New US ambassador to China makes pitch for Chicago Olympics in meeting with Chinese president

New ambassador to China makes pitch for Chicago

BEIJING — The new U.S. ambassador to China slipped in a pitch for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics while presenting his credentials to the Chinese president on Friday.

Jon Huntsman presented President Hu Jintao with a commemorative book on Chicago, “in support of the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games,” the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said in a statement.

China’s support could be crucial because Beijing hosted the Olympics last year and commands considerable influence within the International Olympic Committee, which meets on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen to select the 2016 host.

Chicago is a strong contender to bring the Summer Games back to the United States for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.