At 6:30 pm Friday 2 October in Copenhagen (12:30 pm eastern USA), the International Olympic Committee announces which of four cities will host the 2016 Olympic Games: Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo. Brazilian leaders quoted Sunday in The New York Times say an IOC decision in favor of Rio would validate Brazil on a global stage. In Chicago, a story in Monday’s Tribune says US officials hope for the best from a pitch by First Lady Michelle Obama. [As of Monday, US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and media mogul Oprah Winfrey all plan to be in Copenhagen for final presentations.]
A weekend Associated Press story cites British bookmakers listing Chicago in the lead, followed by Rio, Tokyo and Madrid. Rio is the emotional favorite, because the Olympic Games have never taken place in South America. Chicago is the fiscal favorite, with local sponsorship revenue estimates at $1.8 billion — $1 billion more than each of the other three.
“In the past, the IOC has bestowed its seal of approval on uncharted regions at propitious times in their histories,” wrote Alexei Barrionuevo in the New York Times. “Tokyo won the 1964 Games as Japan was still emerging from the shadow of the Second World War and the country’s economy was taking off. Seoul’s 1988 Games helped promote “brand Korea,” while Chinese officials originally sought the 2008 Beijing Games to escape their global isolation.”
The IOC Evaluation Commission’s detailed report on the bids of the four cities, distributed in early September, is available in this pdf file.
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I’ll be watching the bid live and rooting for Rio. All of the other candidates are so boring. Rio’s going to be one big party!