THE GIRL from Ipanema got the nod ahead of the boy from Hawaii when Rio de Janeiro sensationally defeated Chicago yesterday as the race to host the 2016 Olympic Games came to a dramatic climax in Copenhagen yesterday.
The result represents a serious loss of political face for US president Barack Obama and Chicago’s mayor Richard Daley, both of whom had invested substantial political capital in the bid.
That the Brazilian city should become the first in South America to host an Olympiad was significant enough but the main talking point after the International Olympic Committee’s vote was the repudiation delivered to American Olympism.
“The world has recognised that the time has come of Brazil,” said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose impassioned address to the IOC members yesterday was a key part of what had been an slick bidding campaign. Brazil will also host the 2014 World Cup.
Chicago by contrast was eliminated first of the four bidding cities, crashing out with just 18 first round votes of the 105 available. After Tokyo was eliminated, Rio beat Madrid in the final vote by a margin of two to one.
“Shocked and devastated” was the response of spokesmen for the Chicago delegation who immediately left the building where the vote had taken place.
Chicago’s bid suffered from the US Olympic Committee’s long-running feud with the IOC over revenues. Rio had set aside the highest amount of any of the bidders for the games, promising to spend at least $14.4 billion on the adventure.