Chicago 2016 bid officials want to reach the youth in the city and educate them about amateur sport and Olympic values and ideals, while boosting Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Games.
On Thursday, Olympic decathlete and gold medallist Bryan Clay, considered by many to be the “World’s Greatest Athlete” because of his success in the decathlon event at the Beijing Games, participated in the Principal for a Day program at Chicago Public Schools.
The athlete interacted with students during an all-school assembly at the Williams Preparatory School of Medicine and shared his Olympic story.
The program was started by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2000 to bring business and civic leaders together to broaden their understanding of the accomplishments and challenges of students, teachers and principals, said a Chicago 2016 press release.
Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016 said, “principal for a day is another way that Chicago 2016 is demonstrating our ongoing commitment to reaching the youth in Chicago and educating and exciting them about amateur sport and Olympic values and ideals. We hope the students were inspired by the stories they heard and came away with a better understanding of what it means to be an Olympic and Paralympic athlete and part of the Olympic movement”.
Clay also shared with the students information about Chicago’s 2016 bid.
Chicago 2016 also arranged for an additional 27 Olympians and Paralympians – as well as 15 Chicago 2016 staff members – to take part in the Principal for a Day program. Almost 15,000 students at 27 schools met with Olympic athletes this year, and each athlete gave an autographed Chicago 2016 flag to the schools they visited.
Meanwhile on Friday World Sports Chicago (WSC), announced it is bringing three “unique” sport clinics to Chicago during the month of November, giving Chicago’s bid a further boost. Olympians and Olympic coaches will visit Chicago to conduct water polo, wrestling, and track and field clinics for Chicago-area youth and coaches.
Scott Myers, executive director of World Sport Chicago said, “one of the goals of World Sport Chicago is to provide the community with access to a number of different Olympic sports while also educating youth on the Olympic Movement and its values. We’re excited to bring three distinct sport clinics to the city that will not only benefit the youth who participate, but also coaches who can help sustain the sports in our community”.
There will be a Water Polo Clinic November 1-2, a Wrestling Clinic on November 14, and a Track and Field Clinic November 15-16.
