Bidding for the Games -- Tweet for 2016; Rio Readies for IOC

Want to share your opinion on how the 2016 Olympic race is going? Have suggestions for the four bid cities? Or maybe you just want to give a shout out to the city you want to win. If so, join us on twitter at www.twitter.com/aroundtherings. Comments are limited to 140 characters, so brevity is key.

Not a Twitter user? It’s easy to create an account. Just follow the instructions at www.twitter.com.

Then, in the box that pops up “What are you doing today?” enter @aroundtherings followed by your comment.

Rio de Janeiro Readies for IOC

The 13-member IOC Evaluation Commission gets a few days to rest before heading to Rio de Janeiro, the first Southern Hemisphere city being considered as a finalist to host the Olympics since the campaign for the 2000 Games won by Sydney 16 years ago.

The IOC commission is scheduled to arrive in Brazil April 27, two days ahead of their first formal meetings with the Rio de Janeiro bid team at the iconic Copacabana Palace Hotel facing the Atlantic Ocean.

The visit to Rio will conclude May 2, with members of the commission departing as early as that night to head to Madrid for the final stop of the 2016 tour.

Three members of the panel are in London this week for the latest meeting of the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2012 Games: Nawal El Moutwakel, chair of the 2016 group, IOC member Craig Reedie and Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli.

Madrid Marathon this Weekend

The Madrid Marathon is scheduled to take place this weekend. (Getty Images)The 32nd edition of the Madrid Marathon will be run across the city on April 26, with a field of nearly 8,000 participants expected.

Madrid 2016 is counting on the event to help demonstrate the city’s ability to conduct major events in the Olympic sports.

The bid itself is not a sponsor, but the Madrid 2016 logo shows up under the umbrella of the Municipality of Madrid which uses the multi-colored hand of the logo – but without the Olympic rings.

Next week, just ahead of the IOC visit May 4 – 8, the so-called Magic Box venue opens in the city’s northern venue cluster. The tennis venue is built with a sliding roof that opens when weather permits.

Madrid will hold a press conference April 28 to brief reporters on plans for the IOC.

Chicago Begins Olympic Village Demolition

Michael Reese Hospital will be torn down to build Chicago's Olympic Village.(Workforce Housing Solutions)The first phase of demolition is under way for the site of the proposed Olympic Village for the Chicago 2016 bid. The 40-acre campus of Michael Reese Hospital on the south side of the city was purchased by the city earlier this year. With the exception of a group of psychiatric patients about to move to another facility, the century-old hospital is no longer in operation.

The main building from 1907 is supposed to be preserved, but there are also requests to save buildings designed after World War II by Walter Gropius.

Mayor Richard Daley says even if the Olympic bid fails, the parcel will be developed into private housing, as called for in the bid for 2016.

Poll, What Poll?

As was the case with Chicago, bid leaders in Tokyo are believed to have received news from the IOC that its independent survey of public opinion shows public support lagging figures from the bid. Tokyo claims 70 percent of city residents polled are in favor of the bid. When asked about the IOC results earlier this week, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said only that support would grow in the months leading up to the IOC vote Oct. 2.

In comments about the Olympic bid posted by users of internet portal Livedoor, two-thirds of the posts are anti-Games.

Tokyo Lost and Found

It is not possible to say enough aboutthe hospitality and concern for visitors expressed by the media team with Tokyo 2016.Just a day after journalists de-camped from the media center on the 49th floor of the Mori Tower, the bid team sent out a press notice about the collection of left-behind items now in their possession.

A digital camera, three sets of earphones, a couple of memo pads and handkerchief (in a checked pattern) make up the list.

Written by Ed Hula

For general comments or questions, click here