President Barack Obama said he would use the Olympics to restore the image of the United States as an accessible and multi-ethnic nation after an impassioned pitch to win the 2016 Games for Chicago.
The President told the International Olympic Committee (IOC), gathered today in Copenhagen to decide between his hometown, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo, that America was ready to re-engage with the world after years when its sense of diversity had not been reflected abroad.
Responding to a question by Syed Shahid Ali, the IOC member for Pakistan, about the “pretty harrowing experience†of many foreign visitors to the US, he said: “One of the legacies I want to see coming out of 2016 is a reminder that America, at its best, is open to the world. We are putting the full force of the White house and the State Department into making sure that not only is this a successful Games but that visitors from all around the world feel welcome and will come away with a sense of the incredible diversity of the American people.â€
The force at his disposal will be channelled through a special Olympic, Paralympic and youth sport office to be set up within the White House and run by Valerie Jarrett, one of Mr Obama’s closest advisors.
The direct line to the President matters greatly to the IOC given their concerns about the lack of federal guarantees should Chicago win the Games. Legislation drawn up after the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002 to prevent federal aid to “pet projects†such as the Olympics means that the Chicago bid could only be underwritten by the city and the state of Illinois – both of which have big budget deficits.
The President does have power over security and immigration issues however. He promised to deal with them and stressed the ethnic diversity of Chicago, which is home to people drawn from 130 nationalities.
“We’ve got everyone. This could be a meeting in Chicago, because we look like the world. Over the last several years sometimes that fundamental truth about the United States has been lost,†he said.
“One of the legacies of this Olympic Games would be the restoration of that understanding of what the United States is all about and a recognition of how we are linked to the world.â€
During an eight-minute speech, Mr Obama spoke about his African roots, his Hawaii upbringing and how he finally “fell in love†with Chicago and found his home in the Midwestern city.
“It is a rich tapestry of neighbourhoods,†he said, referring to Greek, Latino and Ukrainian districts. He also talked up Chicago’s sporting credentials and established infrastructure. “It is a city that works. We know how to put on big events and scores of spectators and visitors will tell you we do it well. If you choose us we walk this path together.â€
But, after a dash from Air Force One that landed at Copenhagen airport at 7.50am this morning after an overnight flight from Washington, it was the president’s wife, Michelle, who continued to steal the show.
The First Lady has been on the ground for two days, lobbying IOC members and liberally sprinkling stardust on the occasion with her easy presence and sassy frocks. But she saved her best for last with a highly personal speech in memory of her late father, who developed multiple sclerosis in his 30s.
“Even when he could barely stand on his crutches, he never stopped playing with us. He taught me how to throw a ball and a mean right hook better than any boy in my neighbourhood,†she said.
Mrs Obama was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, where the Games will be held, and still has a home there. She evoked a homely image of her and her husband walking with their daughters to the Games in 2016.
“I never dreamed that the Olympic flame would one day light up lives in my neighbourhood,†she said. “Today I can dream that an Olympic Games in Chicago will light up the lives of neighbourhoods across America and across the world and expose them to new sports and role models that will show every child that regardless of gender, race or pysical ability there is a place for them too
