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Mrs. Obama: President Rogge, ladies and gentlemen,
Mesdames et Messieurs of the International Olympic Committee:
I am honored to be here.
I was born and raised on Chicago's South Side,
not far from where the Games would open and close.
Ours was a neighborhood of working families --
families with modest homes and strong values.
Sports were what brought our community together.
They strengthen our ties to one another.
Growing up, when I played games with the kids in my
neighborhood, we picked sides based not on who you were,
but what you could bring to the game.
Sports taught me self-confidence, teamwork,
and how to compete as an equal.
Sports were a gift I shared with my dad --
especially the Olympic Games.
Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad's lap,
cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis,
and others for their brilliance and perfection.
Like so many young people, I was inspired.
I found myself dreaming that maybe, just maybe,
if I worked hard enough, I, too, could achieve something great.
But I never dreamed that the Olympic flame might one day
light up lives in my neighborhood.
But today, I can dream, and I am dreaming of an Olympic and
Paralympic Games in Chicago that will light up lives in
neighborhoods all across America and all across the world;
that will expose all our neighborhoods to new sports and
new role models; that will show every child that regardless of
wealth, or gender, or race, or physical ability,
there is a sport and a place for them, too.
That's why I'm here today.
I'm asking you to choose Chicago.
I'm asking you to choose America.
And I'm not asking just as the First Lady of the United States,
who is eager to welcome the world to our shores.
And not just as a Chicagoan, who is proud and excited to show the
world what my city can do.
Not just as a mother raising two beautiful young women to embrace
athleticism and pursue their full potential.
I'm also asking as a daughter.
See, my dad would have been so proud to witness these Games in Chicago.
And I know they would have meant something much more to him, too.
You see, in my dad's early thirties,
he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
And as he got sicker, it became harder for him to walk,
let alone play his favorite sports.
But my dad was determined that sports continue to be a vital
lifeline -- not just to the rest of the world, but to me and my brother.
And even as we watched my dad struggle to hold himself up on
crutches, he never stopped playing with us.
And he refused to let us take our abilities for granted.
He believed that his little girl should be taught no less than his son.
So he taught me how to throw a ball and a mean right hook
better than any boy in my neighborhood.
But more importantly, my dad taught us the fundamental rules
of the game, rules that continue to guide our lives today: to
engage with honor, with dignity, and fair play.
My dad was my hero.
And when I think of what these Games can mean to people all
over the world, I think about people like my dad.
People who face seemingly insurmountable challenges,
but never let go.
They work a little harder, but they never give up.
Now, my dad didn't live to see the day that the Paralympic
Games would become the force that they are today.
But if he had lived to see this day --
if he could have seen the Paralympic Games share a global
stage with the Olympic Games, if he could have witnessed athletes
who compete and excel and prove that nothing is more powerful
than the human spirit, I know it would have restored in him the
same sense of unbridled possibility that he instilled in me.
Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralympic movement is about
so much more than what we can offer the Games --
it's about what the Games can offer all of us.
It's about inspiring this generation,
and building a lasting legacy for the next.
It's about our responsibility as Americans not just to put on
great Games, but to use these Games as a vehicle to bring us
together; to usher in a new era of international engagement;
and to give us hope; and to change lives all over the world.
And I've brought somebody with me today who knows a little
something about change.
My husband, the President of the United States -- Barack Obama.
(applause)
The President: President Rogge, ladies and gentlemen of the International
Olympic Committee: I come here today as a passionate supporter
of the Olympic and Paralympic Games;
as a strong believer in the movement they represent;
and as a proud Chicagoan.
But above all, I come as a faithful representative of the
American people, and we look forward to welcoming the world
to the shores of Lake Michigan and the heartland of our nation
in 2016.
To host athletes and visitors from every corner of the globe
is a high honor and a great responsibility.
And America is ready and eager to assume that sacred trust.
We're a nation that has always opened its arms to the citizens
of the world -- including my own father from the African
continent -- people who have sought something better;
who have dreamed of something bigger.
I know you face a difficult choice among several great
cities and nations with impressive bids of their own.
So I've come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the
same reason I chose Chicago nearly 25 years ago --
the reason I fell in love with the city I still call home.
