If it was, 'we would have have come to Chicago,' Rogge claims
The Olympic movement doesn't choose host cities on the basis of who offers the best marketing opportunities, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said Monday.
If that was the case, Chicago would now be celebrating as the host of the 2016 Summer Games, he said.
"It is clear that the IOC in its choice has not chosen, as it was criticized many times before, for the money. Had we had big money as a consideration, we would have come to Chicago, that is quite sure. That shows that money is not the driving force in the choice of an Olympic city," he insisted.
Rogge's comments came as questions about Rio de Janeiro's victory took over the closing press conference of the 13th Olympic Congress. The three-day conference, which followed the selection of the host city for the 2016 Games, looked at the values of the Olympic movement and how it can become more relevant in society.
But delegates at the congress raised questions about the growing expense and bureaucracy of the bidding process.
Several influential IOC members -- including Sweden's Gunilla Lindberg and Switzerland's Denis Oswald -- said changes are needed, especially to prevent "sympathy votes" from members for bids that have no real chance of success.
It is believed those "sympathy votes" were partially responsible for Chicago being knocked out in the first round of voting on Friday, even though it was widely considered a favourite alongside Rio.
Rogge said while the congress wasn't supposed to deal with such matters, he heard the concerns, especially since they related to the 2016 process.
"The congress is concerned there is a need to control the cost, size and complexity of the Games, but to also get it to a level that it would allow candidate cities of emerging countries to be selected."
The IOC may look at cutting the year-long applicant process in half, as well as other measures, he said.
Insiders have said the selection of Rio, with its untried sponsorship markets and emerging economy, could jeopardize the Olympic movement's financial stability. About half of the money the IOC gets from broadcast rights and sponsorship fees is used to support sport development through national Olympic committees and sports federations.
"I don't think personally there will be a significant diminishing of the revenues of the Olympic movement. But wait and see," Rogge said.
The thorny issue of human rights, which became a central public theme during the 2008 Beijing Games, also arose during the congress. Minky Worden, a delegate from Human Rights Watch, proposed the IOC establish a broad commission on human rights that would examine countries' records. Her recommendation was not adopted.
"We have the responsibility to work for the respect of human dignity within the sphere of sport. We cannot be held responsible for everything that happens in the world," Rogge argued.
Within the sports sphere, however, the IOC will seek "the best possible, objective unbiased information" and advice from human rights organizations, including groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Council, he said.
He also said the Olympic movement continues to be strongly opposed to "the trading of nationalities and passports" by rich countries seeking athletes who can deliver gold medals.
The congress wants a code of conduct and certification system to protect athletes' rights when dealing with agents, managers and sponsors.
The congress also raised concerns about the treatment of athletes during and after their Olympic careers, and about the growing digital divide that threatens to separate the Olympic movement from young people. It tabled 66 recommendations, all of which will now be studied, Rogge said. - source
***
This is good to hear that the decision on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was not based on money alone. The Olympic spirit is more than that.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Yes we can stage the 2016 Olympics: Brazil
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has compared Rio de Janeiro's journey to front runner in Friday's 2016 Olympic Games vote with his own remarkable rise from humble origins.
"Brazil has shed its complex of being considered a second rate citizen," Lula told a press conference here Thursday ahead of what promises to be a frantic 24 hours final lobbying to sway any remaining wavering IOC members.
"There was a time when we regarded ourselves as inferior, like in an election when voters would have regarded a working class man such as myself as uneducated and unprepared to win.
Here history is repeating itself.
"The Olympic Games generally goes to highly-developed countries, except China and Mexico in 1968," Lula said.
"What we want to show is that Brazil is the only country in the top ten that hasn"t had the Games.
"Brazil has much more self esteem today, the country is experiencing a magical moment - even in this global crisis Brazil is better situated than better developed countries."
Lula, just like his US counterpart Barack Obama with Chicago, has invested a huge amount of personal stock in Rio's 2016 bid and said Brazil had never been in a better position to host the Games.
"We are enjoying an exceptional economic period. The global crisis hit us last and we got out of it first.
"We created 240,000 new jobs last month - one million new jobs this year. We want to take advantage of our deep sea oil fields - Rio is ready from the point of view of infrastructure and the city is prepared in body and soul to organise these Games," he said.
The charismatic 63-year-old stressed that the Olympics were much more than a budget issue.
With the Games you have to open up your country to the rest of the world - to see Brazil like it truly is.
"You can't put a price on that, it's priceless, showing Rio's good and bad points, learning to correct the bad things.
"We still have much to do, but we will do it, we are changing the social reality of the poor living in slums - the recovery in our country is unquestionable.
"For other countries the Olympics is just another sporting event - for us it will be unique and extraordinary, a chance to build things that will last as a legacy for other generations."
Lula was asked for his reaction should Rio lose Friday's vote in which the South American city is said to be running neck and neck with Chicago with Tokyo and Madrid also in the hunt.
He replied: "I'm not working on the idea that we will be defeated, but I'll have no feeling of injustice if Rio loses because I love democracy.
"But the fact is no one has presented a project like ours.
"We want to show the world that it's not only in America that you can say "Yes we can" - we're saying "yes we can" organise these Olympic Games. - source
***
I'm sure Brazil can! It's time for them to show that they are no longer a second-rate country.
"Brazil has shed its complex of being considered a second rate citizen," Lula told a press conference here Thursday ahead of what promises to be a frantic 24 hours final lobbying to sway any remaining wavering IOC members.
"There was a time when we regarded ourselves as inferior, like in an election when voters would have regarded a working class man such as myself as uneducated and unprepared to win.
Here history is repeating itself.
"The Olympic Games generally goes to highly-developed countries, except China and Mexico in 1968," Lula said.
"What we want to show is that Brazil is the only country in the top ten that hasn"t had the Games.
"Brazil has much more self esteem today, the country is experiencing a magical moment - even in this global crisis Brazil is better situated than better developed countries."
Lula, just like his US counterpart Barack Obama with Chicago, has invested a huge amount of personal stock in Rio's 2016 bid and said Brazil had never been in a better position to host the Games.
