Grant Park Rally Tests Olympic Mettle

Nov. 10, 2008 – With Chicago still in the running to host the 2016 Olympics, some officials say the success of Tuesday night's election rally in Grant Park offers more evidence that the city could successfully host the international event.

Despite some fears over crowd control leading up to the event, Chicago Police officer Daniel O'Brien said the department had no reported incidents of any kind at Grant Park.

That's good news for Chicagoans who want the 2016 Olympics held here. Chicago's ability to handle large crowds and prevent violence could be an important factor in the International Olympic Committee's final decision, expected in October 2009.

Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) said the success of Tuesday's rally was due to well-executed coordination between the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, and the United States Secret Service. Grant Park sits at the north end of Fioretti's ward.

"It was a detailed operational effort that was coordinated by all parties with the city of Chicago to make sure it was going to be successful last night," he said Wednesday.

Mayor Richard M. Daley said Wednesday he was happy with the quality of security at Tuesday's rally, but that the Olympics present a "totally different problem," one that must consider threats of terrorist activity.

Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Limited, a sports consulting firm in Chicago, agreed that the two events bring different security challenges to the city.

"What occurred last night was trivial compared with the security requirements for the Olympics," he said. "The security for an Olympics is a massive undertaking."

The threat of terrorism will be the first security priority for officials if Chicago hosts the Olympics, and that security would be mostly overseen by federal law enforcement and the military, Ganis said.

Daley said the nation's new president-elect, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who lives in the Kenwood neighborhood, would likely have a larger impact on the outcome of the city's Olympic bid than Tuesday's security successes.

"We can bring it up so far, but the president of the United States can bring it up all the way," he said.

Patrick Sandusky, spokesman for Chicago 2016, the city's Olympic committee, said he was happy with Tuesday's event and believes it will help Chicago win its bid to host the summer games.

"It showcased the best part of Chicago," he said. "We have great leadership, and we think we can win the bid."

Chicago is competing against three other cities — Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro — to host the event. In June, Chicago ranked only third on the list, behind Tokyo and Madrid, according to a report by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board.

Ganis doesn't think the rally ought to serve as a test case for the Olympics. However, he believes Chicago would make a good choice because its visible coastline, quality airport security and natural barriers created by highways, waterways and railroads make it easy to protect.

"I believe we will do a very good job [hosting the Olympics]," he said. "I believe we will do as good a job as any U.S. city could."

Marissa Gaines contributed to this story.