USOC considering move to Chicago

After nearly 30 years of residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the US Olympic Committee is considering a move to Chicago, according to Crain's Chicago Business news. The 'windy city', which is bidding for the 2016 Summer games, lured in the USOC's real estate consultant, James H. Didion, and he and others toured several downtown Chicago buildings in search of generous office space, according to reports.

The USOC is staying tight-lipped about its potential move from the 'Springs', declining to say if it had considered other cities, but it did publicly state that it is considering a new location. It currently has a 34-acre complex with offices and training facilities in close proximity to many of the offices of the Olympic sports' governing bodies - including USA Cycling in Colorado.

Reports speculate that close proximity to a major airline hub is one major factor in the consideration of Chicago as a site for the USOC headquarters, but the Colorado Springs Gazette questioned why they would consider moving from a place which has "300 days of sunshine a year" and well established training facilities for just about every major sport.

According to the Gazette, the USOC spokesman, Darryl Seibel, gave three reasons for the move: "It's a three-part equation: how to meet the training needs of our athletes, how to best support the administrative needs of some of our national governing bodies and the USOC's own administrative needs."