"We are enjoying an exceptional economic period. The global crisis hit us last and we got out of it first.
"We created 240,000 new jobs last month - one million new jobs this year. We want to take advantage of our deep sea oil fields - Rio is ready from the point of view of infrastructure and the city is prepared in body and soul to organise these Games," he said.
The charismatic 63-year-old stressed that the Olympics were much more than a budget issue.
With the Games you have to open up your country to the rest of the world - to see Brazil like it truly is.
"You can't put a price on that, it's priceless, showing Rio's good and bad points, learning to correct the bad things.
"We still have much to do, but we will do it, we are changing the social reality of the poor living in slums - the recovery in our country is unquestionable.
"For other countries the Olympics is just another sporting event - for us it will be unique and extraordinary, a chance to build things that will last as a legacy for other generations."
Lula was asked for his reaction should Rio lose Friday's vote in which the South American city is said to be running neck and neck with Chicago with Tokyo and Madrid also in the hunt.
He replied: "I'm not working on the idea that we will be defeated, but I'll have no feeling of injustice if Rio loses because I love democracy.
"But the fact is no one has presented a project like ours.
"We want to show the world that it's not only in America that you can say "Yes we can" - we're saying "yes we can" organise these Olympic Games. - source
***
I'm sure Brazil can! It's time for them to show that they are no longer a second-rate country.
Brazil looks to transform sporting greatness into gold on world stage
In Lapa, the fashionable centre of Rio de Janeiro nightlife, the partying was long and memorable. On Copacabana beach, the sand was packed with revellers. Pelé cried, and his compatriots celebrated the latest evidence that for one of the world's most glamorous, charismatic countries the good times are starting to roll. So often described as belonging to a "country of the future", Brazilians found themselves living in the present this weekend.
Minutes after Rio de Janeiro was announced on Friday as the venue for the 2016 Olympics, the South American city's sprightly 39-year-old mayor, Eduardo Paes, logged on to his Twitter account and summed up the feelings of all of Rio's six million residents. "Our city deserves this present," he trumpeted. "Viva Rio".
Across Brazil, even in the remote towns of the Amazon rainforest, the same sentiment was being expressed. For Brazilians this was a victory that both Rio and Brazil richly merited – not simply because South America has never hosted the Games before, nor because Rio's residents, weary of violent crime and the city's crumbling infrastructure, were in need of a distraction from their often difficult day-to-day lives.
Above all, they say, this victory was deserved because, for Brazilians, winning the race to host the 2016 Olympics was confirmation that their country was at last acquiring a swagger and an influence beyond the football pitch, which Pele and so many others have graced with distinction. "It is difficult to believe that a third world country has reached this point," declared Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the decision was announced, with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
"We have left behind being a second-rate country to become a first-rate one. Respect is good and we are happy to receive it," he added.
Brazil, as President Lula has frequently commented of late, is living through a "special moment". Rising exports, a commodities price boom and the government's investment in social policies have helped millions of impoverished Brazilians rise from poverty since the leftwing leader came to power in 2003. The IMF says that Brazil, and other countries in the region, have weathered the global financial crisis "rather well".
In the second quarter of this year, the Brazilian economy grew by 1.9% and is forecast to expand by 5.3% in 2010 – numbers that Britain's chancellor, Alistair Darling, would kill for. The games will bring hard cash as well as prestige to the Latin American nation, which has the biggest economy in the region and the ninth largest in the world. A government-commissioned study by the Fundação Instituto de Administração estimates there will be a $24.5bn boost between now and 2027, thanks to increased spending by tourists, growth in employment and construction, and higher tax revenues.
Many believe that Rio, too, is on the rise. After years of neglect and urban violence, investments are gradually returning to Brazil's former capital, bolstering an economic and cultural boom that has already seen dilapidated areas of the city centre redeveloped with many others expected to follow suit. For the ambassadors of Brazil's cultural capital, the International Olympic Committee's decision was a boon beyond measure.
"From the business point of view this is one of the best pieces of news imaginable," said Isnard Manso, a cultural impresario and dancer from the Centro Cultural Carioca, one of Rio's top samba clubs. Manso said the "double-whammy" of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics could help transform Rio's historic centre, fuelling a cultural "turnaround" that has been under way since the beginning of the decade.
Rio's fledgling renaissance mirrors a national boom that the Brazilian government hopes will transform the country into one of the world's leading political, economic and oil powers. In 2007 its fortunes received a potentially vast boost with the discovery of huge offshore oil reserves that could help turn the country into an even bigger hitter on the international stage.
"We are certain that there is an immense quantity of oil that could turn Brazil into one of the world's great oil powers," Dilma Rousseff, President Lula's chief of staff, said last week. "While the entire world is facing immense difficulties… we are discussing abundance," she added, boasting: "We went into the [economic] crisis last and are coming out of it first and on top of this we have one of the greatest patrimonies to administrate."
Diplomatically, too, Brazil, a member of the G20, which has eclipsed the power of the G8, is starting to flex its increasingly toned muscles. During a recent meeting with foreign correspondents in Rio, the foreign minister, Celso Amorim, said: "Obviously, Brazil was always one of the world's biggest countries in terms of size and population. Today Brazil is one of the biggest and most stable economies. Our currency is one of the most stable on earth. Our democracy is totally consolidated… Today, I think, we have an international attitude which corresponds to our true greatness."
Much of this new "attitude" is down to President Lula, who has led the way for a number of increasingly prominent South American presidents who are helping to put the so-called "forgotten continent" back on the map.
Recent years have seen Lula, a one-time shoeshine boy and firebrand union leader, transformed into a respected international statesman who is now considered a future contender for the presidency of the World Bank and was recently referred to as "my man" by US President Barack Obama as a result of his continued domestic popularity.
"At this moment… what is happening again in the world is that there is no longer one single owner of the truth," Lula told his weekly radio show Breakfast with the President, after last month's G20 meeting.
John Hawksworth, head of macro-economics at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says that the so-called E7 – or Emerging Seven – nations of Brazil, China, India, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia and Mexico could overtake the G7 in the next two decades.
The rise of climate change on the international agenda has also turned Brazil, home to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, into a key diplomatic player.
