Even though Chicago was a predicted favorite to hold the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was the city chosen by the International Olympics committee (IOC) Oct. 2 to host the games.

            While Chicago was in the final four choices of cities to host the Olympics, the IOC eliminated Chicago in the first round of voting. Tokyo was the next city to be eliminated, followed by Madrid.  Even though President Barack Obama went with his wife to personally make the bid for the Olympics, it was not enough to convince IOC members that Chicago was the ideal city to host the 2016 Games.

            “To have the President of the United States and his wife personally appear, and this should happen in the first round is awful and totally undeserving,” said Kevan Gosper, Senior Australian IOC member.

            The pitch for Chicago went as planned, as images painting Chicago as deserving and picturesque charmed Obama’s audience.  Obama argued that it would be a beautiful setting, right on Lake Michigan.  In addition, he stressed that most of the athletes would be housed within fifteen minutes of their venues, and the venues were already in place and ready to use.  Chicago had government support all the way up to the President.

            “Either it was a tactical voting, or a lot of people decided not to vote for Chicago whatever happened. Nobody knows, but everyone is in a state of shock. Nobody believes it,” said IOC Executive Board member Gerhard Heiberg.

            Some IOC members felt that Obama’s whirlwind trip may have hurt his case as much as it helped it. He was only in Denmark for a total of five hours before flying back home. 

            “It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect,” said Kai Holm, former IOC member.

            The United States had several factors going against its Olympic dream. In 1996 and 2002 the U.S. hosted the Olympic games, and both times disaster struck.  During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, a pipe bomb went off in Centennial Olympic Park, wounding 111 people and killing two spectators. In 2002, the IOC was bribed to hold the Olympics in Salt Lake City. This was the largest scandal the IOC had suffered in a century.

             The United States has also hosted both the summer and winter games each on four separate occasions.  South America has never hosted the Olympics.

            “It is time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country,” said Luiz Inacio da Silva, President of Brazil.

            Now, Africa and Antarctica are the only two continents that have never hosted an Olympic games.

            Obama was gracious in responding to the IOC decision, which he praised as an historic event.  He congratulated Silva on the honor.

            “One of the things that I think is most valuable about sports is that you can play a great game and still not win.  I believe it is always a worth while endeavor to promote and boost the United States of America and invite the world to come and see what we’re all about,” said Obama.

            Even though Chicago was not given the privilege of hosting the Olympics, Americans can still support our athletes as they compete in the 2016 games.