• Chicago 2016 has created a plan that will deliver a spectacular Olympic experience for the athletes, the Olympic Family, spectators, residents and the global TV audience.
• Chicago 2016 is the nation’s bid, supported by government at the local, regional and national level and by all of the U.S. national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport. The bid got a boost recently from a formal endorsement by President Bush.
• Chicago’s plan is one that is responsible for the city, the environment, the Olympic Movement and sport and for future generations.
• Chicago’s plan is one of sustainable goals aligned with the Olympic Movement’s aim of building lasting global harmony.

Chicago’s motivation
Chicago’s bid for the Games is driven by five key goals:

• To deliver an extraordinary Olympic experience for the Olympians and Paralympians
• To inspire youth by exposing them to Olympic sport and the values of the Olympic ideal, creating a new center of Olympic sport in the U.S. Midwest
• To reignite America’s passion for the Olympic Games and solidify U.S. support for the Olympic Movement for generations to come
• To transform the urban landscape of Chicago’s South and West sides, turning the Olympic Village into a new sustainable lakefront neighborhood and revitalizing the communities around the planned sites for the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Aquatics Center
• To inspire harmony locally and globally: we believe that an Olympic Games in Chicago can become a source of hope for the United States and a new bridge of friendship and peace with the world

Key details on Chicago’s bid

• Chicago’s concept for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will create an unforgettable Olympic experience for the athletes and each specific client group within the Olympic Family at the Games.
• No other plan in history has envisioned a more centrally located, compact Olympic Games. The site of the Olympic Village—the center point of the Games—will be near 19 sports venues, and 91 percent of the athletes will be within 15 minutes of their competition venues.
• Chicago’s passion for athletic competition and its tradition of staging cultural events and celebrations will combine to make the atmosphere outside the sports venues as electric as the events within.
• In selecting venues, Chicago 2016's design puts a premium on existing facilities and builds temporary structures wherever possible. Indeed, 81 percent of the venues—22 of 27—are either existing or temporary.
• Chicago is already the cultural and economic capital of the Midwest region, and hosting the Olympic Games would put the city in a position to be a new center for the Olympic Movement and sport in the United States.
• The existing capacity of the mass-transit system is sufficient to accommodate the Games, but upgrades are needed to enhance the quality of experience. Almost all of the venue locations and noncompetition sites are well served by the existing mass-transit system and the area’s network of roadways and highways.