Chicago Ordered to Dump Olympics Logo

Chicago must remove the image of a torch from its logo for its 2016 Summer Olympic bid because it violates International Olympic Committee rules of conduct for host-city hopefuls, the Tribune has learned.

Chicago has been subject to those rules since February, when the IOC executive board decided they applied to a city as soon as it expressed interest in bidding. But the Chicago bid committee was not told to change the city's logo until this week.

The IOC's bid rules state that logos ``shall not contain the Olympic symbol, the Olympic motto, the Olympic flag, any other Olympic-related imagery (e.g. flame, torch, medal, etc.), slogan, designation or other indicia or the distorted version thereof or a design confusingly similar thereto.''

``Logos change in various phases of the bid process,'' Chicago 2016 spokesman Michael Kontos said. ``We are going to abide by the rules of this phase of the process, as we have abided by the rules of the previous phases.

``Several weeks ago we did seek clarification whether the logo in its current fashion would be seen as out of sync with the rules going forward. We received clarification this week.'' Chicago has begun the process of developing a new logo to convey its Olympic vision and concept, according to Kontos.

The IOC is fiercely protective of its imagery and nomenclature, especially that of the Olympic rings and the words ``Olympic'' and ``Olympics'' for financial reasons.

It has sued businesses, including mom-and-pop restaurants, that use those words in their name. To critics who call such legal action heavy-handed, IOC officials reply it is necessary to protect the investment of sponsors who pay as much as $100 million every four years for global rights to use the words and symbols.

Separately, the IOC released its 2016 candidate acceptance procedure today, a procedure that does allow bidding cities to use the Olympic rings once they are named finalists. That will happen in June 2008.

That date is among the key dates announced by the IOC as it officially began the 2016 bid process today, some two months earlier than expected. IOC officials previously had said they did not expect to create a timeline until after the July 4 vote for host of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The IOC's announcement said the vote for the 2016 host will be Oct. 2, 2009, in Copenhagen.

Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro are expected to submit bids. Officials in Rome, Prague, St. Petersburg, Doha, Qatar, and Baku, Azerbaijan all have said they are considering bids.

The IOC divides the candidacy process into two phases. Phase I began today with the invitation to all 203 National Olympic Committees to submit by Sept. 13 an applicant city for the 2016 Games.

The cities must also pay a nonrefundable $150,000 application fee by Oct. 1.

The interested cities must then submit an application based on an IOC questionnaire, by Jan. 14, 2008. In that filing, each city must provide letters of guarantee related to marketing, hotel standards and entry to their country.

The last guarantee is for ``free access to and free movement around the host country for all accredited persons on the basis of a passport (or equivalent document) and the Olympic identity and accreditation card referred to in the Olympic Charter."

That has become problematic for U.S. bidders because of visa restrictions implemented after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The United States Olympic Committee has been working with government officials to resolve the issue.

The IOC executive board will review the application files for approximately six months to determine which cities should become finalists, a designation that implies the city is capable of hosting the Olympics.

That begins Phase II, when the finalists pay a nonrefundable $500,000 candidate fee and submit by Feb. 12, 2009, a detailed description of their Olympic plans.

This candidacy filing, which usually comprises three volumes and about 600 pages, will be used by the IOC evaluation commission when it visits each finalist. Dates for those visits are yet to be determined but likely will be in April and May 2009.

One month before the vote, the evaluation commission will publish a report based on the candidacy filings and the visits.

These reports have become increasingly more informational and less judgmental, and the evaluation commission almost certainly will issue no rankings or recommendations based on the evaluation.

Cities cannot promote their bids internationally until Phase II begins, but they can send delegations to designated events to talk with international sports officials. Chicago already has done in Africa and China.

By Philip Hersh
Tribune Olympic sports reporter