queue, and then a revolving door and FINALLY the elevator to the top -- WHEW! -- so plan accordingly if you are visiting Willis Tower and The Ledge on a busy weekend or holiday). Fortunately, the line (yes, there is another, final line) to get from the Skydeck back downstairs moves a bit faster, and there were only 1-2 minute lines to get into The Ledge glass areas.

On a bright note, we found every single employee of the Skydeck to be friendly, professional, patient and even entertaining -- they kept things interesting even when the necessary wait was presented.

Thanks and kudos to the Skydeck team at Fleishman-Hillard, the P.R. firm where I interned in 1995, as they accommodated our party for our visit. They secured some amazing coverage for The Ledge -- including phenomenal preview coverage and breathtaking post-opening reports, including a New York Times Science section cover story and graphics that would possibly bring some publicists to a place near Woody Allen Sleeper heights -- but I have to wonder whether they tried to get Broderick and fellow cast members of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" into the Skydeck or if that may be part of their publicity encore for the tower (if so, would love to be there to share a look at Cameron Fry's dad).

Though there is a song from that film with exactly the right title, though I'd prefer this one for that someday publicity event.

With All This Talk About Motown ...

In the wake of Michael Jackson's death, the [usual for a celebrity of his calibre] cavalcade of tribute programming is flashing on the TV.

I've heard more about Motown and Detroit in the last 48 hours than perhaps the last year, save the near-daily news updates about the challenges faced by the U.S. auto industry.

With all this talk about Motown, and also thanks to a recent refresher course in online search techniques, this week I stumbled upon a handful of blogs mentioning a lengthy promotional video created in Detroit for the city's failed Olympic bid for the 1968 Summer Olympic Games.

I first heard about Detroit's Olympic aspirations while connecting on flights to and from Beijing last summer. Must admit, asked myself "for the summer Games, or winter?"

As pointed out by http://www.autoblog.com/ in their June 15 post, this summer Olympic bid film fails on several fronts. In addition to leaving out any mention of the Motown music industry, there are some surprising (albeit indicative of the era in which it was filmed) elements that were intended to showcase the city's diversity (unfortunately, shifted into an incorrect gear a time or two).

Another manner in which this film backfired: It is just plain boring!

C'mon! Even President Kennedy (around the 15 minute mark in the film) looks bored out of his mind reading a prepared statement to the voting members at the IOC Session. His gruff closing "thank you" is perhaps telling of where the bid fit in his list of priorities.

I expect members of the International Olympic Committee selection team for 1968 kept copies of this film on the ready in case of acute insomnia. The narration does not at all convey whatever "excitement" the city had for hosting the Games. Even newsreels of earlier times, whether true or fictional, had more pep. I'm anxious to find a copy of Mexico City's Olympic bid film for a comparison.

Fortunately, in spite of losing to Mexico's capital for the 1968 Olympic duties, some of Detroit's hometown auto brands did go on to sponsor the Olympic Movement in gigantic ways. I still remember spotting the auto industry Olympic ads during the 1980s.

During the summer of 1989, while volunteering for the U.S. Olympic Festival coming to Oklahoma City, I was part of a team of 100 or so drivers who created an Olympic photo opp involving 100 new cars from the General Motors plant in OKC (one of many P.R. moves learned in my pre-public relations career days). We parked 100 cars -- each clad with "OLYMPIC" Oklahoma license plates -- in the car plant's parking lot to arrange an "OK89" logo visible from local news helicopters.

GM also sponsored the Olympics (as do other import car brands) throughout the last several years, until they nixed global sponsorship (again, back to http://www.autoblog.com/).

Except by living vicariously through Michael Moore's great documentary films (new release on Oct. 2, the same day of the IOC vote for 2016), KISS songs (which reminds me, check out the REAL "Rock City," a former Edelman client of mine, here), Eminem's big screen debut (yo!), a popular Harrison Ford murder mystery film, and aforementioned Michael Jackson videos, I've only experienced Detroit via the city's modern airport -- there's no better spot for a pre-flight margarita than Detroit's vast international terminal (though the south of the border restaurant in LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal gives DTW a run for it's money). I do hope to explore Detroit's architecture and cultural hubs -- some mentioned in the Olympic bid film -- and visit Detroit in the future.

Would like to think Detroit's non-selection as the first Great Lakes candidate will only contribute to Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid success. Fortunately, the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid videos feature a bit more excitement and drive (as does President Obama's pitch video for the bid)!

(photo cropped from image similar to one at http://olympianartifacts.com/ and via pages of "The Perlow Guide to Olympic Bid Pins")

Now Hear This

Saw some Tweets about this, and later read the news that Michael Phelps landed a new endorsement deal. Has it really been four months of "waiting in the weeds" since news broke of his adventures in South Carolina? (photo courtesy H2OAudio.com)

In other "news," this week's version of The Onion News Network has a quirky video feature on the latest in the world of gymnastics Olympic champion and "Dancing With The Stars" champion Shawn Johnson. I was chuckling until The Onion's broadcast crawl flashed a spelling error regarding Olympic figure skater Debi Thomas (d'oh! copy editing!).

On a more serious Olympic note, however, it was all business in Lausanne, Switzerland, this week as the four candidate cities for the 2016 Olympic Games presented their latest and greatest to the International Olympic Committee, as reported here by Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune.

Olympic Day Just A Week Away

The modern Olympic movement is celebrating its 115th birthday next week, and everyone is invited. According to the June 15 press release issued by the U.S. Olympic Committee, June 23 (next Tuesday) welcomes "Olympic Day" celebrations in more than 150 communities across the U.S.

