US for World Cup
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama, says the White House is right behind the U.S. bid to stage the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.
In an interview with World Football Insider’s sister publication Around the Rings, the head of the new White House Office on Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, spoke about the government’s support for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and also for the World Cup bid.
Asked whether Obama, a Chicago native, was also prepared to back the football bid, she said: "Absolutely, absolutely. I think that the White House will be fully behind the World Cup as well.
“We will compete wherever we have the opportunity to compete. We think that our country, at this moment in time, is the perfect place to host world competitions.
“I think President Obama has made it clear that he wants the kind of administration that is warm and welcoming to people who are outside of the United States, that this is a place where we want visitors to come and have a great experience, whether it is visiting Chicago or whether it is visiting the rest our wonderful country.
“So I think looking at the president’s popularity around the world it sends a very important message that the United States is back.”
Jarrett spoke with Around the Rings at the White House earlier this week after an event hosted by the Obamas to support the Chicago bid. Jarrett and First Lady Michelle Obama will represent the White House at the IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark where they will promote the Chicago Olympic bid. The IOC vote for the 2016 host city comes Oct. 2.
Last month, the U.S. bid to stage the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 received its largest donation to date. Cal South, southern California’s state soccer association, contributed $100,000.
In August, the U.S. bid committee also launched a new website dedicated to bringing the World Cup back to the country for the first time since 1994. The website - www.goUSAbid.com - is designed to aid fundraising and bid initiatives in the build-up to FIFA’s announcement in December 2010 of the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
The U.S. is one of 11 countries vying to stage the 2018 or 2022 World Cups. It faces competition from Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands/Belgium (joint bid), Russia, and Spain/Portugal (joint bid) for 2018. Qatar and South Korea are only bidding to host the 2022 edition.
For more information on the USA Bid, visit www.goUSAbid.com
posted @ 2:45 PM,
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