On this special day, let’s remember Atlanta’s Olympics joy
October 2, 2009 at 9:54 pm by Thomas Wheatley in News
BEST IDEA EVER
As you’ve surely heard, Rio de Janiero today was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games, besting Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago for the honor.
People in Brazil are celebrating. Without a doubt, there will be many Olympic-announcement babies entering the world approximately nine months from now.
When the hangovers wear off tomorrow, Rio de Janiero officials will embark on an expensive endeavor to prepare the city for the masses who will flock there to fill up hotel rooms, buy local goods and bring back to their home countries tales of revelry and athletic competition.
One hopes they’ll tackle the challenge more delicately than Atlanta did and not displace residents to create a park suitable for a tea party.
But today’s surely an exciting time for them. Atlanta’s been there, and God was I overjoyed when I discovered I could relive it — complete with my boy Chuck Dowdle of WSB-TV. Thank you, YouTube!
On Sept. 18, 1990, Atlantans diligent enough to wake up early and trek down to Underground Atlanta participated in what I recall as a wonderful moment in the city’s history: the day that people actually came to Underground Atlanta. No, just kidding, I’m talking about the day that fellow with the great accent announced that Atlanta would host the 1996 Olympic Games.
Some resourceful gent has uploaded WSB-TV’s coverage of that day to YouTube. We’ve all seen bits and pieces of the coverge — people rejoicing, the late Maynard Jackson cupping his face with his hands, former Gov. Joe Frank Harris standing stiff as a board. But it’s nice to watch this again in full.
A psychedelic montage of all-things-Atlanta starts at 2:30. It includes the obvious: roads, Stone Mountain and snowboarders landing on their ass (?). The anticipation of the announcement begins roughly around 7:30 into the video. The celebration happens around 30 seconds later.
There’s Dowdle! Jim Axel! You see then-Atlanta Police Chief — and now Clayton County Chairman — Eldrin Bell peering over a railing and smiling at the crowd! Robb Pitts, a former councilman turned Fulton County commissioner and gambling proponent, tells a reporter this is the best thing to happen since sliced bread! Just wait until we get slots downtown, sir! Actual fireworks before noon! Holy sweet Jesus, those were the days! (You can also watch the first and last parts of news footage.)
Our ink-stained brethren at the Chicago Reader closely followed their city’s 2016 Olympic hopes and have painstakingly outlined why it wouldn’t be in Chicago’s best interest to be handed the torch. (Contrary to some national media coverage, which mainly focused on President Barack Obama’s shocking Copenhagen visit to lobby for the games, many Chicagoans wanted little, if anything, to do with the Olympics. One reason: That city, much like Atlanta today, is broke as hell, and residents feared they’d be handed a bill when the necessary fixes inevitably went over budget. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley recently experienced an embarrassing moment when he was basically forced to confess that the city would be on the hook for any cost overruns associated with the games.) Here’s a treasure trove of the staff’s in-depth coverage.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I’m sorry to see CL peddling the false notion that “residents were displaced” for Centennial Olympic Park. I remember that area well: mostly empty lots and boarded-up buildings. Compensation was paid to businesses to move. The day care center moved a few blocks north, to a better and larger building. To call that area a “neighborhood”, as the Times did, was misleading. It was a failed commercial district. The 1993 article linked to was written in the early stages of park planning, and has little to do with what actually happened, as evidenced by the reference to a “72 acre” park – it wound up being about 25 acres.