"A Copenhagen agreement without Brazil would be like Kyoto without the United States," Ed Miliband, Britain's secretary for energy and climate change, said during a recent visit to Brazil, referring to December's summit on climate change in the Danish capital.
Brazil still has its vast armies of the poor. Despite Lula's efforts to alleviate the suffering of the poor, Brazil's favelas still exist alongside wealthy enclaves. The country has one of the highest levels of inequality on the planet, with the richest 10% in possession of half the nation's income while less than 1% trickles down to the poorest 10% of households. But such questions were pushed into the background yesterday as Rio continued to celebrate its "deserved" victory.
"From an artistic point of view, as a dancer and a cultural producer, this will… give us a unique chance to show the entire world that samba is not just about the bottoms of half-naked ladies parading through the sambadrome," said Manso, one of Rio's leading samba businessmen and dance instructors. "It is great news."
He will not be the only Brazilian dancing tonight. -source
***
Brazil would have to prepare themselves real well for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Everybody, from rich and poor, should be preparing for the event.
Minutes after Rio de Janeiro was announced on Friday as the venue for the 2016 Olympics, the South American city's sprightly 39-year-old mayor, Eduardo Paes, logged on to his Twitter account and summed up the feelings of all of Rio's six million residents. "Our city deserves this present," he trumpeted. "Viva Rio".
Across Brazil, even in the remote towns of the Amazon rainforest, the same sentiment was being expressed. For Brazilians this was a victory that both Rio and Brazil richly merited – not simply because South America has never hosted the Games before, nor because Rio's residents, weary of violent crime and the city's crumbling infrastructure, were in need of a distraction from their often difficult day-to-day lives.
Above all, they say, this victory was deserved because, for Brazilians, winning the race to host the 2016 Olympics was confirmation that their country was at last acquiring a swagger and an influence beyond the football pitch, which Pele and so many others have graced with distinction. "It is difficult to believe that a third world country has reached this point," declared Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the decision was announced, with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
"We have left behind being a second-rate country to become a first-rate one. Respect is good and we are happy to receive it," he added.
Brazil, as President Lula has frequently commented of late, is living through a "special moment". Rising exports, a commodities price boom and the government's investment in social policies have helped millions of impoverished Brazilians rise from poverty since the leftwing leader came to power in 2003. The IMF says that Brazil, and other countries in the region, have weathered the global financial crisis "rather well".
In the second quarter of this year, the Brazilian economy grew by 1.9% and is forecast to expand by 5.3% in 2010 – numbers that Britain's chancellor, Alistair Darling, would kill for. The games will bring hard cash as well as prestige to the Latin American nation, which has the biggest economy in the region and the ninth largest in the world. A government-commissioned study by the Fundação Instituto de Administração estimates there will be a $24.5bn boost between now and 2027, thanks to increased spending by tourists, growth in employment and construction, and higher tax revenues.
Many believe that Rio, too, is on the rise. After years of neglect and urban violence, investments are gradually returning to Brazil's former capital, bolstering an economic and cultural boom that has already seen dilapidated areas of the city centre redeveloped with many others expected to follow suit. For the ambassadors of Brazil's cultural capital, the International Olympic Committee's decision was a boon beyond measure.
"From the business point of view this is one of the best pieces of news imaginable," said Isnard Manso, a cultural impresario and dancer from the Centro Cultural Carioca, one of Rio's top samba clubs. Manso said the "double-whammy" of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics could help transform Rio's historic centre, fuelling a cultural "turnaround" that has been under way since the beginning of the decade.
Rio's fledgling renaissance mirrors a national boom that the Brazilian government hopes will transform the country into one of the world's leading political, economic and oil powers. In 2007 its fortunes received a potentially vast boost with the discovery of huge offshore oil reserves that could help turn the country into an even bigger hitter on the international stage.
"We are certain that there is an immense quantity of oil that could turn Brazil into one of the world's great oil powers," Dilma Rousseff, President Lula's chief of staff, said last week. "While the entire world is facing immense difficulties… we are discussing abundance," she added, boasting: "We went into the [economic] crisis last and are coming out of it first and on top of this we have one of the greatest patrimonies to administrate."
Diplomatically, too, Brazil, a member of the G20, which has eclipsed the power of the G8, is starting to flex its increasingly toned muscles. During a recent meeting with foreign correspondents in Rio, the foreign minister, Celso Amorim, said: "Obviously, Brazil was always one of the world's biggest countries in terms of size and population. Today Brazil is one of the biggest and most stable economies. Our currency is one of the most stable on earth. Our democracy is totally consolidated… Today, I think, we have an international attitude which corresponds to our true greatness."
Much of this new "attitude" is down to President Lula, who has led the way for a number of increasingly prominent South American presidents who are helping to put the so-called "forgotten continent" back on the map.
Recent years have seen Lula, a one-time shoeshine boy and firebrand union leader, transformed into a respected international statesman who is now considered a future contender for the presidency of the World Bank and was recently referred to as "my man" by US President Barack Obama as a result of his continued domestic popularity.
"At this moment… what is happening again in the world is that there is no longer one single owner of the truth," Lula told his weekly radio show Breakfast with the President, after last month's G20 meeting.
John Hawksworth, head of macro-economics at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says that the so-called E7 – or Emerging Seven – nations of Brazil, China, India, Russia, Turkey, Indonesia and Mexico could overtake the G7 in the next two decades.
The rise of climate change on the international agenda has also turned Brazil, home to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, into a key diplomatic player.
"A Copenhagen agreement without Brazil would be like Kyoto without the United States," Ed Miliband, Britain's secretary for energy and climate change, said during a recent visit to Brazil, referring to December's summit on climate change in the Danish capital.
Brazil still has its vast armies of the poor. Despite Lula's efforts to alleviate the suffering of the poor, Brazil's favelas still exist alongside wealthy enclaves. The country has one of the highest levels of inequality on the planet, with the richest 10% in possession of half the nation's income while less than 1% trickles down to the poorest 10% of households. But such questions were pushed into the background yesterday as Rio continued to celebrate its "deserved" victory.
