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USOC goes ahead with bid for 2016 Olympics

Although it is only 2007, and the next Olympic Games are as much as a year and a half away, the race for hosting the 2016 Summer Games is well under way. The US Olympic Committee has decided to big one of two cities ? Chicago or two-time host Los Angeles - as the US candidate city. The bid will be made to the International Olympic Committee in April, and the USOC intends to go ahead with the effort only if the chosen city has a good chance to win, thus avoiding a scenario of early elimination as happened in the 2012 bid of New York City.

The US bid originally included five cities, but has shrunk to only two. While the US intends "to proceed with a unified, national effort to bring the Games back to America in 2016," as USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth said, the two cities are rivals when it comes to their competition. Ueberroth said further, that the international process is expected to be even more competitive.

The USOC will visit the cities for a technical evaluation in late February and early March, before presenting their assessments to the USOC`s 11-member board. The final decision will be made April 14, leaving them five months to prepare the bid for the IOC. The ultimate decision will be reached only in October 2009. At this point in time, the Americans can only do their best and keep "optimistic about our chances in this marathon," as the USOC CEO said.