Ueberroth, best known as being the organiser of the successful Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, said that he had been told by several international officials that Chicago should be chosen ahead of rivals Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

 

He said: “You are the leader.

 

"As I talk to people around the world, Chicago is now being considered very positively."

 

Ueberroth claimed Chicago’s bid has everything the International Olympic Committee (IOC) looks for in a Host City and he said members will be impressed by the city’s geography, cultural diversity and passion for sports.

 

He said: “Chicago is a sports fan’s town and embraces sports.

 

"Chicago has tradition.

 

"You’ve got the best Mayor [Richard Daley], the most recognisable Mayor other than maybe New York, who is respected around the world.

 

"You can find enclaves of every possible nationality you can possibly list and so I think Chicago can introduce the Midwest to the world through the Olympic Movement.”

 

Ueberroth oversaw the Games in Los Angeles that made a profit of $250 million (£155.7 million) and claimed that Chicago could leave a surplus of at least $1 billion (£623 million) more than any of the three other bidding cities.

 

He said that in the current economic climate Chicago represented the ideal choice for the IOC.

 

Ueberroth said:“There’s no question that if you take any of the four bid cities, economically the worldwide Olympic Movement will do much better with the influence of Chicago and all the corporate communities around Chicago.

 

"You have more companies that are headquartered in the Midwest than any place else.”

 

In his outgoing speech as chairman of the USOC last October Ueberroth had upset several European IOC members by warning the Olympic Movement that they shoud not forget who bankrolls them.

 

But he did admit that a weakness in Chicago's bid is its lack of familiarity to many IOC members.

 

Ueberroth said: “Chicago is the best city in our country but in the rest of the world they would probably be more familiar with cities like Miami and certainly San Francisco with its skyline.

 

"Well, the Chicago skyline is every bit as good but it just hasn’t been promoted in the same way in the past 20 or 30 years

 

The IOC is due to pick the Host City for 2016 at its Session in Copenhagen on October 2.