Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    LOS ANGELES, June 4 (Xinhua) -- United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Chairman Peter Ueberroth issued a statement on Wednesday, cheering Chicago's advancement as an International Olympics Committee (IOC) candidate city to host 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

    The USOC "extends our congratulations to all of the Candidate Cities that have advanced to the next round of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid process," said the statement. "We also extend our gratitude and appreciation to the cities that participated in this process but did not advance."

    Through their participation, these cities have made an important contribution to the continued growth of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements worldwide, the statement noted.

    "We are extremely proud of our partners at Chicago 2016 and the leadership being provided by Mayor Richard Daley and Pat Ryan," Ueberroth said.

    "The Chicago bid represents the enthusiasm and desire of our nation to welcome the athletes of the world for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have hard work and many challenges ahead, but we are honored to be a part of this process."