Member News

January 23, 2008   

Chicago 2016 and United States Olympic Committee Host Conference for U.S. Olympic Sports Executives

Jose H. Rodriguez with Olympic medalist Bobby Berland and World Championships Referee Kei Narimatsu, both Chicago natives.

Approximately 100 National Governing Bodies (NGBs) in the United States were in Chicago for a conference Jan. 15-17 to learn about the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

USA Judo was represented by Chief Executive Officer Jose H. Rodriguez as well as Kei Narimatsu, a referee at the 2005 World Championships, and Bobby Berland, a 1984 Olympic silver medalist and co-chair of the Chicago 2016 Athlete Advisory Committee.

"Our visit with the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid committee surpassed my expectations.  Their level of planning was far ahead of the many other bids that I have seen in the past," Rodriguez said.  "From a judo perspective, we were pleased to find ourselves under the same roof as many great sports, including wrestling.  I think this bid indeed has the potential to win and hopefully we will have the Games back in the United States in 2016."

The purpose of the visit was to introduce many of the country’s most influential leaders in amateur sports to Chicago 2016’s concept for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to gather their feedback and engage them in the bid process. Representatives from Chicago 2016 and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) delivered a series of presentations to discuss the Olympic and Paralympic Games plan in depth. They also hosted a reception at Adler Planetarium and led a tour of the planned Olympic venues for the group.

Rodriguez with Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka.

“This great opportunity to meet our nation’s top amateur sports leaders was a huge success,” said Patrick Ryan, Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO. “We highly value their knowledge of sport, governance and legacy, and are thrilled with their endorsement of our plan. The positive comments we received made it clear that they share our vision and are in full support of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Games bid.”

The visit also coincided with Chicago 2016’s Applicant City Questionnaire submission to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), an important milestone for the bid as Chicago 2016 progresses in Phase 1 of the IOC Candidature Acceptance Procedure.

“The feedback provided by our amateur sports leaders was extremely empowering to the bid,” said Bob Ctvrtlik, USOC Vice President, International, and member of the IOC. “We are pleased with the outcome of this week’s presentations and interaction with the NBG representatives. We are making great progress as this is the first time NGBs have been involved in a city’s bid so early in the process. Their involvement has the potential to make a significant positive impact for Chicago.”

Rodriguez during a visit to Soldier's Field.

NGBs serve as the coordinating bodies for amateur athletic activity in the United States. They represent the U.S. as members of their corresponding international sports federations, exercise jurisdiction over national amateur athletic activities and sanction international amateur athletic competition in the United States. NGBs also conduct amateur athletic competitions, including national championships and international amateur athletic competitions.

“We look forward to growing the relationships formed during this conference, as our NGB leaders are vital partners with the USOC and Chicago 2016 in guiding and developing sport in the U.S.,” said Jim Scherr, USOC Chief Executive Officer. “Their shared participation in this bid is crucial to ensuring our sports plans are meaningful and relevant, especially for our Games’ core initiative – the athlete experience.”

Chicago is competing for the privilege of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games alongside Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Rio de Janerio, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan.