Doug Mills/The New York Times First Lady Michelle Obama appeared at an event in the East Room in April.Update | 3:42 p.m.
President Obama announced on Friday that he would not fly to Denmark next month to help Chicago, his adopted hometown,
win the right to host the Summer Olympics of 2016. He said he would send his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama,
instead.
Mr. Obama informed the International Olympic Committee on Friday that he needs to focus on the effort to pass health care legislation and would be unable to attend the Oct. 2nd meeting in Copenhagen, according to a statement released by the White House. He said he would continue to support Chicago’s bid along with the first lady and Valerie Jarrett, one of his senior advisors, who will accompany Mrs. Obama to Denmark next month.
The president’s decision to stay home comes despite pressure from some political allies, including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Officials are keenly aware that Mr. Obama might be criticized for devoting time to such a venture at a moment of great national challenges, particularly if the Chicago bid fails.
Still, the White House clearly wanted to send a high-power emissary. It has become increasingly common for national leaders to lobby for their cities. In 2005, Tony Blair, Britain’s prime minister at the time, went to Singapore to lobby successfully for London’s bid to host the 2012 Games. In 2007, Vladimir V. Putin, then Russia’s president, went to Guatemala, where he won the right to host the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
This year, the heads of state representing Chicago’s three rivals — Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo — are expected to go to Copenhagen for the Oct. 2 vote by the I.O.C. Chicago, once viewed as the frontrunner, now appears to be lagging, according to Olympics watchers.
Mrs. Obama, who was born on the South Side of Chicago, would clearly bring some star power to the meeting while allowing the president to focus on pressing matters closer to home. Ms. Jarrett, a close friend of the first lady, heads the newly created White House office on the Olympics and served as vice chairwoman of the Chicago 2016 bid group.
“It is with great pride that I will go to Copenhagen to make the case for the United States to host the 2016 Olympics,” Mrs. Obama said in a statement. “There is no doubt in my mind that Chicago would offer the world a fantastic setting for these historic games and I hope that the Olympic torch will have the chance to burn brightly in my hometown.”
Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and chief executive of the Chicago 2016 bid committee, said bid officials were thrilled that Mrs. Obama would be in Copenhagen for the meeting. He said she would travel to Denmark before the vote, with enough time to meet the IOC members, and would be part of the bid’s final presentation.
“I think that Michelle Obama will represent our country, our city, our bid in a tremendous way,” Mr. Ryan said at a news conference Friday in Chicago. “It’s her hometown. She comes from an athletic family. They are all in sports. I think it’s a great opportunity for us.”
He said he also understood why President Obama would likely forego the trip. “He’s got important issue that he’s identified and that he’s working on,” Mr. Ryan said. “He has to see that through.”
Still, Mr. Obama’s decision will clearly disappoint some of his friends in Chicago. Mayor Daley has repeatedly described the president as a key player in his win-the-games strategy, describing Mr. Obama in March
as the “quarterback” who would bring the Olympics to Chicago.
On Friday, however, Mr. Daley praised Mr. Obama’s decision to send the first lady, saying he was “deeply grateful”
for the continuing support of the president and first lady.
“As a lifelong resident of our city, Michelle’s passion for Chicago is contagious and she will be able to share her unique perspective as to why Chicago and its residents are poised to further the Olympic movement across our country and around the world,” Mr. Daley said in a statement.
Juliet Macur contributed reporting from Chicago.
Update | 7:34 p.m. Update | 7:35 p.m.
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