First Lady Prepares for Final Olympic Pitch

First Lady Prepares for Final Olympic Pitch

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First lady Michelle Obama says she is not taking anything for granted as Chicago prepares for it’s final pitch to the I.O.C. less than 36 hours from now. From Copenhagen, WBEZ’s Melba Lara reports.

The first lady and President Barack Obama are key members of Chicago’s group that is trying to wow and woo delegates of the International Olympic Committee now in Copenhagen. She joins Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who’s been meeting and lobbying IOC members all week.

In between a hectic schedule that included a visit to the U.S. Embassy, private meetings with IOC members, and a gathering tonight with Chicago boosters, Michelle Obama paused only briefly to answer questions from reporters. Mrs. Obama—who was born and raised not far from one of the proposed Olympic venues—says she’ll pitch Chicago as a great city for the games.

OBAMA: Great people, great facilities. It knows about sports and it’s hospitality is like no other.

Mrs. Obama says she’s excited about the time she’ll have before the IOC, but says there’s a lot of work to do to prepare for the 45-minute presentation ahead of Friday’s host city vote.