The World Boxing Championship to be held in Chicago October 23 to November 3 should test the city’s ability to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
The championship at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion will serve as a qualification tournament for the 2008 Beijing Games and is expected to draw about 650 athletes from 118 countries.
Sen. Richard Durbin and Illinois Representatives Rahm Emanuel and Don Manzullo met earlier this week with federal officials to express their concerns about the tighter post-9/11 U.S. visa policy which may affect the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision as to whether to award the Games to Chicago. The Chicago Sun Times reports that Durbin’s office is looking not to bypass background checks but to speed up the process for athletes, perhaps by adding State Department personnel, a spokeswoman said.
Manzullo said, “the ability for the United States to bring thousands of foreign visitors into this country in a safe and timely manner will be a significant factor in whether Chicago will be awarded the 2016 Games”.
Doug Arnot, director of venues and operations for Chicago 2016, agreed that the visa question is “a very big issue for us. It’s difficult to get into the country now. The boxing (championship) is very much a test for us to demonstrate that we can get international athletes in regardless of the nation”, he said. He added that Durbin and other elected officials “are on a full court press on it right now”.
