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Obama timing perfect for 2016 Olympic chance
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News that President Obama will be lobbying for Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid Thursday in Copenhagen is nothing but good news for U.S. chances.
He'll be the first U.S. president to make an in-person appeal before the Olympic vote. Can't help but wonder if this was the plan all along. If it was, the orchestration was just about perfect.
Now, the interesting part. Can Obama pull it off? You have to like Chicago's chances in a tight race with Rio, Tokyo and Madrid. At the least, the past two Olympic host-city votes have shown the International Olympic Committee to be a starry-eyed and ego-fed bunch, easily swayed by last-minute flourishes like this.
Some call it a risk, saying his prestige will be diminished if Obama is part of a losing effort. Tony Blair, pitchman for underdog Great Britain against favored Paris, charmed IOC voters to swipe the 2012 Olympics for London (New York sent its then-Senator, Hillary Clinton, with President George Bush staying away -- probably a good thing, considering his international standing.)
Then-Russian president Putin pulled a Blair to win the 2014 Winter Games for Sochi.
Now, the U.S. has something of a perfect storm of influence to sway votes in Chicago's direction. Not only is the U.S. President breaking tradition just by showing up, he's signaling to the show-me-some-love IOC that yes, you are important enough to be squeezed in, even though health care, Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear plant are occupying most of the administration's attention.
Besides that, Obama is wildly popular in Europe and -- here's the clincher -- he is from the very city bidding to host the Games. How many other world leaders can say the same?
The undercurrent to a vote for emotion's sake is the one for money. A U.S.-hosted Olympics brings more money to the IOC because it means a bigger TV contract for Games broadcast here.
Still, a vote for Chicago is hardly a gimme. In the past seven months, the IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee have publicly feuded over the USOC proposed-then-withdrawn Olympic TV network and the USOC's revenue-sharing percentage, which the IOC wants to reduce. That discussion has been tabled until after the vote.
Plus, recent changes in leadership -- EA Sports ex-chief Larry Probst taking over for Olympic icon Peter Ueberroth and the abrupt departure of chief executive Jim Scherr, replaced by USOC board member Stephanie Streeter, have to make IOC members -- a group that loves the status quo -- wonder if the USOC knows what it's doing.
Which all makes for great politics, and theater, in Copenhagen this week.
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