With the 2008 Olympics set to begin on Friday and Chicago hustling to host the 2016 Olympics, the city has commissioned a special display to demonstrate its support of the Games. Starting Thursday, flags of all the countries participating in the Beijing Olympics will hang in the Franklin and Jackson lobby of the Sears Tower. A crew from Chicago Scenic Studios will be responsible for the installation, which will begin on Wednesday and continue through the night.
In recent devlopments surrouding Chicago's Olympic bid, Chicago 2016—the committee dedicated to bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the city—has revealed that if Chicago hosts the 2016 Games, the Olympic Stadium would be located at Washington Park, and the Olympic Village would stand just south of McCormick Place. The bid process began in September 2007, and a selection of the host city will be made in October 2009.