Amanda Snow, a 25-year-old from Chicago, stood at the
corner of LaSalle and Wacker and waited for the
International Olympic Committee van to arrive. Nicole Hong/
The Daily Northwestern
CHICAGO – Freezing temperatures and 30 mph hour winds didn’t stop hundreds of volunteers from welcoming members of the International Olympic Committee on Sunday as part of Chicago’s attempt to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“Why not tell the IOC how serious we are by coming out when it’s freezing cold?” said Helene Duda, a student at Northern Illinois University, who was bundled from head to toe. “Chicagoans are competitive, stubborn people who like to have challenges thrown at us. We want these games bad, and we don’t give a damn if it means coming out in freezing cold weather to support it.”
The IOC Evaluation Commission arrived in Chicago on Thursday and will stay in the city until Wednesday. The commission is inspecting the city by touring the proposed sporting venues and the Olympic Village. The commission, currently deciding between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, is judging on 17 categories, including transport, security and finance. The IOC will announce its final decision on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen.
About 2,000 volunteers signed up to participate in the pep rally, but inclement weather kept many volunteers at home. Volunteer coordinators said the rain forced them to cancel or modify some outdoor events and to tear down several banners throughout the city.
The attending volunteers were enthusiastic.
“It was absolutely worth it,” said 26-year-old Chicago resident Layla Salazar. “Chicago is one of those cities where people take to the streets when they feel passionately about a cause, so it’s very organic for Chicagoans to come out and get their voice out there, whether it’s raining or sleeting or snowing.”
Pep rally volunteers gathered at Soldier Field’s South Parking Lot throughout the day, and school buses took groups of 20 to 30 volunteers to street corners all over the city. On the bus that carted volunteers to the intersection of LaSalle Street and Wacker Drive, volunteers made their own posters from “Honk if you support the Olympics” to a poster with “Welcome” in the native languages of all the commission members.
After getting off the bus, the volunteers stood on the street corner for about 20 minutes, erupting in cheers every time a car honked in passing. While many volunteers sported heavy winter gear, some did not expect the plummeting sleet and rain. One volunteer even put on sunscreen in the morning because she expected to rally under the sun.
“Even though it’s cold and rainy and even though none of us had really met before this, there’s still that sense of camaraderie and coming together,” Salazar said. “The city has a lot to offer.”
IOC concerns over Chicago’s passion for the bid sparked the rally, one volunteer coordinator said.
“We tried to have people excited to show that we want it here, that we do have the passion,” said the coordinator, who declined to give her name due to the policy of Chicago 2016 Bid Committee. “Almost everywhere (the committee has) gone, they’ve driven by people with signs.”
A recent survey conducted by Chicago 2016 showed 78 percent of Chicago residents support the bid, but opposition remains strong among some residents.
Two hundred members of anti-bid group No Games Chicago demonstrated against the bid on Thursday at the Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn St. A handful of protestors also rallied outside Washington Park on Sunday.
The group said it believes hosting the games would be a poor allocation of city funds. They want the city to focus on improving schools and public transportation, among other priorities.
“They have every right to protest,” said Duda, who has volunteered with Chicago 2016 for more than a year. “It’s going to cost a lot of money. We don’t have any guarantees of things, and every Olympic game so far has gone over budget.”
Despite the skepticism, volunteer Amanda Snow said she hopes Chicago residents “keep an open mind.”
“This is something that we can choose to be a good thing or a bad thing,” the 25-year-old Chicago resident said. “I hope if Chicago gets chosen that people of the city come together and make it something that we can be proud of in our history.”
