2016 Chicago Bid Faces Adversity

CHICAGO, Illinois, February 15. ACCORDING to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the chairman of the 2016 Chicago big for the Olympics may have had an unauthorized encounter with an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member. Such an unethical meeting could cause some problems for the overall success of the bid.

According to the article:

Patrick Ryan traveled to Qatar with Northwestern University President Henry Bienen to discuss plans for the Northwestern branch campus to open on the outskirts of the Qatari capital, Doha. Ryan and Bienen also went to Kuwait, where they met IOC member Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, former OPEC chairman.

Article 11 of the IOC's rules of conduct applicable to all cities wishing to organize the Olympic Games states: "There shall be no visits by IOC members to the cities, nor by the cities to IOC members."

Officials with the Chicago campaign have stated that they do not feel the meeting was unethical, while IOC officials have refused to comment further than "being aware of the meeting."

Full text of Chicago Tribune article.

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