The city of Chicago, believed to be a lead contender to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, has been eliminated in the first round of voting by the International Olympic Committee membership Friday in Copenhagen.
Milwaukee travel and tourism officials had high hopes that a successful bid by Chicago would attract throngs of visitors to Milwaukee and fill the area’s hotels.
Rio de Janeiro and Madrid remain in contention to host the games.
Madison would have served as the cycling hub for the games and is was the only city in Wisconsin tabbed to host Olympic events, had Chicago’s bid been successful.
"I am disappointed that Chicago was not selected to host the 2106 Olympic Games," Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle said. "We worked hard to put together a competitive bid for these games and I am certain our region would have provided a memorable venue for athletes and fans from around the world."
Milwaukee County Board chairman Lee Holloway said the Milwaukee area will miss out on a portion of the expected $22.5 billion economic impact that the Olympic Games in Chicago would have generated.
"We will miss out on a piece of that pie," Holloway said. "Nevertheless, we will move on and continue our efforts to improve our transit links within Milwaukee County and to our neighbors in this region. By securing dedicated funding for our bus system, along with strengthened connections to Chicago via the proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line, we can position ourselves for other opportunities that may come in the future."
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett described the decision as "very disappointing."
"We have been eager and enthusiastic about the Milwaukee-Chicago Olympic partnership and the benefits the 2016 games would have brought to our city and region," he said. Source milwaukee.bizjournals.com
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