A Chicago-hosted 2016 Olympics would spill business across the state line into Northwest Indiana, a promoter of the event said Wednesday.
"It won't be just a Chicago Olympic experience," said Mike Murnane, regional affairs director for the Chicago Olympic bid. "It will be a Midwest Olympic experience."
The event would bring an estimated 1.5 million people into Chicago on its busiest days, Murnane said, and would generate an estimated $225 billion of incremental economic activity. Athletic training facilities, transportation centers and hotels will be vital if Chicago is chosen as the host city.
Some of those could be found in Northwest Indiana.
Area hotels would be called upon to provide rooms for guests of the Olympics. More than 60,000 hotel rooms will be needed to host media, security and workers for the games, and about 18,000 of those will be in areas surrounding Chicago, said Katie Holderby, executive vice president of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, which hosted Murnane's talk Wednesday at the Indiana Vistor's Center.
He said the nearly 8,000 teams expected to participate in the games would be on the lookout for training facilities, particularly those away from the scrutiny of competitors. Transit providers, including the South Shore rail line that runs from South Bend to Chicago, also would play a role.
Murnane said the Gary/Chicago International Airport could see additional business. While not yet part of an official plan, the airport is one of five in the Chicago area "we know we have to plan with," Murnane said.
Chicago is one of four cities competing to host the 2016 Olympics, planned as a 17-day event to run in late July and early August. The other candidates are Tokyo; Madrid, Spain, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Being President Barack Obama's hometown helped strengthen Chicago's bid, Murnane said, along with the city's ability to put venues in the downtown and along the lakefront, close to museums, parks, restaurants and other attractions.
"Chicago's biggest strength is its people," Murnane said.
The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to name the host city Oct. 2 in Copenhagen.
