Rio de Janeiro to Host 2016 Olympics, Chicago Eliminated in First Round of Voting

by Neil Keefe on Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 1:09PM

Rio de Janeiro defeated Madrid in the final vote by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Olympics. With the win, Rio de Janeiro becomes the first South American country to host an Olympics.

In a stunning disappointment, Chicago was eliminated by the International Olympic Committee in the first round of voting, and Tokyo was knocked out in the second round.

President Barack Obama traveled to Denmark to share his support for Chicago’s bid to host in 2016, but the IOC chose to go against President Obama and the United States’ controversial past in hosting the Olympics.

Chicago was viewed as the front-runner to earn the vote and with Obama making an appearance, Chicago’s chances were believed to have been enhanced. But former IOC member Kai Holm said that the brevity of Obama’s appearance might have gone against the United States’ bid.