Eight-hundred-year-old Copenhagen, a former fishing colony that is now a blend of the fine and the funky, the historic and the sleekly modern, is a city on edge.
And the war of nerves is most evident among an unusual group of visitors: the 2016 Olympic bid teams from Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo, and their supporters, who are sweating out a vote Friday by the International Olympic Committee.
With this being the most evenly matched four-way Olympic bid race in recent memory, even those used to high tension are feeling the strain.
“I’m a little anxious,” Olympian basketball player and former NBA star David Robinson, a Chicago supporter, admitted at a bid backers cocktail party held just as the IOC was officially opening its annual meeting. “A lot of people have put in a ton of time in the last three years and a lot is riding on it for the city.”
Contributing to the war of nerves is the difficulty in predicting an outcome, not just because each candidate city has a strong bid, but because the IOC is notoriously hard to read and the elimination rounds of voting result in quickly shifting alliances as cities are dropped.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero tempered his optimism Thursday morning with recollections of the vote for the 2012 Summer Games, when Madrid was the top vote-getter in the second round of voting in Singapore, only to ultimately wind up third. London squeaked past Paris, the favorite to win those games.
“When that concluded, I took a reflection,” Zapatero said. “The thing is, with this type of election, there are different faces on it as bids are eliminated. It’s very hard to predict who will win the final vote.”
And it is hard to steer clear of the electric undercurrents in town. With sirens blaring and blue lights flashing, police cars have been whisking heads of state around town. Security guards at posh hotels have kept entrances cordoned off when VIPs were expected.
“Where’s Oprah?” has become the real-life version of “Where’s Waldo?” with television crews and fans camped out wherever the talk-show queen is likely to turn up, either to support Chicago’s Olympic bid or to tape a show in town.
Chicago 2016 has added to the high-wire feeling by including first lady Michelle Obama and Winfrey in its delegation. With President Barack Obama set to arrive on Air Force One on Friday morning, it’s a trifecta that is hard, if not impossible, for rivals to match.
The Tokyo bid team was asked at a news conference if rivals’ use of celebrities during final presentations Friday would put its bid at a disadvantage.
“We know there are big names, but we believe the IOC wants fantastic games for athletes,” said bid chairman Ichiro Kono.
None of the bid teams would challenge that assertion. But the big names are playing a big role this week, notably Winfrey, whose every move is being taped by TV news crews.
She arrived about 30 minutes early at the striking Copenhagen Opera House on Thursday evening for the opening ceremonies for the IOC’s annual meeting. She posed for pictures, said hello to strangers and, dressed in a ruffled black dress and gold shoes with very high heels, worked the crowd.
Earlier, when Winfrey entered the lobby of the Copenhagen Marriott, the IOC headquarters hotel, both friend and foe of Chicago’s bid reached for cameras.
“Everyone is mesmerized by Oprah,” said Charmaine Crooks, an Olympian and former IOC member from Canada.
One of those taking a picture was Maria Celeste Pedroso, secretary to the leader of Rio 2016 bid chairman Carlos Nuzman.
“So they love Oprah in Rio too?” Pedroso was asked.
“Like all the world,” she said, with a smile.
Michelle Obama has had a lower profile here, spending parts of the last two days in meetings with IOC members. Wearing a sleeveless bronze dress for opening ceremonies, she entered the opera house with no fanfare and took a seat between Winfrey and Bob Ctvrtlik, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s vice president for international relations.
After brief welcoming speeches by Danish officials and IOC President Jacques Rogge, all of whom welcomed “majesties, royal highnesses, excellencies,” the guests saw the Danish National Ballet perform several dances, including an 1876 work described as one of the earliest ballets about sport. The work, “From Siberia to Moscow,” had two dancers interpret jockeys.
After the performance ended, the first lady stood in a receiving line for IOC members and other guests who were directed her way by representatives of the Chicago bid.
First she was accompanied by presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett and then by Ctvrtlik and also stood by herself, giving each person a greeting and a minute or two of conversation.
Among the many members meeting her were Russia’s great Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov and International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel of Switzerland.
The IOC members arrived in a tourist boat and milled around for the better part of an hour. Lobbying by representatives of the four bid cities seemed limited to handshakes and hellos.
