Events in 2008
Chicago Bids for 2016 Olympic Games
June 2, 2008
Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, in Athens to promote the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, called on U.S. Ambassador to Greece Daniel V. Speckhard this afternoon, and then met with representatives of the American community in Greece.
“I’m very excited about the prospect of Chicago hosting these games,” the Ambassador said. “It’s a fantastic city and close to my heart, since I grew up in the American Midwest. And Chicago is a great city to carry on the ancient Olympic tradition, started here in Greece, of bringing athletes together in the spirit of peace and friendship.”
On hand to greet Mayor Daley and his party, which included his wife Maggie and prominent Greek-American businessman and philanthropist Andy Athens, were a half-dozen American diplomats now serving at the U.S. Embassy in Athens who count Chicago as their home.
Also in attendance were several members of Democrats Abroad, including Yvette M. Jarvis, who came to Greece as a basketball player and was an elected member of the Athens City Council during the 2004 Olympic Games. The head of the American Community School in Athens Dr. Stefanos Gialamas, an alumnus of Northwestern University and long-time Chicago resident, also participated.