Making Overtures

Barack and Michelle Woo Olympics

First couple pushes for Chicago to host Games in 2016.

Barack and Michelle Obama showed off their sporty side Tuesday by hosting Olympians on the White House lawn ahead of their push to snag the 2016 Olympic Games for their home city, Chicago. Athletes giving demonstrations of their sports included gymnast Dominique Dawes and track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee. The president said he won't be able to travel to Copenhagen next month to push the International Olympic Committee to chose the Windy City, so he's sending "a more compelling superstar to represent the city and the country we love"—his wife. Michelle will pitch Chicago against other potential hosts Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Madrid.