"From an artistic point of view, as a dancer and a cultural producer, this will… give us a unique chance to show the entire world that samba is not just about the bottoms of half-naked ladies parading through the sambadrome," said Manso, one of Rio's leading samba businessmen and dance instructors. "It is great news."
He will not be the only Brazilian dancing tonight. -source
***
Brazil would have to prepare themselves real well for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Everybody, from rich and poor, should be preparing for the event.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Going for Real Gold at the Rio Olympics
Thanks to a strong Brazilian economy and now the 2016 Olympic Games, Latin America is poised to become a gold mine for U.S. companies
1. Flying Down to Rio
One city's loss is another's gain.
After the highly anticipated and mildly shocking Oct. 2 announcement, Chicago won't be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games, thus forgoing a projected $20 billion in tourism revenues and related investment. Winner Rio de Janeiro budgeted $14 billion for the Games—far more than the other finalists—and expects to generate $2.8 billion in revenue, including $570 million in domestic sponsorships, from the event.
The International Olympic Committee's selection process proves that the Olympics are a bigger business than ever, a bellwether of global business developments. The nod for Rio is also a confirmation that the hundreds of millions of dollars American pro sports teams have spent courting a Latin American fan and sponsor base is money well spent.
Rio's receiving the Games is a clear signal that Latin America is an emerging market now mature. Many of the U.S.'s largest companies supported Rio's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, and major sponsors looking to add the 160 million people in South America under the age of 18 to their customer base will be racing each other to get on board within the next few months. The victory gives South America its first Olympics, and shows that the IOC is confident that Brazil can not only execute the 2016 Olympics right on the heels of the 2014 World Cup, it can keep sponsors engaged enough in the territory to sign on for the Games as well as the premier football event.
According to economists, Brazil is leading Latin American countries out of the recession, registering flat to slight growth this year and looking to a 3.5% expansion in 2010. (By contrast, the U.S. economy is estimated to contract by 2.7% in 2009 and grow only 1.5% in 2010.) Factors in Brazil's resilience include 2009 auto sales predicted to reach a record 3 million vehicles; substantial government subsidies; and strong foreign investment including up to $25 billion in Brazilian stock IPOs in 2009 alone.
Selecting Rio was largely perceived as the second-best option for the IOC on the broadcasting revenue front, behind the U.S. Since Rio is one hour ahead of the East Coast, broadcasters can still air such marquee events as swimming and gymnastics live in prime time. The IOC is expected to open bidding for American TV rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics within the next year; U.S. TV rights currently account for half of all IOC revenue. (NBC is paying $2.1 billion for the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, for example.)
2. MLB Playoffs Are Under Way
Now that the Minnesota Twins have defeated the Detroit Tigers, Major League Baseball playoff rosters are set. Five of the eight postseason teams—the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Anaheim Angels—started the season with a payroll above $100 million; at $67 million, the Twins are competing with a payroll $20 million less than the next lowest roster, the St. Louis Cardinals at $87 million. Yet, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig insists this high-end-of-the-scales success rate is an aberration, maintaining the league has the "best competitive balance we've ever had."
Not at all disturbed by this baseball imbalance are playoff broadcast partners TBS and FOX, who look forward to solid big-market ratings and ad sales. TBS reports that ads during its coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series are more than 75% sold out, with takers including Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), BlackBerry (RIMM), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).
-continued.
***
Brazil will truly experience an improvement in economy during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
1. Flying Down to Rio
One city's loss is another's gain.
After the highly anticipated and mildly shocking Oct. 2 announcement, Chicago won't be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games, thus forgoing a projected $20 billion in tourism revenues and related investment. Winner Rio de Janeiro budgeted $14 billion for the Games—far more than the other finalists—and expects to generate $2.8 billion in revenue, including $570 million in domestic sponsorships, from the event.
The International Olympic Committee's selection process proves that the Olympics are a bigger business than ever, a bellwether of global business developments. The nod for Rio is also a confirmation that the hundreds of millions of dollars American pro sports teams have spent courting a Latin American fan and sponsor base is money well spent.
Rio's receiving the Games is a clear signal that Latin America is an emerging market now mature. Many of the U.S.'s largest companies supported Rio's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, and major sponsors looking to add the 160 million people in South America under the age of 18 to their customer base will be racing each other to get on board within the next few months. The victory gives South America its first Olympics, and shows that the IOC is confident that Brazil can not only execute the 2016 Olympics right on the heels of the 2014 World Cup, it can keep sponsors engaged enough in the territory to sign on for the Games as well as the premier football event.
According to economists, Brazil is leading Latin American countries out of the recession, registering flat to slight growth this year and looking to a 3.5% expansion in 2010. (By contrast, the U.S. economy is estimated to contract by 2.7% in 2009 and grow only 1.5% in 2010.) Factors in Brazil's resilience include 2009 auto sales predicted to reach a record 3 million vehicles; substantial government subsidies; and strong foreign investment including up to $25 billion in Brazilian stock IPOs in 2009 alone.
Selecting Rio was largely perceived as the second-best option for the IOC on the broadcasting revenue front, behind the U.S. Since Rio is one hour ahead of the East Coast, broadcasters can still air such marquee events as swimming and gymnastics live in prime time. The IOC is expected to open bidding for American TV rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics within the next year; U.S. TV rights currently account for half of all IOC revenue. (NBC is paying $2.1 billion for the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, for example.)
2. MLB Playoffs Are Under Way
Now that the Minnesota Twins have defeated the Detroit Tigers, Major League Baseball playoff rosters are set. Five of the eight postseason teams—the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Anaheim Angels—started the season with a payroll above $100 million; at $67 million, the Twins are competing with a payroll $20 million less than the next lowest roster, the St. Louis Cardinals at $87 million. Yet, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig insists this high-end-of-the-scales success rate is an aberration, maintaining the league has the "best competitive balance we've ever had."
Not at all disturbed by this baseball imbalance are playoff broadcast partners TBS and FOX, who look forward to solid big-market ratings and ad sales. TBS reports that ads during its coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series are more than 75% sold out, with takers including Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), BlackBerry (RIMM), and JPMorgan Chase (JPM).
