Rio De Janeiro Chosen to Hold Olympic Games in 2016

Despite all the hard lobbying President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama did in favor of hosting the 2016 Olympics in Chicago, Illinois, the bid for the coveted position went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

To have the United States host the 2016 Olympics would have been a privilege, no doubt, but I personally do not believe Chicago would have deserved the host city selection. Between blatantly corrupt politics and rampant crime, it would have taken a lot of manpower and funding to bring Chicago up to scratch. True, it would "stimulate" part of Chicago's economy, I'm sure, but only temporarily before it reverted back to the same problems it suffers now.

Additionally, could the state of Illinois really afforded to construct a special building for the Olympics? After all, that building will stay once the Olympics are long gone. True, it could be turned into a stadium of some sort, but Chicago already has enough of these last I checked. But look at Beijing's Olympic Stadium. The city has found hardly any use for it at all since it hosted the 2008 Olympics; what kind of waste would that amount to in an already overcrowded city like Chicago?

But there are, of course, two sides to every story. What about Rio de Janeiro? Did they deserve to win the privilege to host the 2016 Olympic games? While it's certainly a more beautiful location, it is still home to rampant crimes stemming from drugs, poverty, stark difference in social class, and widespread robbery of tourists. Some even hold that thievery in Rio is worse than that in Chicago.

Any city chosen to host the Olympics would be sure to have its issues, so crime and politics aside, I am happy to hear "world's happiest city" will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2016. With all the tournaments for sports like soccer Rio de Janeiro is known for hosting, I wouldn't be surprised if they could more easily find a use for a new Olympic stadium after the Olympics than Chicago could.

Without a doubt, I wish the United States would have been chosen to host the Olympics. But perhaps this snub could serve as a wake-up call for places like Chicago to get their act together politically and socially if they want to be given a fair shot at winning an Olympic spot on the map.

Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/02/AR2009100203971.html?hpid=topnews