Washington Park youth and paralympians Joshua George and Amanda McGrory wait for the start of the Olympic Day "Fun Run."
U.S. Track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee was more worried about making sure no one got hurt than introducing herself at Washington Park’s Olympic Day celebration.
“Right now we’re all on each others heels,” she said to the neighborhood youth crowding behind the starting line. “We don’t want to paw all over each other and hurt each other as I start this race.”
Joyner-Kersee honked her bull-horn, kicking off a short race beside the Washington Park Armory, and a full day of city celebrations in honor of the anniversary of the 1896 Olympics.
Members of Chicago 2016, the city’s Olympics organizing and fundraising body, looked on as several hundred local children in bright "Kids Back the Bid" t-shirts sprinted down the road.
Pat Ryan, chairman of Chicago 2016, marveled at the community enthusiasm. “It’s wonderful to see all these young people out there. Many of the kids who ran here could actually be Olympians some day,” he said in an interview.
The youth “Fun Run” was a welcomed bright spot for Chicago 2016, which has faced mounting criticism over its nebulous plans to finance Chicago’s bid for the International Olympic Committee. The IOC requires cities to sign an agreement fully committing themselves to insure the Games against financial losses.
Ryan insists that the bid will not over-burden taxpayers—and critics of Chicago 2016’s plan should take a closer look at the numbers.
The critics “have never called; they never asked to go over the numbers with us—We would welcome that, particularly some of the [University of Chicago] economists like Mr. [Allen] Sanderson,” he said. “They got the numbers, but they haven’t had the explanation; you’ve got to go through it and discuss it.”
Despite the push-back from local opposition groups like No Games Chicago and South Side Together Organizing for Power (STOP), Ryan is enthusiastic about the opportunities the Olympic Games could bring to the park and surrounding neighborhood. “Lots of volunteer jobs, and real jobs will be created in the neighborhood [if Chicago wins the bid]. It’s really a stimulus financially and emotionally.”
“For the next six or seven years a kid will grow up watching this area get built, and he can say ‘hey, I played there. I played there in that exact same park. I watched them put those bricks down.’ That’s pretty awesome,” said April Holmes, a paralympian who competed in track and field for the U.S. at the Para-Olympics in Beijing.
Children race in Washington Park on Olympic Day
Paralympian Joshua George, who also competed for the U.S. track and field team in Beijing, thinks the Games can play a unique role in inspiring children. Like Holmes, George and his fellow teammate Amanda McGrory were invited by Chicago 2016 to speak at the Washington Park “Fun Run.”
“I’ve gotten the privilege to go into a few schools around the city as well,” George said. “It’s going to be huge, because by the time the games come to Chicago [these students] will be 18, 19 years old. Some of them will be athletes, and some will probably be spectators.”
No comments:
Post a Comment