CHICAGO 2016

Obama Goes for Gold

"Welcome the world back to our neighborhood."

In a whirlwind five-hour trip to Copenhagen, President Obama beseeched the International Olympic Committee to choose his adopted hometown of Chicago as the site for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Obama’s pitch focused on Chicago’s diversity and the chance the Olympics would give the U.S. to “welcome the world back to our neighborhood.” During a question-and-answer section, the president said that the Chicago games would be an opportunity to remind the global community that the U.S. is “open to the world.” His remarks were preceded by an address from his Chicago-born wife, Michelle, who had been lobbying IOC members in Copenhagen since Wednesday. "It's about inspiring this generation and building a lasting legacy for the next," Michelle said. The Obamas left Denmark together after their appearance. Though Obama’s in-person appeal is the first of its kind from a sitting U.S. president, heads of state—including Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin—have lobbied the IOC on behalf of their countries’ cities before.