Chicago is one of seven international cities in the running to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Although some might not object to running the cross country phase of eventing through Millennium Park, bid organizers have already chosen a more traditional site for the equestrian events.

“Chicago 2016,” a 501(c)3 organization comprised of Chicago and Midwestern leaders who are handling Chicago’s Olympic bid process, recently selected Tempel Farms as the equestrian events site.

Tempel Farms is home to the world’s largest privately owned herd of Lipizzan horses. Located in Old Mill Creek, a northeastern Illinois village near the Wisconsin border, the farm is a 50-minute drive from either Chicago or Milwaukee, Wisc. The 4,000-acre facility already offers an Olympic-level cross country course. Tempel Farms has previously hosted large-scale dressage competitions and clinics.

“The farm management and Chicago 2016 committee will be working together on a needs analysis to determine what additional facilities might be necessary,” said Courtney Tripp, Tempel Lipizzan Corporation program coordinator. One proposal on the drawing board is an equine veterinary clinic that would remain after the Games.

For additional information, visit the Tempel Farms Web site and the Chicago 2016 Olympic/Paralympic committee Web site.  

The International Olympic Committee is currently reviewing all seven applicant cities, with a final decision scheduled for October 2009. The additional cities vying to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics are: Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan.

London will host the 2012 Olympics, with Greenwich Park as the equestrian venue