A proposed bid by Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games could include competition venues in the Fox Valley, Mayor Jeff Schielke said this week.
Schielke, secretary of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, said he signed a statement of support for Chicago’s plans to pursue hosting the Games at a caucus meeting last week in Riverside. Roselle Village President Gayle Smolinski is the vice chairman of that organization, which includes most DuPage and Kane County municipalities.
“Mayor [Richard M.] Daley is proposing a three-state Olympics with sites in Wisconsin and Indiana as well as the Chicago area,” Schielke said. “He seems to think this would be an ideal opportunity to improve regional public transportation facilities.”
The Fox River could serve as a venue for kayaking, sculling and other boating events, while the 33-mile Fox River Bike Trail could host cycling or distance running events, Schielke added.
“It would be a major disruption in our daily lives because of the traffic, but we would be giving our children memories that would last a lifetime,” he said.