FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 434-09 October 2, 2009 STATEMENT OF MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ON U.S. OLYMPIC BID “I commend Mayor Daley and the City of Chicago for putting forth such a strong bid, and I applaud President Obama for going to Copenhagen to rally behind the U.S. bid personally. Hosting the 2016 Olympics would have been great for Chicago and the entire country, and the President was absolutely right to push for it. The Olympics should not be a partisan issue, and suggesting this is a loss for President Obama is nothing more than petty partisan politics. The whole country should applaud Chicago and the President for their efforts because the Games can be an incredible opportunity to build infrastructure, create jobs, and attract new visitors and business from around the world. That’s why we attempted to bring the Olympics to New York City in 2012. We’ve moved forward on many of the plans for infrastructure and parks we laid out in our bid, and I expect the bid will ultimately produce many benefits for Chicago, too. Chicagoans should never feel regret for having made the attempt, and I hope we’re able to bring the Games to the U.S. in 2020.” MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser   (212) 788-2958