Chicago may have lost the Olympics to Rio de Janeiro, but it’s not all bad news. At least, not according to Manuel “Manny” Sanchez.

We are a better city today and we will be a better city tomorrow because of this three year effort,” said Sanchez, an NIU Board of Trustee member. “I truly believe something very positive will come out of this.”

Sanchez was a member of the Chicago 2016 committee, which lobbied to have the Illinois metropolis serve as the Host City for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Sanchez was also part of the delegation which traveled to Copenhagen earlier this month, which included Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, to appeal for the Chicago in the bid, which saw the city ruled out in the first round of voting.

“We went through all the stages in a manner of minutes,” said Sanchez, who likened dealing with the bad news to the Kubler-Ross model, known to most as the five stages of grief.

The U.S. delegation felt it necessary to show support for Rio, despite their disappointment in losing.

“We needed to demonstrate that we could handle shocking devastation in a classy way,” Sanchez said. “We demonstrated that in that room in Copenhagen.”

Washington Park, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, was to be the spot of Chicago’s Olympic stadium. Since the announcement a week and a half ago, some suggestions have been made regarding what to do with the space, such as a gambling casino. To date, no plans have been announced.

The weeks leading up to the final announcement had members of the delegation optimistic.
“To say I was upbeat and excited is an understatement,” Sanchez said.

The committee was first formed with the help of Daley and chairman Patrick G. Ryan in September 2006. Sanchez was asked to join by the two men and was all too happy to accept.

“I felt privileged to be invited,” Sanchez said. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It was a rewarding, enriching experience.”

All members of the committee were required to be a part of one or more sub-committee, Sanchez said. Sanchez served as part of the outreach committee, which aimed to “secure support and understanding about the opportunities that might flow” if Chicago hosted the Olympics.

“Up until Friday, it was quite exhilarating,” Sanchez said. “We were part of a historic effort to bring this city something it has never had.”

If nothing else, Sanchez believes that the experience has strengthened not only Chicago’s stock on the world stage, but has also had a personal effect on those involved.

“I think I’m a better person for having gone through this, despite the final result,” Sanchez said. “It gives us insight into the potential for greatness in the Chicagoland community.”

Sanchez graduated from NIU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, after which he went on to receive a Juris Doctor in 1974 from the University of Pennsylvania. Since then, he has served as a partner for two Chicago law firms and has served as a trustee since 1996.

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