Chicago's disregard for American Arabs in part cause of losing 2016 Olympic Bid

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted Tuesday to reject Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. The committee consisted of over 100 members, including 12 from Arab countries. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley may have set the city up for a "fall" when he falsely boasted to the Ruler of Dubai during a visit there that his administration has been very considerate of American Arab needs. There are more than 230,000 Arabs living in Chicago, Daley said, or 7.6 percent of the population. But, the tragedy is that American Arabs in Chicago have no real representation on the city's 50-member city council, less than 1 percent of the city's 36,000 jobs, and are marginalized at almost every level of City Government.
Mayor Daley and AON Corporation Chairman Patrick Ryan must bear the brunt of the responsibility for losing the bid. The city has been besieged by ongoing scandals that have undermined public support for the Olympic Games.

Daley, who vowed that taxpayers would not be responsible for any losses incurred by the Olympics if held in Chicago, quietly planned to put taxpayers on the hook for any losses -- losses that could not be projected this far in advance of the games. Only weeks ago, after denying taxpayers would be responsible, Daley forced the rubber stamp Chicago City Council to approve a guarantee that in fact taxpayers would be on the hook for any financial losses, a requirement demanded by the IOC.


That and the bloated and wasteful spending of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee, soured most Chicagoans on the game bid. The majority of Chicagoans opposed the Olympic bid, not because they do not believe the Olympics could be beneficial, but because they just don't trust the corruption-plagued Chicago Machine that Daley heads. Daley and the 2016 Olympic Committee were dishonest in their approach in dealing with the public.

Worse, though, is the abuse American Arabs continue to take under Daley's leadership. Mayor Daley patronizes American Arabs, but does not support the American Arab community.

The fact is that if American Arabs represent 7.6 percent of the city's 3 million citizens, then American Arabs should have 7.6 percent of the city's jobs, 7.6 percent of the teaching jobs, 7.6 percent of the firemen positions and policemen positions which are all above and beyond the basic city employment. American Arabs should also have 7.6 percent of the city's multi-million dollar contract awards. And American Arabs organizations should be receiving 7.6 percent of the millions of dollars in contract grants awarded for ethnic and heritage pride programs.

The reality is that despite Daley exaggerating the truth in his meeting with the Ruler of Dubai and also Arab members of the IOC's board, the truth prevailed. Arabs hold less than 1 percent of the city's jobs, have only 2 to 4 out of thousands teaching positions, get only crumbs from the city's multi-million dollar grants programs for culture, ethnic and heritage pride, and we get no real respect.
The 2016 Olympic Committee met with American Arab leaders several times. At one meeting, I complained that we want to support the Olympics but that Daley and his administration takes our community for granted. The spokespeople on the 2016 Committee insisted they could do nothing about the shortcomings toward or community but said they would make the point loud and clear to the mayor.

They did not.

In fact, out of the more than 360 members of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee, only two are Arab.

Later, as a result of my columns, several more were added.

All American Arabs in Chicago and throughout the United States are asking is that we be treated equally, fairly and just like everyone else, every other ethnic group, every other racial group, every other religious.

But because of the politicized nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict, American Arabs are not treated fairly. We are patronized, ignored, left out and even oppressed.


Nothing says that more than the apparent abandonment of Chicago's bid by the Arab World IOC delegates and the delegates from Africa. They were our chance. But the greed and politically selfishness of some of the top leadership of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee failed to put the focus where it should be.

Chicago should have been portrayed as a city of fairness, equality and diversity.

Clearly, most of the IOC's delegates, including the Arab delegates, saw through the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee's ruse!

-- Ray Hanania
http://www.radiochicagoland.com/

International Olympic Committee mourns loss of member Abdel Mohamed Halim

Death of Abdel Mohamed Halim, IOC Honorary Member since 1988

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is greatly saddened to learn of the death of Abdel Mohamed Halim, IOC Honorary Member in Sudan, at the age of 99.

Elected to the IOC in 1968, he remained a member until 1982. He was a founder member of the African Football Confederation (1956), then its Vice-President (1976-1978) and President (1987-1988). He was a member of the IOC Eligibility Commission (1972-1976) and Olympic Solidarity Commission (1973-1980).

Abdel Mohamed Halim organised the first African Nations Cup in 1957, as well as the third session of the Arab Olympic Committee in 1958. Halim was a member of the FIFA Executive Committee; Vice-Chairman of the FIFA Medical Committee (1966-1980); a member of the FIFA Technical Committee (1972-1980); and an Honorary Member of FIFA since 1980.

A physician by profession, he was Director of Omdurman Civil Hospital (1950-1953), and then Senior Physician at Khartoum Teaching Hospital (1954-1964). Halim was also a member of the Supreme Council of State of the Republic of Sudan (1964-1965); Chairman of the Council of the University of Khartoum (1956-1963); President of the Sudan Medical Association (1949-1964); Consultant Physician to the Ministry of Health; and Mayor of Khartoum (1953-1960).

In all his activities, he promoted the Olympic values. Abel Mohamed Halim also made significant contributions to publications including Congress newspapers as well as medical articles, and co-authored “Death of a World” (in Arabic).

The IOC expresses its deepest sympathy to Abdel Mohamed Halim’s family.

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For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department, Tel: +41 21 621 60 00