-continued.
***
Brazil will truly experience an improvement in economy during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Olympic win for Rio de Janeiro well-deserved
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced last Friday, October 2 that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will host the 2016 Olympics. The city beat out Madrid, Tokyo, and yes, our own Chicago. Despite avid support from our nation's President, the South American city of 6.9 million came out on top of the pack. According to an October 2 Yahoo article, "It is Brazil's time," said the country's charismatic president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
And rightly so, I think. It is only fair that South America be given the chance to host the Olympics, and the fact that it will come just two years after an even bigger sporting event, the World Cup, is just incredible. Brazil will be the place to be in five years, and hopefully this influx of tourism brought on by both events will greatly improve the economy there. Now don't get me wrong, I love my country and generally would have liked to see the Olympics held in Chicago. Nonetheless, it is good to see a poorer country get the nomination, and one that is working hard to improve. The three years spanning from 2014-2016 will be exciting ones in Brazil, to say the least.
Americans and people around the world should be glad that a city in South America finally has the opportunity to host such a memorable month of sports. To some it may be hard to decipher why Chicago lost out to Rio de Janeiro, and in the first round of voting, no less. But in looking back to the past two American cities to hold the Olympic games, Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002, the past few games on U.S. soil have not done much for the Olympic reputation. The Atlanta games were made infamous for the bombings that occurred there, while the Winter Games of 2002 were marred by a bribery scandal and logistical problems.
In defeating three more well-developed countries, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., the city of Rio de Janeiro has essentially told the rest of South America that anything is possible. This marks a turning point for a country that still has millions living in poverty, a point that was recognized in the same article. Silva said, "Among the top 10 economies of the world, Brazil is the only country that has not hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the Olympic movement, it will be an opportunity to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture, the sun of our joy and it will also be a chance to send a powerful message to the whole world: The Olympic Games belong to all peoples, to all continents and to all humanity." - source
***
I really think that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will make it. Brazil is still considered to be one of the top 10 economies in the world.
And rightly so, I think. It is only fair that South America be given the chance to host the Olympics, and the fact that it will come just two years after an even bigger sporting event, the World Cup, is just incredible. Brazil will be the place to be in five years, and hopefully this influx of tourism brought on by both events will greatly improve the economy there. Now don't get me wrong, I love my country and generally would have liked to see the Olympics held in Chicago. Nonetheless, it is good to see a poorer country get the nomination, and one that is working hard to improve. The three years spanning from 2014-2016 will be exciting ones in Brazil, to say the least.
Americans and people around the world should be glad that a city in South America finally has the opportunity to host such a memorable month of sports. To some it may be hard to decipher why Chicago lost out to Rio de Janeiro, and in the first round of voting, no less. But in looking back to the past two American cities to hold the Olympic games, Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002, the past few games on U.S. soil have not done much for the Olympic reputation. The Atlanta games were made infamous for the bombings that occurred there, while the Winter Games of 2002 were marred by a bribery scandal and logistical problems.
In defeating three more well-developed countries, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., the city of Rio de Janeiro has essentially told the rest of South America that anything is possible. This marks a turning point for a country that still has millions living in poverty, a point that was recognized in the same article. Silva said, "Among the top 10 economies of the world, Brazil is the only country that has not hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the Olympic movement, it will be an opportunity to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture, the sun of our joy and it will also be a chance to send a powerful message to the whole world: The Olympic Games belong to all peoples, to all continents and to all humanity." - source
***
I really think that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will make it. Brazil is still considered to be one of the top 10 economies in the world.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Rio de Janeiro Wins Bid for 2016 Olympics
Rio de Janeiro was elected host city of the 2016 Olympic Games on Friday, Oct. 2, bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time in the history of the Games.
Rio passionately welcomed the bid. "It will not just be Brazil's games but South America's. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on the continent. It is time to redress the balance. It is time to light the Olympic flame in a tropical country," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
This year's International Olympics Committee meeting was held in Denmark; the candidates were Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro, with Chicago and Rio as the favorites. Everyone expected Chicago and Rio to go all the way, but against the odds, Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting with only 18 out of 98 votes.
There are several rounds of voting and after each vote the country with the lowest number of votes gets eliminated until there is only one country remaining. Rio won this year's bid with a vote of 66 to 32.
Candidates made their bids in an attempt to present his or her country in the best light. Chicago flew President Barack Obama into Denmark to address the IOC. and spent over $50 million dollars trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. The Olympics have not been to the U.S. since the 1996 Atlanta games.
"I have no doubt that it was the strongest bid possible and I'm proud that I was able to come in and help make that case in person," said President Obama after the U.S. lost the bid, according to The New York Times.
Rio made a strong case by presenting a map of where the Olympic Games have been held all over the world, and South America was sparsely empty. Bringing the Olympics to South America would have also opened up an entirely new continent to the Games. "There was absolutely no flaw in the bid," said Jacque Rogge, President of the IOC.
No one can definitively say why Chicago was eliminated in the first round, when everyone predicted Chicago and Rio to go to the end. "Everybody was shocked at the result," said Rene Fasel of the IOC, according to The New York Times. The opinions on why the events carried out as they did vary.
-continued here
***
Yes, the 2016 Olypmics is not just for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but for South America. I think this is what the Americans failed to see by criticizing Obama for pushing for the Chicago bid, when it's really for America.
Rio passionately welcomed the bid. "It will not just be Brazil's games but South America's. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on the continent. It is time to redress the balance. It is time to light the Olympic flame in a tropical country," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
This year's International Olympics Committee meeting was held in Denmark; the candidates were Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro, with Chicago and Rio as the favorites. Everyone expected Chicago and Rio to go all the way, but against the odds, Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting with only 18 out of 98 votes.
There are several rounds of voting and after each vote the country with the lowest number of votes gets eliminated until there is only one country remaining. Rio won this year's bid with a vote of 66 to 32.
Candidates made their bids in an attempt to present his or her country in the best light. Chicago flew President Barack Obama into Denmark to address the IOC. and spent over $50 million dollars trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. The Olympics have not been to the U.S. since the 1996 Atlanta games.