And it's not just because it's where I met the woman you just
heard from -- although after getting to know her this week,
I know you'll all agree that she's a pretty big selling point
for the city.
You see, growing up, my family moved around a lot.
I was born in Hawaii.
I lived in Indonesia for a time.
I never really had roots in any one place or culture or ethnic group.
And then I came to Chicago.
And on those Chicago streets, I worked alongside men and women
who were black and white; Latino and Asian;
people of every class and nationality and religion.
I came to discover that Chicago is that most American of
American cities, but one where citizens from more than 130
nations inhabit a rich tapestry of distinctive neighborhoods.
Each one of those neighborhoods --
from Greektown to the Ukrainian Village;
from Devon to Pilsen to Washington Park --
has its own unique character, its own unique history,
its songs, its language.
But each is also part of our city -- one city --
a city where I finally found a home.
Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes
us different just as we celebrate what we have in common.
It's a place where our unity is on colorful display at so many
festivals and parades, and especially sporting events,
where perfect strangers become fast friends just because
they're wearing the same jersey.
It's a city that works -- from its first World's Fair more than
a century ago to the World Cup we hosted in the nineties,
we know how to put on big events.
And scores of visitors and spectators will tell you that we
do it well.
Chicago is a city where the practical and the inspirational
exist in harmony; where visionaries who made no small
plans rebuilt after a great fire and taught the world to reach new heights.
It's a bustling metropolis with the warmth of a small town;
where the world already comes together every day to live and
work and reach for a dream -- a dream that no matter who we are,
where we come from; no matter what we look like or what hand
life has dealt us; with hard work,
and discipline, and dedication, we can make it if we try.
That's not just the American Dream.
That is the Olympic spirit.
It's the essence of the Olympic spirit.
That's why we see so much of ourselves in these Games.
That's why we want them in Chicago.
That's why we want them in America.
We stand at a moment in history when the fate of each nation is
inextricably linked to the fate of all nations --
a time of common challenges that require common effort.
And I ran for President because I believed deeply that at this
defining moment, the United States of America has a
responsibility to help in that effort,
to forge new partnerships with the nations and the peoples of the world.
No one expects the Games to solve all our collective challenges.
But what we do believe -- what each and every one of you
believe and what all of the Chicago delegation believes --
is that in a world where we've all too often witnessed the
darker aspects of our humanity, peaceful competition between
nations represents what's best about our humanity.
It brings us together, if only for a few weeks, face to face.
It helps us understand one another just a little bit better.
It reminds us that no matter how or where we differ,
we all seek our own measure of happiness, and fulfillment,
and pride in what we do.
That's a very powerful starting point for progress.
Nearly one year ago, on a clear November night,
people from every corner of the world gathered in the city of
Chicago or in front of their televisions to watch the results
of the U.S. Presidential election.
Their interest wasn't about me as an individual.
Rather, it was rooted in the belief that America's experiment
in democracy still speaks to a set of universal aspirations and ideals.
Their interest sprung from the hope that in this ever-shrinking
world, our diversity could be a source of strength,
a cause for celebration; and that with sustained work and
determination, we could learn to live and prosper together during
the fleeting moment we share on this Earth.
Now, that work is far from over, but it has begun in earnest.
And while we do not know what the next few years will bring,
there is nothing I would like more than to step just a few
blocks from my family's home, with Michelle and our two girls,
and welcome the world back into our neighborhood.
At the beginning of this new century,
the nation that has been shaped by people from around the world
wants a chance to inspire it once more;
to ignite the spirit of possibility at the heart of the
Olympic and Paralympic movement in a new generation;
to offer a stage worthy of the extraordinary talent and
dynamism offered by nations joined together --
to host games that unite us in noble competition and shared
celebration of our limitless potential as a people.
And so I urge you to choose Chicago.
I urge you to choose America.
And if you do, if we walk this path together,
then I promise you this: The city of Chicago and the United
States of America will make the world proud.
Thank you so much.
(applause)
Mr. Ryan: Mr. President, we are ready for questions.
Mr. Rogge: Thank you, Chicago, for an excellent presentation.
I would now like to open the discussion and call for any
questions from the international Olympic committee members,
International Federations, and National Olympic Committees.
The Chicago delegation will then answer all questions together.