This worldwide celebration honors the day Baron Pierre de Coubertin convened the International Olympic Committee in 1884. There's a song that goes "I left my heart in San Francisco" -- a free pin will be mailed to the first person to post a comment correctly identifying where in the world de Coubertin's heart is buried in accordance with his wishes.

The 2009 Olympic Day events are marshaled by the City of Chicago and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid, so you can show your support and help bring the Games to Chicago just by checking out the bid website (be sure to check out the videos featuring Michael Jordan).

Anyone can find a nearby Olympic Day Celebration with this convenient U.S. map created for the occasion. I personally plan to take lunch at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta with a visit to the de Coubertin monument titled "Gateway of Dreams." (photo via Olympics.org)

The IOC, Chicago and "All That Jazz"

Just returned from a fulfilling volunteer experience with the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid during the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission visit to the city.

My post was at the downtown Sheraton, in the media hospitality and workroom area just steps from the river and Michigan Avenue (the organizing committee helped with a special rate at the neighboring Embassy Suites, which was lovely -- Southeast room facing Lake Michigan, much like a similar room at the same hotel for a 2007 visit with client Rock City Gardens).

Flying into the city from Atlanta, it was a clear night and I caught a glimpse of the John Hancock Tower, site of an evening event with commanding views of the city. About an hour after landing and meeting for a CTA ride with my girlfriend (she arrived from Milwaukee via Coach USA as the plane touched down), we were up on top of the world with a few colleagues and the new contacts at Chicago 2016 inside The Hancock.

Every inch of the city, from the arrivals area at O'Hare, to The El, taxis, the train station, flag and light poles, bridges, shop windows -- everything -- had colorful signage proclaiming "we support the bid" or other "Chicago 2016" messages. It was impressive and reminiscent of arriving at Torino, Beijing or other Games decked out with "look of the Games" treatment.

Official volunteer business commenced on Saturday with a series of official press briefings at the Sheraton. Our team, lead by the media relations staff and partner P.R. firm team members, included several of Chicago's best and brightest communicators and volunteers with media-specific backgrounds. One minute some of us would compile or update press releases, the next we'd set up or take down portions of the press conference room.

I was fortunate on the first day to be assigned to two Olympians who were on site for media interviews after the press conferences -- Olympic Champion Donna de Varona was one of these athletes and it was fun to briefly get reacquainted (we first met at British Columbia Canada Place -- an Edelman client -- in Beijing last August) before she spoke with several Chicago TV stations. Later in the day, judo Olympic silver medalist Robert Berland (a Chicago 2016 staff member) also spoke with several reporters.

Day one was punctuated by viewing (and contributing to a press release for) President Obama's welcome video presented to the IOC. It was remarkable, and I believe unprecedented, for a sitting U.S. president to provide such advocacy for an Olympic bid at this stage of the process.

Day two was all over town! With four teammates packed in a rental car, we drove from site to site in advance of two media buses shadowing the IOC entourage visiting McCormick Place (a massive convention center and potential site of the 2016 Olympic media center and several sports disciplines), Soldier Field, Washington Park and United Center. I had not experienced any of these venues previously, but each one blew my mind!

Soldier Field, for instance, has the most mac daddy luxury suites ANYWHERE -- commanding views of the field with downtown's skyline decorating the horizon (historic and amazing!). Washington Park would be developed as the Olympic Stadium site, and reminded me of St. Louis' glorious Forest Park (site of the 1904 Summer Games near Washington University).

At our final stop of the day, dozens of young athletes played team handball and basketball, or did gymnastics, across the United Center floor while the IOC evaluators viewed a welcome video from hometown hero (and two-time Olympic champion) Michael Jordan.

Tuesday (day four) included a final volunteer assignment inside the final, and only, IOC press conference of the week -- it was enriching to be in the room with the IOC guests providing feedback to several of the nation's (and the world's) top Olympic and sports reporters. It was moving to see one of the Chicago 2016 official videos the IOC had screened earlier in the day -- athletes and folks of all ages were shown across the U.S. handing off 2016 batons symbolic of the city's strengths at sharing Olympism. A few fellow volunteers and most members of the media team then handed out the same batons to the working media, who had some strong and positive reactions to the display.

But I have to skip back to day three for the cake and icing assignment of the week: Red carpet for the "City Night" dinner and cultural event at The Art Institute of Chicago. With thanks to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for running with the story suggestion (submitted by our Chicago 2016 P.R. team from the Sheraton on Tuesday), I'll just add that seeing Oprah Winfrey in person, in her home town, was an experience I'll never forget -- at once it was similar yet drastically different from seeing Bill Gates speak at the Microsoft Vista launch in New York (disclosure: an Edelman project) or interacting with Ted Turner at the Atlanta Press Club (I only need to encounter Rupert Murdoch to complete the 'trifecta' of media mogul encounters).

It still does not seem real that Oprah was inches away speaking to reporters about all the positive potential Chicago 2016 has as an Olympic host. Hearing her enthusiasm and booming broadcaster voice in person was dramatic. I'm sure my jaw was gaping when she turned to face us.

The week did include a few critics of the bid. Part of the media volunteer assignment included keeping an eye on comments reported by media, or responding to those who have not yet embraced the Games' potential to be all positive for the USA, the Midwest, Illinois and Chicago. At least one of the responses we worked on is available online.

Several of the working media on site blogged or twittered from the experience. It was good to gain a few new Twitter followers, and start following new folks, during the week (in case you need it, follow me to http://twitter.com/nickwolaver for the real-time updates from April 3-8).

The complete volunteer experience was enriching -- I hope there will be further opportunities to contribute a verse to Chicago's efforts. It will be intense to track the other cities in the running, now that Chicago's presentations are complete, and very exciting when the IOC votes on October 2 in Copenhagen.