Comite Rio 2016, via Associated PressUpdated Oct. 2, 2009
The 2016 Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, marking the first time that the Olympics will take place in South America. (Above, a computer generated photo illustration shows a view of the Flamengo Park for road cycling.)
The 104-member International Olympic Committee decided between the four candidate cities - Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo - on Oct. 2, 2009.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, gave an impassioned speech to the membership. He said that of the top 10 economic powers in the world, Brazil is the only one not to host an Olympics.
"For the others it would be just one more Games, for us it would be an unparalleled opportunity," he said. "It would send a message the Olympic Games belong to all people, all continents and all humanity.
President Obama lobbied hard for Chicago's bid, and its failure marked one of the president's biggest losses to date. One adviser said it had a similar feeling to Mr. Obama's defeat in the New Hampshire primary in January 2008.
Mr. Obama was the first American president to make an in-person appeal for a bid city and first lady Michelle Obama had also come to lobby I.O.C. members for votes.
Chicago's bid leaders had worked for nearly four years and spent close to $50 million to bring the Summer Olympics to the United States for the first time in 20 years. Chicago had been considered among Olympic insiders as a favorite to win the Games, along with Rio.
It was the second straight time an American city fared poorly in the I.O.C. voting. New York's bid was eliminated in the second round of voting for the 2012 Olympics. The United States has not hosted the Summer Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The last time a United States city hosted any Olympics was the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002.
Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/olympics_2016/index.html
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