30 September 2009 3:54pm
Olympics 2016: C’mon baby, light my fire
Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
To see the gallery in all its glory, you'll need to enable Javascript.
The Powers That Be are about to vote on the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. The mix is eclectic – Madrid, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Chicago – the tension, electric. My vote is with Rio – it’s stunning and it does good party. Which city lights your fire?
Madrid
This city knows how to live, but does it want an international sporting event to interfere with its lifestyle? Can event programming accommodate the siesta in this most Spanish of Spanish cities?
This gorgeous city offers amazing art galleries, fine restaurants, nonstop nightlife and an exceptional live music scene. Open all hours and relentlessly hot in summer – is this the place for sport?
And, Madrid competes with Barcelona on almost every level – does it want to add the Olympics to the ledger? Can it do it better than Barcelona in ‘92?
Tokyo
Yes this amazing city is orderly and efficient. And the mix of traditional and popular culture is infinitely fascinating. The shopping and nightlife are something to be experienced. The cherry blossoms are beautiful, as are, some may argue, the neon lights at night. But this city is not inherently beautiful. For its population size, Tokyo is compact. The downside of compact? Crowded. Surely we can’t ask the rail staff to squeeze any more people through the doors of the city’s trains.
Besides, Tokyo hosted the summer Olympics in 1964. It’s been there, done that – does it really need to do it again?
Chicago
So Chicago has fabulous restaurants (and deep-dish pizza!) and inspiring architecture (look up!). It does good party – Lollapalooza and the Chicago Blues Festival – and good sport. But what good is all that if you can’t get anywhere? The city’s traffic-gridlock problems are second only to LA. Yes, man of the moment Obama is pushing for a win by the Windy City, but the US has already hosted the summer Olympics four times. That’s a bit greedy, really.
Rio de Janeiro
If the samba doesn’t sway the voters, the setting surely will: lush rainforest, beautiful beaches, maginficent mountains – this city is something to look at. And listen to. The music, the parties… Imagine the opening ceremony! Surely they could out-Carnaval the Carnaval. Of course, the party atmosphere may prove too tempting for the athletes. (But then they could just blame it on Rio – and how much fun will it be to see that in the headlines?).
The Olympics have never been hosted by a South American country – it’s about time, isn’t it?
Tell us where you want to see the 2016 Olympics – or join the debate on the Thorn Tree forum, where Chicago is the current front runner.
Can’t wait till 2016 to travel? Fill in some time with our Year of Sport Travel.
Comments
-
30 September 2009 8:15PM
arrobawilly
Report this comment
Can event programming accommodate the siesta in this most Spanish of Spanish cities?
Please don't run into cliché. As I have seen, working in some other countries, spanish working timetables are the least convinient for siesta. That is something that can only happen during holidays or weekends.
It would't interfere schedules
-
30 September 2009 9:32PM
melissarose01
Report this comment
Maybe I'm biased because Madrid's my favourite city and I hope to move there when I finish uni, but it should be there IMO. If not, then Rio. :D
-
1 October 2009 1:54AM
renegadebadger
Report this comment
I know the point of these articles is only to guide us towards your other pages and boost SEO rankings, but do you really have to insult our intelligence in this way? The cliches - Brazilians love to party! Madrid is sleepy after big lunches! - are bad enough, but to suggest that Chicago and Tokyo would have transport issues and then opt for Rio instead, and to wonder about the heat in Madrid when the Olympics has recently been held in Athens, Atlanta and Sydney just makes it seem like you're not even trying.
-
1 October 2009 9:31AM
sputnikboy
Report this comment
I hope for Tokyo, because everything would be organized PERFECTLY, but it's gotta be Chicago: Obama is pulling for it and the last Summer Olympics in the american continent were in 1996.
After London, I would be shocked if the Olympics would be held in Europe again.
-
1 October 2009 3:03PM
loucee
Report this comment
Thanks for all the feedback. The point of this story was to invite comment from travellers about where they'd like to travel to for the Olympics. It's as light-hearted as that. There are certainly many clichés in the world of travel publishing - many of them born of truisms.
