How Rio cheated Chicago
How much did it cost to suck the air out of Chicago 10 years ago when the city was abruptly pushed out of the race to host the 2016 Summer Olympics?
About $2 million, according to Sergio Cabral, a jailed former governor of Rio de Janeiro state.
Cabral has been sentenced to 200 years for corruption of various types. He told a judge he learned Lamine Diack, then president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, was “open to undue advantages” and, through intermediaries, paid him $1.5 million for up to six votes for Rio, the Associated Press reports. Another $500,000 allegedly went to Diack’s son for three more potential votes.
Not that Chicagoans should be shocked, shocked by these allegations. The Olympics host-selection process has a history of being a hot mess. The latest accusations of bribery do resonate here. That’s partly because the ambitious but failed bid for 2016 had far-reaching implications for Chicago— and partly because the notion of Chicago being too ethical to prevail provokes a lot of dark humor.
For Rio, it was a Pyrrhic victory. Prominent leaders went to jail and the press wasn’t good. Raw sewage contaminated water where athletes were to compete. There was an outbreak of the Zika virus. President Dilma Rousseff had been impeached. An IOC official complained that it was the worst runup to the Games he’d ever seen. Cry us a filthy river.
A Tribune poll at the time of the decision showed Chicagoans split on whether they supported the bid or not. Those who opposed it got what they wanted: billions of dollars not spent on the Olympics. Others relished the idea of celebrating athleticism, spurring development and showcasing Chicago’s sparkling lakefront architecture to a global audience. They have heard enough out of the Brazilian courts to console themselves that the stinging loss didn’t mean their city or their efforts weren’t worthy.
If Cabral’s story is true, somebody simply knew somebody who could be bought for the right price, and it changed the course of Chicago. While athletes stretched to reach new heights, politicians flexed only to extend palms for greasing. It’s not a new story. This city is just accustomed to grifters who hold office closer to home.