So most people, including me, were surprised that Chicago was eliminated in the first round of the IOC vote. Kevin Guilfoile has a (conspiracy) theory.
Update: Another theory: “it was made clear to us that Chicago was going to have some difficulty in gaining the selection for a number of reasons including that we have had a large percentage of games hosted here, but most importantly, that we do not have the best international reputation at this time, and it [sic] well known that it is a frustrating and difficult process compared to the other host countries for travelers to gain admittance into the US.”
Having seen our music writers, Peter Margasak in particular (note his introduction to this year’s World Music Festival guide), detail the problems international acts have had just getting entrance to play US gigs… seems logical. If true, though, it’s a shame – maybe 2016 would have moderated and streamlined the process.