Copenhagen, Denmark (My Sportsbook) - Rio de Janeiro has been awarded the 2016 Summer Olympics in a stunning voting process that left Chicago as the first of the four finalist cities eliminated.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge made the announcement Friday in Copenhagen.
Rio de Janeiro, which becomes the first city on the continent of South America to host the Olympics, beat Madrid, 66-32, in the final vote among IOC members. Tokyo was the other finalist.
"I would like to congratulate the city of Rio de Janeiro on its election as the host of the 2016 Olympic Games," said Rogge after the vote was announced. "Rio de Janeiro presented the IOC with a very strong technical bid, built upon a vision of the Games being a celebration of the athletes and sport, as well as providing the opportunity for the city, region and country to deliver their broader long-term aspirations for the future. This call to 'live your passion' clearly struck a chord with my fellow members, and we now look forward to seeing Rio de Janeiro staging the first Olympic Games on the continent of South America."
Despite the presence of President Barack Obama, who spoke during the United States' presentation on Friday, Chicago received the fewest votes in the first round of balloting, leaving Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo alive in the process.
Madrid led the initial balloting with 28 votes, followed by Rio de Janeiro with 26, Tokyo with 22 and Chicago with 18.
Tokyo then garnered the least support in the second round, with only 20 votes to Rio's 46 and Madrid's 29, setting up the final ballot.
Rio de Janeiro's presentation included support from its president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and soccer legend Pele. It also featured a map of the world, marking cities that had previously hosted the Olympics. The European continent, of course, was prominently filled, as was North America, which Lula da Silva said needed to be considered in this vote.
"It is a time to address this imbalance," Lula da Silva stated during Rio's presentation. "It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country."
The awarding of the Games to Rio de Janeiro gives the nation of Brazil a pair of global events in a two-year span, as soccer's World Cup will be held in the country in 2014. There was speculation that Brazil could not pull off such a feat, but the IOC membership clearly felt otherwise.
Friday's vote marked the second straight disappointment for the United States in its attempt to land the Summer Olympics for the first time since Atlanta hosted the 1996 Games. Four years ago, New York City campaigned to host the 2012 Olympics, but was the eliminated in the second round of a five-city bid process that was won by London.
"This was a terrific competition among four world-class cities," the United States Olympic Committee said in a statement. "While we are disappointed, we thank Mayor Daley, the City of Chicago, [Chicago 2016 chairman] Pat Ryan and Chicago 2016 for their tireless efforts and an outstanding bid. We are proud and appreciative of all of their efforts, along with that of thousands of athlete ambassadors, corporate backers, private donors, and our National Governing Bodies and Multi-Sport Organizations. We are extremely grateful to President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and the entire Obama administration for their unprecedented support of the bid and the Olympic Movement."
The President and First Lady Michelle Obama, both from Chicago, were among the many big names in the U.S. contingent that traveled to Denmark. Both spoke during the near one-hour final presentation on Friday.
"While we do not know what the next few years will bring, there is nothing I would like more than to step just a few blocks from my family's home, with Michelle and our two girls and welcome the world back into our neighborhood," said the President during the presentation. "From the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped by people from around the world, wants a chance to inspire it once more."
The President took an overnight flight from Washington, DC to Copenhagen. He became the first U.S. President to appear in person for a final presentation before the IOC, and left shortly after.
A huge crowd at Daley Plaza in Chicago gasped loudly after the announcement of the first vote totals and quietly filtered out of the area.
Madrid, also a finalist for the 2012 Games, had a late spark on Friday from former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who held the post for 21 years before Rogge and helped Barcelona secure the 1992 Olympics.
If Madrid had been selected, it would have given the European continent the Summer Games three times in a 12-year span, something that may played against the Spanish capital in the voting. Athens held the 2004 Games and London will host the 2012 Olympics. It would also have given the continent three straight Olympics. After London hosts in 2012, the Winter Games of 2014 are scheduled for Sochi, Russia.
Tokyo previously held the Summer Games in 1964, but the Asian continent just played host to the Games last August in Beijing.
