Seoul Olympians Pulling to Take 2016 Summer Games to Chicago
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Twenty years ago, Bob Ctvrtlik and William Scherr were doing their stuff in the heart of Seoul, Ctvrtlik on the volleyball court and Scherr on the wrestling mat. Bob got the gold and Scherr a bronze.
That was the summer of 1988 during the Seoul Olympic Games which brings back to them many memories of Korea as they fought bravely with outstanding athleticism on Team U.S.A.
Twenty years later, they are pulling together for more heroics, this time to help bring the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to Chicago, one of the most American of U.S. cities nestled in the Mid-West.
``The unique attraction of our proposition is that the Games will be hosted in the heart of the city where the Olympic venues will be located side-by-side with museums and shopping centers,'' said Ctvrtlik (pronounced stuh-vert-lik), currently a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the governing body of the Olympic Movement.
Chicago is now competing with Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janairo for the right to host the 2016 Summer Games under the leadership of Patrick Ryan, executive chairman of Aon Corp. and the chairman of the board of trustees of Northwestern University.
``It is a very strong field and we have tremendous respect for all the candidates. We hope to focus on our unique strengths and resources to bring the Games to Chicago,'' said Scherr, chairman of the board of World Sport Chicago.
Among others, Chicago boasts a cultural diversity that is unchallenged: There are 29 communities which have more than 25,000 native speakers, creating an international environment for Olympic participants.
``We believe that the Olympic Games is more than sports. It is about culture and education and the world coming together in celebration. It will be a festival in the heart of Chicago,'' Ctvrtlik said.
The two Olympians were in the southern port city of Busan this week to take part in the IV World Conference on Sport, Culture and Education, themes which are the main of Chicago 2016.
``Chicago has extensive experience in organizing international sporting events, including the Chicago Marathon which is the largest in the world with more than 40,000 runners, as well as the World Triathlon,'' said Ctvrtlik who was elected as the best volleyball player in the world by the International Volleyball Federation in 1995.
Naturally, a great amount of efforts are being made to make security and safety main issues in organizing the Games along with programs to ensure that it is the greenest Olympic Games ever hosted.