Chicago celebrates Olympic Day in a big way
Pat Flynn
Issue date: 6/5/09 Section: Chicago 2016
The sea of 7,000 orange shirts was quite the spectacle at North Avenue Beach on Tuesday. Most of the brightly clad crowd had no intention of attending a celebration or festival, but they certainly found one thanks to Chicago 2016 celebrating Olympic Day.
It was an entire day of sport and friendship in celebration of the 115th anniversary of the birth of the modern Olympic movement.
The Chicago 2016 committee clearly went all out for this event. The main stage featured emcee Rowdy Gaines, two bands, and was the finish to both of the 3-mile fun runs that took place. The All American Freefall Team also parachuted in for the event.
Some of the Olympic and Paralympic sports represented at North Avenue Beach included: beach volleyball, wheelchair basketball, rowing, fencing, boxing, archery and sit volleyball.
Chicago was one of 150 U.S. cities to celebrate Olympic Day. But it is the only U.S. city that can claim to be a current finalist for an Olympic bid. On October 2, in Copenhagen, the International Olympic Committee will decide between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo for who will play host to the 2016 Olympic games.
Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO, Pat Ryan was on hand to celebrate the day, and took time to speak with The DePaulia.
"One of the strengths of our bid are all the volunteers that we have," Ryan said.
"People ask 'What's the differentiator for Chicago?' I always say the people.
"They're so passionate about city, about sport, about celebration, and celebration on the lakefront. And here we are, celebrating on the lakefront."
Rachel Wester was one of those volunteers making that celebration on the lakefront possible.
"We are just providing information that we think people want to know," Wester said. "People don't really know that today is Olympic Day, and they see the Olympic signs and are like 'Hey what's going on?'"
Keeping the Olympic bid in the public eye is a top priority for the Chicago 2016 committee.
"We've had a lot of very strong public support ever since we started," Ryan explained. "But you have to keep getting people engaged, because they start thinking about things and it is really important that the people of Chicago stay strong and that their passion is clear to the International Olympic Committee."
June 25 marks the 100-day mark on the "Countdown to the decision" clock on the Chicago 2016 website.
"There seemed like it was way out in time," Ryan said. "Now, 100 days? I can't believe it. There is not enough time left."
It was an entire day of sport and friendship in celebration of the 115th anniversary of the birth of the modern Olympic movement.
The Chicago 2016 committee clearly went all out for this event. The main stage featured emcee Rowdy Gaines, two bands, and was the finish to both of the 3-mile fun runs that took place. The All American Freefall Team also parachuted in for the event.
Some of the Olympic and Paralympic sports represented at North Avenue Beach included: beach volleyball, wheelchair basketball, rowing, fencing, boxing, archery and sit volleyball.
Chicago was one of 150 U.S. cities to celebrate Olympic Day. But it is the only U.S. city that can claim to be a current finalist for an Olympic bid. On October 2, in Copenhagen, the International Olympic Committee will decide between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo for who will play host to the 2016 Olympic games.
Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO, Pat Ryan was on hand to celebrate the day, and took time to speak with The DePaulia.
"One of the strengths of our bid are all the volunteers that we have," Ryan said.
"People ask 'What's the differentiator for Chicago?' I always say the people.
"They're so passionate about city, about sport, about celebration, and celebration on the lakefront. And here we are, celebrating on the lakefront."
Rachel Wester was one of those volunteers making that celebration on the lakefront possible.
"We are just providing information that we think people want to know," Wester said. "People don't really know that today is Olympic Day, and they see the Olympic signs and are like 'Hey what's going on?'"
Keeping the Olympic bid in the public eye is a top priority for the Chicago 2016 committee.
"We've had a lot of very strong public support ever since we started," Ryan explained. "But you have to keep getting people engaged, because they start thinking about things and it is really important that the people of Chicago stay strong and that their passion is clear to the International Olympic Committee."
June 25 marks the 100-day mark on the "Countdown to the decision" clock on the Chicago 2016 website.
"There seemed like it was way out in time," Ryan said. "Now, 100 days? I can't believe it. There is not enough time left."
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