Too Windy A City?

That came out of the blue, didn’t it? Chicago has gone out in the first round of voting in the competition to be host city for the 2016 Olympics. Barack Obama won’t be happy: he’s given his personal endorsement. And nor will the city’s black and hispanic communities, who might have been able to look forward to sharing in the economic benefits from getting the games.

And, no doubt, the Obama haters will be crowing, well, for a week or two – until they pick up on another stick with which to beat the Prez they can’t bring themselves to accept.

So who’s left? Tokyo, which staged the games back in 1964, Rio de Janeiro, which hasn’t staged them before, and Madrid, which should really have got them in 2012, but for the slip by the man from Greece. I can’t offer an informed opinion on Tokyo or Rio, but Madrid could stage the Olympics tomorrow. And I mean literally tomorrow.

New Airport terminal opened recently, good road network, expanding high speed rail network, new city transport hub right in the middle of town at Puerta del Sol, and the workforce ready and able to do the job.

And now I see Tokyo has also been eliminated, so it’s either Rio or Madrid. Madrid gets windy as well, y’know ...

UPDATE: Yes, Madrid is also too windy for the IOC. It's Rio!