"I have no doubt that it was the strongest bid possible and I'm proud that I was able to come in and help make that case in person," said President Obama after the U.S. lost the bid, according to The New York Times.
Rio made a strong case by presenting a map of where the Olympic Games have been held all over the world, and South America was sparsely empty. Bringing the Olympics to South America would have also opened up an entirely new continent to the Games. "There was absolutely no flaw in the bid," said Jacque Rogge, President of the IOC.
No one can definitively say why Chicago was eliminated in the first round, when everyone predicted Chicago and Rio to go to the end. "Everybody was shocked at the result," said Rene Fasel of the IOC, according to The New York Times. The opinions on why the events carried out as they did vary.
-continued here
***
Yes, the 2016 Olypmics is not just for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil but for South America. I think this is what the Americans failed to see by criticizing Obama for pushing for the Chicago bid, when it's really for America.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Daily Video: Rio 2016
With the heightened debate over the location of the 2016 Olympic location, Rio has come out on top. Rio de Janeiro has officially won the prestigious title to host the 2016 Olympics and what a momentous occasion it is for them.
The Olympics is the greatest meeting of all the top athletes in the world competing not for money, not for fame, but for country and pride. I for one wholeheartedly support the decision of the Olympic council to hold the event in Brazil, and here is the video to show why.
-source
***
This is a great video! I'm sure the IOC made a correct decision to have the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The Olympics is the greatest meeting of all the top athletes in the world competing not for money, not for fame, but for country and pride. I for one wholeheartedly support the decision of the Olympic council to hold the event in Brazil, and here is the video to show why.
-source
***
This is a great video! I'm sure the IOC made a correct decision to have the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Seven46 Helps Secure Historic Victory for Rio de Janeiro
Seven46 is celebrating its part in the historic decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Rio de Janeiro.
Staff from the sport-specialist agency have been working with the Rio 2016 Bid Committee for the past year, delivering editorial services that included drafting the highly-praised final presentation.
On Friday, Rio was voted the first South American city to receive the honour of hosting the Games in the 113-year history of the Olympic Movement.
The Brazilian city upset heavy favourite Chicago, whose own final presentation included speeches from the US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Seven46 founder and Editorial Director Nick Varley, who also worked on the successful London 2012 bid, was present in Copenhagen to work on Rio’s final script development.
In addition to speechwriting for set-piece events, the agency’s London-based staff has provided a wide range of creative services in support of the Rio campaign. They include:
• Key messaging development;
• Seconded editorial resource to oversee production of the technical Candidature File; and
• Copywriting and editorial consultancy for a suite of consumer bid brochures and a direct mail campaign.
Victory for Rio adds to Seven46’s impressive record of international and Olympic-related bid wins, which now stands at seven out of a possible nine.
Previous successful campaigns the agency has worked on include the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games bid and World Skills London 2011.
Throughout the Rio 2016 campaign, Seven46 has been proud to work with its partners and colleagues from the lead international communications agency, Vero, to develop a compelling narrative underpinning all activity.
Nick Varley said: “Winning the 2012 bid with London was incredible but in some ways the Rio win feels even better.
“With London, we made history for the city and for the UK. With Rio, the win is truly historic for the Olympic Movement, for Brazil as it emerges on the global stage and for the whole of South America.
“It’s been great honour for Seven46 to work with a truly exceptional team from Rio – and we will offer our support them as they delivery historic Games in 2016.”
Seven46 returns to Copenhagen this week to support the International Rugby Board (IRB), whose campaign to get Rugby Sevens in the Games is reaching its conclusion.
Delegates at the IOC Congress will vote on 9 October on whether to accept the IOC Executive Board’s recent recommendation for Sevens to be included.
Seven46 has worked with the IRB over a two-year period to conceive and deliver a content-driven campaign, including direct mail, dedicated magazines and presentation support. -source
**
Every bit of help that went into the bid for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was well worth it. I think the passion behind all the effor helped Rio de Janeiro secure the bid.
Staff from the sport-specialist agency have been working with the Rio 2016 Bid Committee for the past year, delivering editorial services that included drafting the highly-praised final presentation.
On Friday, Rio was voted the first South American city to receive the honour of hosting the Games in the 113-year history of the Olympic Movement.
The Brazilian city upset heavy favourite Chicago, whose own final presentation included speeches from the US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Seven46 founder and Editorial Director Nick Varley, who also worked on the successful London 2012 bid, was present in Copenhagen to work on Rio’s final script development.
In addition to speechwriting for set-piece events, the agency’s London-based staff has provided a wide range of creative services in support of the Rio campaign. They include:
• Key messaging development;
• Seconded editorial resource to oversee production of the technical Candidature File; and
• Copywriting and editorial consultancy for a suite of consumer bid brochures and a direct mail campaign.
Victory for Rio adds to Seven46’s impressive record of international and Olympic-related bid wins, which now stands at seven out of a possible nine.
Previous successful campaigns the agency has worked on include the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games bid and World Skills London 2011.
Throughout the Rio 2016 campaign, Seven46 has been proud to work with its partners and colleagues from the lead international communications agency, Vero, to develop a compelling narrative underpinning all activity.
Nick Varley said: “Winning the 2012 bid with London was incredible but in some ways the Rio win feels even better.
“With London, we made history for the city and for the UK. With Rio, the win is truly historic for the Olympic Movement, for Brazil as it emerges on the global stage and for the whole of South America.
“It’s been great honour for Seven46 to work with a truly exceptional team from Rio – and we will offer our support them as they delivery historic Games in 2016.”
Seven46 returns to Copenhagen this week to support the International Rugby Board (IRB), whose campaign to get Rugby Sevens in the Games is reaching its conclusion.
Delegates at the IOC Congress will vote on 9 October on whether to accept the IOC Executive Board’s recent recommendation for Sevens to be included.
Seven46 has worked with the IRB over a two-year period to conceive and deliver a content-driven campaign, including direct mail, dedicated magazines and presentation support. -source
**
Every bit of help that went into the bid for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was well worth it. I think the passion behind all the effor helped Rio de Janeiro secure the bid.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Rio to host 2016 Olympics – let the party start
That’s the best Olympic news in a damn long time – the Rio Games are going to be a festival to remember.
