Today the International Olympic Committee chose four cities for the short list to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. These cities are; Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, and Tokyo.

My thoughts are that Chicago has the best chance of taking home the prize. The IOC will make their decision in October 2009. The last time the Summer Olympics were in America was Atlanta 1996. The United States is the largest market for the Summer Olympics and not having the games in the western hemisphere has hurt the TV revenues and ratings here in the states.

I believe that Chicago’s greatest rival for the nomination will be Rio as South America has never hosted an Olympic Games. The problem with Rio is that Brazil is a poor country, they have lots of crime, and pollution is a problem. After the Athens debacle (they’re still trying to pay for the games there) and the fact that Brazil will most likely get the 2014 World Cup, they will probably fall short of the Summer Games.

Madrid has no chance, as the Olympics were just held in Athens in 2006 and will be in London in 2012. The same goes for Tokyo, as the Summer Games are in Beijing this year. The IOC likes to spread the wealth around the world.

So, do you support a Summer Olympic Games in Chicago? The humidity will be stifling, but I think it would be good for the United States to host an Olympic Games again.