US lawmakers move to ease visa hassles for 2016 bid
US lawmakers moved quickly to show support for Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid, announcing plans here Sunday for legislation to ease visa hassles for Olympic athletes, officials and coaches.
One day after the US Olympic Committee Board of Directors approved the Illinois city over co-finalist Los Angeles as the US bid candidate for the 2016 Olympics, state lawmakers Dick Durbin and Rahm Emanuel made their move.
"Today we announce plans to introduce legislation to ensure that Olympic participants are not prevented from competing by bureaucratic delays," the US Democrats said in a statement.
"Chicago is the best place in the world for the 2016 Olympics and we are going to do our part to make sure that we are the best hosts in the world."
The bill, if passed into law, would ensure Olympic-related visitors receive visas efficiently and in a timely manner to avoid potential headaches.
Such shows of federal government support enhance the hopes of bid candidate cities when the IOC begins comparing rival bids from around the world.
The central US city joins a race that already includes Tokyo, Madrid, Prague and Rio de Janeiro with more cities expected to join the hunt before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) bid deadline later this year.
The IOC will decide on a 2016 Summer Olympics host in October of 2009. Beijing will host next year's edition of the Games with London already set for 2012. Vancouver, Canada, will play host to the 2010 Winter Olympics.
AFP