I have no doubt that the Brazilians will be able to match – if not surpass – the amazing spirit fostered by the Australians at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Yes, the Athens and Beijing affairs were well organised, but they were a little sterile when it came to that special gees.
You can bet your bottom dollar that there will be atmosphere to spare come the Olympic samba in seven years time. That’s an Olympics I would love to cover. -source
**
I agree that the Beijing Olympics felt to stiff and well organized. It's not bad but it's not as exciting and as party-like as the games in Syndey.
I have no doubt that the Brazilians will be able to match – if not surpass – the amazing spirit fostered by the Australians at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Yes, the Athens and Beijing affairs were well organised, but they were a little sterile when it came to that special gees.
You can bet your bottom dollar that there will be atmosphere to spare come the Olympic samba in seven years time. That’s an Olympics I would love to cover. -source
**
I agree that the Beijing Olympics felt to stiff and well organized. It's not bad but it's not as exciting and as party-like as the games in Syndey.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Brazil stocks jump on Rio Olympic victory
Brazilian stocks jumped on Friday as Rio de Janeiro's successful 2016 Olympics bid boosted expectations for development in Latin America's largest economy.
Airlines were among the biggest gainers with investors seeing a potential increase in air traffic as Rio was set to become the first South American city to host the summer games.
Tam (TAMM4.SA) jumped 3.52 percent to 23.81 reais per share as rival GOL (GOLL4.SA) sprang 3.03 percent to 18.34 reais.
The benchmark Bovespa index .BVSP was up 1.18 percent to 61,171.99 after falling early due to profit-taking and investor wariness over disappointing payroll data in the United States.
"The rise in the index was 100 percent focused on the Olympics," said Luiz Eduardo, a trader at Banco Modal.
"A lot of infrastructure will have to be created," said Januario Hostin Jr, an analyst with Leme Investimentos. "There will need to be a series of public investments."
The 2016 Olympics victory also serves as an international signal that Brazil has progressed past economic turmoil, he added.
Brazilian airlines could have their earnings estimates upgraded by analysts on expectations of increased tourist inflows, as well car rental Localiza (RENT3.SA) and airport retail firm Dufry (DUFB11.SA), noted Ed Kuczma, an investment analyst with New York-based fund manager Van Eck Global.
Localiza added 6 percent to 18.55 reais, while Dufry rose 2.22 percent to 30.91 reais. Neither are part of the Bovespa index.
Other gainers on the Olympics news included real estate companies. Cyrela (CYRE3.SA) vaulted 4.72 percent to 23.30 reais and Gafisa (GFSA3.SA) rose 4.71 percent to 26.70 reais.
Steelmakers advanced on the hopes of construction projects stemming from the additions Brazil will need to make to host the games.
Gerdau (GGBR4.SA) advanced 3.25 percent to 23.86 reais, Usiminas (USIM5.SA) rose 1 percent to 46.30 reais and CSN (CSNA3.SA) gained 1.19 percent to 53.55 reais.
Brazil's currency, the real BRBY, firmed 0.45 percent to 1.779 per U.S. dollar in afternoon trading.
Rio and Madrid were the last two cities in contention to host the 2016 summer games after front-runner Chicago and Tokyo were knocked out in the first two rounds of voting.
While the ultimate economic benefits of the games are debated by economists the world over, the international competition typically boosts the prestige of host nations.
Yields on Brazilian interest rate futures contracts largely ticked downward.
The yield on the contract due January 2011 DIJF1 fell to 10.22 percent from 10.35 percent. The yield on the one due January 2012 DIJF2 fell to 11.36 percent from 11.55 percent. Those contracts were among the most highly-traded of the day. (Reporting by Luciana Lopez, Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Walter Brandimarte; Writing by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
***
Wow! The 2016 olympics in Rio de Janeiro is still far away and yet the economy is doing well already?
Airlines were among the biggest gainers with investors seeing a potential increase in air traffic as Rio was set to become the first South American city to host the summer games.
Tam (TAMM4.SA) jumped 3.52 percent to 23.81 reais per share as rival GOL (GOLL4.SA) sprang 3.03 percent to 18.34 reais.
The benchmark Bovespa index .BVSP was up 1.18 percent to 61,171.99 after falling early due to profit-taking and investor wariness over disappointing payroll data in the United States.
"The rise in the index was 100 percent focused on the Olympics," said Luiz Eduardo, a trader at Banco Modal.
"A lot of infrastructure will have to be created," said Januario Hostin Jr, an analyst with Leme Investimentos. "There will need to be a series of public investments."
The 2016 Olympics victory also serves as an international signal that Brazil has progressed past economic turmoil, he added.
Brazilian airlines could have their earnings estimates upgraded by analysts on expectations of increased tourist inflows, as well car rental Localiza (RENT3.SA) and airport retail firm Dufry (DUFB11.SA), noted Ed Kuczma, an investment analyst with New York-based fund manager Van Eck Global.
Localiza added 6 percent to 18.55 reais, while Dufry rose 2.22 percent to 30.91 reais. Neither are part of the Bovespa index.
Other gainers on the Olympics news included real estate companies. Cyrela (CYRE3.SA) vaulted 4.72 percent to 23.30 reais and Gafisa (GFSA3.SA) rose 4.71 percent to 26.70 reais.
Steelmakers advanced on the hopes of construction projects stemming from the additions Brazil will need to make to host the games.
Gerdau (GGBR4.SA) advanced 3.25 percent to 23.86 reais, Usiminas (USIM5.SA) rose 1 percent to 46.30 reais and CSN (CSNA3.SA) gained 1.19 percent to 53.55 reais.
Brazil's currency, the real BRBY, firmed 0.45 percent to 1.779 per U.S. dollar in afternoon trading.
Rio and Madrid were the last two cities in contention to host the 2016 summer games after front-runner Chicago and Tokyo were knocked out in the first two rounds of voting.
While the ultimate economic benefits of the games are debated by economists the world over, the international competition typically boosts the prestige of host nations.