Are there questions from IOC members?
Are there questions from International Federations?
Are there questions from National Olympic Committees?
I have a question by Mr. Sergey Bubka.
Mr. Bubka: Thank you, Mr. President.
First of all, I would like to congratulate the Chicago team
for their presentation.
I would like to ask the question regarding the additional Olympic
village which promised to provide for cycling competition.
Would it be possible to provide equal and same condition like in
the main Olympic village?
It's important for us to deliver same standard and
treat athletes equally.
Would it be possible for athletes to travel and to visit
each other because they stay quite far from each other?
And the second part of the question is regarding
the shooting venue.
As it's located 55K, would you consider to provide day
accommodation like you do for equestrian because shooting is
very specific sport, should be very peaceful,
very quiet, to concentrate.
And I just want to know if you consider day accommodation.
Thank you.
Mr. Rogge: Thank you, Mr. Bubka.
I have a question by Prince Albert of Monaco.
HSH The Sovereign Prince Albert II: Thank you very much, Mr. President, President Obama,
Mrs. Obama, dear members of the Chicago 2016 bid team,
thank you for your presentation.
Allow me just a couple of questions.
One, my colleague Sergey Bubka has almost touched upon it.
That is, very often you see differences between the bid
document and once the games near their opening there are changes
in the, from the original bid document.
So what is, I know it's very difficult to give assurances
that things won't be very different from the bid document
to the actual games time as far as sports facilities and venues
are concerned, but are there any,
any of those facilities that you foresee will be subject to
change by games time, should you have the games?
And then you did touch a lot upon
legacy in your presentation.
I just wanted to see if maybe if you could identify what would be
your most important legacy and what and if you had one item of
that legacy, material or immaterial,
that you would like everybody to remember Chicago by,
should you have the games.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Rogge: Thank you very much Prince Albert.
There not being further questions, Chicago,
you have the floor.
Mr. Ryan: I'm so anxious to answer Mr. Bubka's question.
Thank you very much for your question, Mr. Bubka,
and it relates to satellite villages at cycling,
can we have equal conditions at this venue,
and can the athletes travel to other sports.
And then we'll go to the shooting question.
Doug Arnot, please, on the cycling.
Mr. Arnot: Thank you very much, Mr. Bubka, for the question.
Yes, we're very pleased with the cycling village arrangements
that we have made with the University of Wisconsin.
This will be a brand new housing development that is planned for
married students at the University;
it's a condominium type living which is very,
very similar to that which we have in Chicago.
It also coincidentally is on a lake and will have all of the
amenities at that village that we have available in
the village in Chicago.
Furthermore, it's also about 50 meters from the start of the
course, so very, very convenient for training and very convenient
at competition time.
It will be possible and convenient for the cyclists to
be able to travel to the village in Chicago,
and I'd ask my colleague Lori Healey to speak a little bit to
what will be available for them there.
Ms. Healey: Thank you, Doug, for just the opportunity
to add to that question.
The village will be full amenities,
and speaking also to the second question asked by Prince Albert,
we're very pleased to say that the City of Chicago has already
purchased the land for the village and has actually begun
the process of environmental remediation and demolition.
There are a number of amenities, there's a private beach at the
village, as well as all the amenities that have been
developed in close consultation with all the athletes that we
have been most fortunate to work with during this process.
Mr. Ryan: And the second part of the question from Sergey Bubka,
Mr. Bubka asked shooting venue, will it have the same
accommodations, and Doug, would you pick that up, please.
Mr. Arnot: Yes, thank you very much again, Mr. Bubka,
for the question.
Yes, we have already considered, planned for,
and budgeted for a day village at shooting,
understanding that it's 55 minutes away and very much to
your point, we understand that many of the athletes will want
to go and not only be there for their day of competition but
also for their days of training and practice,
so we have planned for a day village at the shooting venue.
Mr. Ryan: The next question is from Prince Albert,
and I thank you for the question, Prince Albert.
It has to do with assurances that the venues will stay the
same as in the documents.
And we've worked very *** these venues and venue plans,
and we are committed to delivering those venues,
and we've committed to our, the people of Chicago,
we've committed to the IOC, but Doug Arnot,
if you'd like to pick up on that.
Mr. Arnot: Thank you very much again for the question.
