LONDON // The US president Barack Obama has written to the International Olympic Committee members promising the United States would "welcome the world with open arms" if Chicago is awarded the 2016 Summer Games.
"The City of Chicago is designed to host global celebrations and it will deliver a spectacular Olympic experience for one and all," Mr Obama said in a letter to IOC members.
The 338-word typed form letter, dated September 10, is addressed to individual members and bears the signature of the president.
It raises the possibility of Mr Obama going to Copenhagen to push the Chicago bid at the October 2 vote.
Chicago, hoping to take the Summer Olympics to the US for the first time since 1996, is in a tight contest with Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid.
"I deeply appreciate the tremendous work of the Olympic Movement and wish to convey my strong support for Chicago 2106," Mr Obama said in the letter, citing the "transformative power" of the Olympics to unite people.
Mr Obama, who served as a senator from Illinois and calls Chicago home, said he has supported the city's Olympic bid since the candidacy was launched in 2006.
"As President, I see the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an extraordinary opportunity for America to renew our bonds of friendship and welcome the world to our shores with open arms," he said. "If you honour Chicago with your selection, we will ensure that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a key priority for our nation."
Mr Obama noted that he has already established a White House office of Olympic and youth sport.
"You can count on our government to support Chicago's quest to host an unforgettable event and strengthen the Olympic movement," he said. "I believe we have a historic opportunity to do great things together, and I look forward to discussing that opportunity with you, if not in Copenhagen, then soon thereafter if Chicago is your choice."
The letter is dated a day before the White House announced that Mr Obama was unable to commit to going to Copenhagen because of the health care debate, and that he was sending first lady Michelle Obama to lead the Chicago delegation.
Since then, the White House has left open the possibility that Mr Obama will make a last-minute decision to join his wife in Copenhagen.
An advance White House team has travelled to the Danish capital to make preparations for a possible presidential trip.
The president of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Spanish King Juan Carlos have said they will be in Copenhagen for the vote.
Tokyo's bid organisers are urging the new prime minister Yukio Hatoyama to go.
* AP
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
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Shower or bath after being outside.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
