After Chicago’s marathon attempt to win the 2016 Olympic bid, for Northwestern administrators and students, closing the distance between the city and the university will feel like a sprint.
If Chicago is showcased, NU will be too, said Eugene Sunshine, senior vice president for business and finance.
“We’re a big community-wide player in so many ways, and in return we are a big recipient from being in the Chicago area,” he said.
Chicago is one of four cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo, left in the race for the 2016 Olympic Games bid, which will be announced in October. The International Olympic Committee toured the city last week, generating hype and curiosity about what winning the bid would mean for both the city and area institutions.
The Chicago 2016 Web site has already released a list of competition venues, with NU slated to host the modern pentathlon. The University of Illinois at Chicago, the only other Chicago-area university tapped to host an Olympic event, would feature boxing. Rumors of a state-of-the-art sailing facility that would be built on the Evanston campus appear to be just that – rumors – for the time being, Sunshine said.
“We have an agreement with Chicago 2016 – we being the university – that allows for them to use some of our facilities under certain circumstances,” Sunshine said. “But the issue of what events or what facilities they might want to use for practice or other kinds of things is not fully defined and is in the court of the Chicago 2016 group.”
A representative from Chicago 2016 could not be reached for comment.
The NU Athletic Department has pledged to support Chicago 2016 “100 percent,” said Mike Wolf, director of athletic communications.
“No matter what, were Chicago to get the bid for 2016, it would be nothing but positive for the institution and athletic programs,” Wolf said. “Obviously, we would receive several years of publicity prior to the event, and that would only heighten publicity for NU during the Games.”
Chicago universities may be in a unique position to support athletes during the Games, said NU President Henry Bienen, who is on the Olympic Committee.
While Bienen said he has not been overly involved in most other aspects of the NU-Chicago 2016 negotiations, he said he was “trying to be useful in a modest way” by using his connections to Olympic committee members.
Bienen said he and Chicago 2016 chairman and outgoing NU Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick Ryan (WCAS ’59) have not discussed issues pertaining to NU, such as use of facilities during the Games.
“I think both of us felt maybe there was some conflict of interest here, because he is both chairman of the board and chairman of the Olympic bid, and I am on the committee and president of the university,” he said. “Either by default or by deliberation we have simply not discussed this.”
If Chicago receives the bid, NU students will have chances to get involved. NU student government could help by increasing volunteer turnout and knowledge about events, as well as working with the administration to represent the views of the student body, said Jilian Lopez, director of community relations for Associated Student Government.
“If they were to start redoing facilities here for the Games, one of ASG’s main priorities would be to get students involved in the planning,” the Weinberg junior said. “Having the games here would help us to think about Chicago and try to increase awareness and pride in our host city.”