Yeah, we have, as Mr. Ryan mentions,
we've going to extraordinary details in our budgets and in
our construction plans to be able to assure you that we
understand the scope both from the International Olympic
Committee technical documents and the IF's as well as from the
people who have worked with us who represent well over 150
years of combined Olympic game experience.
Working with the Federations has been extremely important for us
to understand the needs there, but also we have in every case
tried to take the extra measure.
We have gone; we have existing contracts for
every one of the facilities.
We have existing agreements and approvements from the City for
each one of the parks where we will build the facilities.
So the understanding of scope, the understanding of
requirements, and also making sure that we have always gone
the extra steps, the extra mile to ensure that the experience
that we're presenting to you today will be the experience
that will be enjoyed by the athletes, all of you,
and all of our special guests to the Olympic games
in Chicago in 2016.
Mr. Ryan: Mr. Bubka, we assure the IOC that we will deliver as planned.
The next part of the question from Prince Albert is what's the
most important legacy of the Chicago games.
Bob Ctvrtlik, please.
Mr. Ctvrtlik: Thank you, thank you, your Royal Highness.
This is just an excellent question,
and as someone who is on the evaluation commission,
leading the evaluation commission for the United States
Olympic Committee starting three years ago,
one thing the first time I went to Chicago I just noticed these
great parks and this park system,
and one thing we would like to do as one part of the legacy is
put the fun back in the games.
Sometimes games are technically excellent,
but we would like to have live sites and really make it a
city-wide celebration throughout the entire city.
And having this park system right along the lake in the
center of the City, all already under the control of the City,
is the perfect venue for that.
Also, as I mentioned, we will have legacy venues,
and these aren't just legacy venues to build white elephants
or to have big stadiums or monuments,
these are real stadiums that will have real needs for the
citizens of Chicago, but also be able to be used by the citizens
of the world and the athletes of the world to train,
which brings us to our next legacy.
When I talked about opening up the universities and the
classrooms and the campuses, we've already talked with the
head of the university system in the United States,
which is a pretty solid system, as far as using and creating a
way to open up campuses for your athletes and for your teams and
also your officials and administrators for the ones that
need it, not because it helps necessarily your athletes,
but it also helps the United States to become more worldly
and learn from your athletes and administrators.
And finally, you did see that Chicago,
one other legacy would be the youth sport programs.
It's not just bricks and mortar, but it would be real programs
that will affect the youth, the young people.
And they haven't just talked about it;
the City of Chicago already has the funding
in place for these programs.
Thank you.
Mr. Ryan: Prince Albert, I'd just like to add that I apologize for saying
Mr. Bubka's question, it was yours --
Ms. Healey: Have a terrifically strong partnership with the federal
government in Washington.
We've worked very closely with the U.S. State Department.
Secretary Clinton has also been a very good partner and has
worked to assure everyone the full cooperation
of the federal government.
Additionally, in June the White House announced the formation of
the Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport that
will act as the coordinating agency if we are so privileged
to be selected for the right to host to games to put all the
forces of the federal government behind that.
Mr. Ryan: President Obama would like to add to that, please.
President Obama: Well let me just -- emphasize what Lori said in response to
Mr. Ali's question.
One of the legacies I want to see coming out of the Chicago
2016 hosting of the games is a reminder that America at its
best is open to the world, and as has already been indicated,
we are putting the full force of the White House and the State
Department to make sure that not only is this a successful games,
but that visitors from all around the world feel welcome,
and will come away with a sense of the incredible diversity of
the American people.
And I'm very impressed with part of the presentation that we made
matching up host families for the athletes who are going to be
there because, as I said, Chicago, we've got,
we've got everybody.
This could be a meeting in Chicago because we
look like the world.
And I think that, you know, over the last several years sometimes
that fundamental truth about the United States has been lost,
one of the legacies, I think, of this Olympic Games in Chicago
would be a restoration of that understanding of what the United
States is all about and the United States' recognition of
how we are linked to the world.
Mr. Ryan: Thank you, Mr. President; we will not add anything to that.
(laughter)
(applause)
Mr. Rogge: I would like to thank Chicago for taking part in
this important competition.
You can be very proud of what you have achieved in
your city and your country.
(applause)