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The favored Olympiads competing in the contest of brick & mortar for the 2016 Olympic Games are Chicago’s Mayor Daley and President Lula da Silva. Wanting gold both leaders are saying if the games come they will build it. Both have their work cut out for them. From my seat here in the stadium-in-waiting, the favorite is Brazil.

I recently spoke in Brazil at Infrastructure 2009, a meeting of government officials, engineers and academics hosted by Project Lab. The conference convinced me Brazil is serious about wining the games. Brazil is ready to build a high-speed rail line between Sao Paulo and Rio, improve its subways, and build new stadiums while spending billions of dollars doing it. Chicago is selling the Olympic Committee on compact Olympic City in its downtown, one that depends on existing infrastructure – like the El that dates back to the 1880s (the second oldest transit system in the United States). As far as funding the games: Mayor Daily is hoping to privatize Chicago’s Olympic Games. That troubles Chicagoans who lived through his privatization of parking meters.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Daley sold Chicago's 36,000 parking meters to a private company for $1.15 billion. The company quadrupled rates while inadvertently disabling hundreds of meters, resulting in thousands of erroneous tickets." Not a good track record. Hosting the Olympics requires drive, dollars and a willingness to build. Beijing hosted amazing Summer Games in 2008. I was there and witnessed China’s awesome display of engineering: new airport terminals, new subway lines, bus stations and bold new stadiums.

Neither Chicago nor Brazil will match Beijing’s $40 plus billion building spree but my money is on Brazil winning the bid. Japan in 1964 was eager to show the world its new Metropolitan Expressway and bullet-train. China in 2008 showed the world it had reemerged onto the world scene. Brazil is ready to build its way to the top of the emerging markets by putting its money into the Olympic Game of brick & mortar. Besides, Brazil has better beaches!

To learn more about our resident Signs columnist Dan McNichol, visit his website: www.DanMcNichol.com