Travel Tips

Chicago, Madrid & Tokyo Denied: Rio de Janeiro Scores 2016 Olympics

Locations in this article:  Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL London, England Madrid, Spain Salt Lake City, UT Tokyo, Japan

Rio de Janeiro beachfrontRio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been awarded the 2016 Summer Games, which will make it the first South American city to host the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Rio over Madrid in the final vote. Tokyo and Chicago were eliminated earlier after the four cities made their final presentations before the committee in Copenhagen.

So what were the factors behind Brazil’s win?

For starters, Rio’s proposed $14.4 billion budget for the games was the largest of any of the four finalists.

Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva says it is about time the Olympics came to South America and hopes that the expansion to a new continent will open new sporting frontiers.

“Among the top 10 economies of the world, Brazil is the only country that has not hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Lula during Rio’s presentation. “For the others, it will be just one more Games.”

Learn more about Brazil’s winning city with the Off the Brochure Travel Guide: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Crowds in Rio de Janeiro gathered to celebrate the announcement, but it was a different scene in Chicago.

A Grey Day in ChicagoCrowds in Daley Plaza were shocked and disappointed to find out that Chicago was the first city eliminated.

Buzz around the Windy City had grown in recent days, especially with President Obama, the First Lady, and Oprah Winfrey making personal appearances to lobby the IOC.

The rejection was just the latest blow to American cities hoping to host the Summer Games. New York lost out on the 2012 summer games in the second round of voting. The last U.S. city to host the Summer Olympics was Atlanta in 1996, although Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002.

Learn more about the cities involved: Olympic Bid Cities Vie for the Vote: Check Out the Contenders. Or, learn about President Obama’s Chicago: Tips for a Barack-Style Chicago Vacation.

Olympic park AtlantaThe decision was also a heartbreaking one for Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain. At 89, the former IOC president reportedly wanted nothing more than to see the games return to Spain in his lifetime.

The IOC ultimately sided with Lula’s impassioned plea to bring the global aspect of the games to a new continent.

There were concerns about the city’s reputation for crime, but Rio de Janeiro officials pointed to the incident-free 2007 Pan American Games, hosted by the city. Rio will also host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London; meanwhile, Vancouver is currently gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

By Dan Bence for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related links: New York Times, Chicago Tribune, CNN

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