Bully to Chicago for making a run at hosting the 2016 Olympics (“City out to prove Olympic mettle; Aon chief to head exploratory team,” Page 1, May 11).
The environmental element of the bid for the Olympics is a no-brainer.
But most important, Chicago’s bid, win or lose, should remind the world of a seemingly forgotten concept:
Frugality.
The Olympic Committee’s outdated stipulation that bidding cities must have a massive stadium for basically three hours of opening ceremonies is ridiculous.
Our presentation should introduce the idea that spectacular ceremonies do not have to be limited by place.
Nobody can now imagine the technologies that will be available in 2016 to create a yet-to-be fathomed ceremony type that could seamlessly include Soldier Field, the United Center, Millennium and Grant Parks, the lake and, perhaps, co-host cities Milwaukee and Minneapolis, and even viewers and blogcasters at home.
Also by using co-hosts, Chicago will greatly reduce financial and structural burdens and could also unify the Midwest.
Perhaps the greatest Olympian accomplishment would be high-speed rail linking our cities.
So Chicago, let’s try to change the world with an Olympic bid that is economically feasible, environmentally reasonable, geographically regional and technologically unbelievable.
And if the Olympic Committee isn’t ready to hear it for 2016, so be it.
Eventually frugality and creativity will be the only way to host these megavents.