But earlier, Chicago’s bid supporters offered a more rousing greeting, standing dockside and waving orange napkins at the boat full of IOC members as it approached the opera house on the other side of Copenhagen harbor.
Decked out in blue warm-up jackets or orange T-shirts, about 200 boosters cheered wildly as the tourist vessel, named Saga Queen, carried IOC members to the opening ceremonies.
The boosters then had their own cocktail party.
“I think everyone in the room is nervous,” said Meredith O’Connor, executive vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate firm that has advised the bid team on the Olympic Village plans. “They’ve put their true heart and soul into it.”
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Where to watch
The host city for the 2016 Olympics will be announced just before noon Chicago time Friday. Among the “watching events” in the Chicago area:
Daley Plaza downtown: The official Chicago 2016 party to watch the decision live will begin at 9 a.m. The plaza is at Washington and LaSalle streets.
Rufino Tamayo Charter School on Southwest Side: The school at 5135 S. California Ave. will start its viewing party at 10:30 a.m.
Washington Park on South Side: The UniverSoul Circus will conduct its normal morning show from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the big top at Washington Park, proposed site of the temporary Olympic Stadium. As the decision nears, circus acts will pause and spectators will watch IOC announcements on JumboTrons.
Downtown Naperville: A Naperville Backs the Bid street festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. along Chicago Avenue between Main and Washington streets. The fest will include music and dancing.
Concordia University Chicago in River Forest: A viewing party will start at 10:30 a.m. in the north Geiseman Gymnasium, 7400 Augusta St.
Silver Cross Field in Joliet: The Joliet JackHammers will open stadium gates at 11 a.m. for the announcement live on the JumboTron. Admission is free. Hot dogs, chips, sodas and cookies will be available for sale.
Shedd Aquarium: The aquarium, at 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive on the Museum Campus, will open at 9 a.m. and carry the announcement live. Regular admission applies, except for children ages 3 to 11 who wear Olympic gear or dress like an Olympic athlete. They get free general admission.
Adler Planetarium: This stargazing destination, at 1300 S. Lake Shore on the Museum Campus, will open at 10 a.m. and show live coverage of the announcement in the CyberSpace Gallery downstairs for visitors and staff. Regular admission applies.
TV COVERAGE
Selection of host city: All the local channels will carry the announcement just before noon, but they’ll start their coverage at various times before the decision, beginning with Channel 32, which will have continuous coverage from 5 a.m. till the announcement and beyond. Channels 2 and 5 and CLTV will start at 9 a.m., with Channels 7 and 9 starting at 10 a.m.
(Chicagotribune.com will live-stream the announcement.)
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Coverage in Copenhagen
Keep up to date on the Olympics bid with coverage in the Chicago Tribune and its broadcast partners: WGN-TV, WGN radio and CLTV. Our team in Copenhagen includes:
*Philip Hersh, the Tribune’s veteran Olympics reporter.
*Kathy Bergen, a Tribune business reporter who has covered every step of Chicago’s 2016 bid.
*Peter Nicholas of the Tribune Washington Bureau.
*Michael Tercha, a Tribune photographer for the last six years.
*Antwan Lewis, Emmy-winning reporter for WGN-TV since 2007.
*Mike D’Angelo, Emmy-winning WGN-TV cameraman.
Follow the bid online
Go to chicagotribune.com/olympics for the latest news.
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kbergen@tribune.com
phersh@tribune.com
Follow key developments
Here’s how the day will play out as Chicago seeks the 2016 Olympics. Go to chicagotribune.com for continuous updates.
Right now
Find out how the Chicago presentation went overnight, including speeches by President Barack Obama and the first lady.
9 a.m.
Get updates as the official rally kicks off at Daley Plaza. Other local “watching events” start throughout the morning.
10:10 a.m.
Check in as cities get cut.
11:30 a.m.
IOC begins live TV broadcast before announcing the winner.
11:57 a.m.
Hear the declaration of 2016 host city.
12:30 p.m.
News conference
IF CHICAGO GETS THE 2016 GAMES …
Find an extra afternoon edition of the Tribune at commuter stations if the city wins the Olympics
