Rio de Janeiro!They're probably still depressed in Daley Plaza, Rush Street, Grant Park, the Navy Pier and elsewhere in Chicagoland after today's IOC meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark awarded the Games of the XXXI Olympiad to Rio de Janiero.
Chicago shockingly was knocked out in the first round of voting despite the best efforts of the FLOTUS, POTUS and Oprah along with many other peeps in the US delegation.
Some Chicagoans have compared the feeling to their emotions after the Cubs were knocked out of the NLCS by the Florida Marlins a few years ago.
Gee thanks Republican party, Fox News and all the Olympic haters. Your mismanagement of this country for the last eight years and stirring up anti-American sentiment, your over the top racist hatred of President Obama and sniping may have possibly cost Chicago and this country the Games. Hope you're happy.
But one of the things Jacques Rogge stated when he became IOC president in 2001 is that he wanted to have an Olympic Games on the South American and African continents before his term ended.
While I'm disappointed the Olympics won't be returning to the United States and staged in Chicago, the silver lining is that an Olympics will be held on the South American continent for the first time. The dates for the Rio Games will be August 5-August 21, with the Paralympic Games taking place September 7-September 18.
When the London Games have their closing ceremony, it will be the mayor of Rio accepting the Olympic flag from his London counterpart in 2012.
I feel the pain of Chicago and all the hard work of an army of dedicated people who put their hearts and souls into landing the Games for this city and our country.So when the final leg of the Olympic torch relay happens, it will be traveling through the streets of Rio in 2016. Wonder who will be the person lighting the cauldron in Rio's Olympic Stadium?
But it does open the door for Houston to try again to land the Olympics in 2020.
And there's one serious party going on right now in Rio de Janeiro.