Yields on Brazilian interest rate futures contracts largely ticked downward.
The yield on the contract due January 2011 DIJF1 fell to 10.22 percent from 10.35 percent. The yield on the one due January 2012 DIJF2 fell to 11.36 percent from 11.55 percent. Those contracts were among the most highly-traded of the day. (Reporting by Luciana Lopez, Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Walter Brandimarte; Writing by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
***
Wow! The 2016 olympics in Rio de Janeiro is still far away and yet the economy is doing well already?
Saturday, October 3, 2009
2016 Olympics could help economy, ruling party
SAO PAULO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro's victorious bid to host the 2016 Olympics should give Brazil's ruling party a boost and benefit the economy, although the size of the impact is hard to gauge.
* Rio's victory is another feather in the cap of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who strongly backed the bid and is one of the world's most popular leaders. It could add to his "Midas Touch" image and to a feel-good factor in Brazil ahead of presidential elections in October 2010. Lula, who cannot stand for a third straight term, is backing his chief of staff Dilma Rousseff in the race. But he has not ruled out a return to run again for president in 2014, two years before the Games. Brazil will also host the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament.
* A Rio-hosted Olympics will give Brazil's economy a $24.5 billion boost between now and 2027, according to a government-commissioned study by nonprofit group Fundacao Instituto de Administracao. That would come from expanded production and increases in household income, tax revenues and employment, it said.
* The decision could help Brazilian financial markets' sentiment in the short term as they continue their strong rebound this year from the global economic crisis. But a slew of research has shown how difficult it is to calculate the economic benefits of the Olympics.
* Any stock markets gains would likely be short-lived, said Jose Francisco de Lima Goncalves, Banco Fator's chief economist. "I'm not very optimistic," he said. The Olympic investments will be important, he said, but "once real life returns, these changes get swallowed up."
* A 2008 Congressional Research Service report prepared for members of the U.S. Congress found that many of the infrastructure investments made in past Olympic Games might have happened anyway, in other areas of the economy. "Assessments often do not consider the possibility that the money spent on the new Olympic stadium might have generated greater economic benefits if spent on hospitals or schools," it said.
* Hosting the Olympics boosts a country's international trade in subsequent years, the University of California, Berkeley and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found in a 2009 study. They said that, all things equal, countries that have hosted the Games appeared to have exports some 30 percent higher. They said an Olympics usually signals "trade liberalization and results in increased openness."
* Ultimately, no definitive study about the economic advances from the Games exists, says Daniel Rascher, the president of U.S. consulting firm SportsEconomics. "I have not been to Brazil," he said in an email, "but if Rio wins the 2016 bid, I'll probably come and visit and spend a few thousand dollars. That's economic impact." -source
***
The 2016 olympics in Rio de Janeiro will truly boost their economy. All those media attention, tourism and increase in infrastrcuture will greatly help the country.
* Rio's victory is another feather in the cap of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who strongly backed the bid and is one of the world's most popular leaders. It could add to his "Midas Touch" image and to a feel-good factor in Brazil ahead of presidential elections in October 2010. Lula, who cannot stand for a third straight term, is backing his chief of staff Dilma Rousseff in the race. But he has not ruled out a return to run again for president in 2014, two years before the Games. Brazil will also host the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament.
* A Rio-hosted Olympics will give Brazil's economy a $24.5 billion boost between now and 2027, according to a government-commissioned study by nonprofit group Fundacao Instituto de Administracao. That would come from expanded production and increases in household income, tax revenues and employment, it said.
* The decision could help Brazilian financial markets' sentiment in the short term as they continue their strong rebound this year from the global economic crisis. But a slew of research has shown how difficult it is to calculate the economic benefits of the Olympics.
* Any stock markets gains would likely be short-lived, said Jose Francisco de Lima Goncalves, Banco Fator's chief economist. "I'm not very optimistic," he said. The Olympic investments will be important, he said, but "once real life returns, these changes get swallowed up."
* A 2008 Congressional Research Service report prepared for members of the U.S. Congress found that many of the infrastructure investments made in past Olympic Games might have happened anyway, in other areas of the economy. "Assessments often do not consider the possibility that the money spent on the new Olympic stadium might have generated greater economic benefits if spent on hospitals or schools," it said.
* Hosting the Olympics boosts a country's international trade in subsequent years, the University of California, Berkeley and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found in a 2009 study. They said that, all things equal, countries that have hosted the Games appeared to have exports some 30 percent higher. They said an Olympics usually signals "trade liberalization and results in increased openness."
* Ultimately, no definitive study about the economic advances from the Games exists, says Daniel Rascher, the president of U.S. consulting firm SportsEconomics. "I have not been to Brazil," he said in an email, "but if Rio wins the 2016 bid, I'll probably come and visit and spend a few thousand dollars. That's economic impact." -source
***
The 2016 olympics in Rio de Janeiro will truly boost their economy. All those media attention, tourism and increase in infrastrcuture will greatly help the country.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympics
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday. Confetti flies in Rio de Janeiro after the IOC announces the city will host the 2016 games.
The announcement brought tears to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief several times in a news conference afterward.
"Our hour has arrived," he said. "It has arrived."
In Rio, jubilation erupted at the world-famous Copacabana beach, where thousands of people gathered to hear the announcement.
Rio organizers promised to start working immediately to make the games a success.
"Maybe some of the people tomorrow can rest," said Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman. "I'm not [resting]."
Rio beat Madrid, Spain, in the final round. Chicago, Illinois, and Tokyo, Japan, were eliminated in earlier rounds.
For Rio, a major appeal was bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said in the news conference afterward that in addition to its excellent bid, Rio had the "extra added value of going for the first time to a continent that's never had the games."
He also noted that Brazil helped its chances this year when it did not get the 2012 games awarded four years ago.
"Rio remained humble," he said. "They wanted to listen, to repair their shortcomings."
More than half of Rio's Olympic venues are built, including state-of-the-art facilities constructed for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games: the magnificent Joao Havelange Stadium (the proposed 2016 venue for athletics), the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, the Rio Olympic Arena (which will host gymnastics and wheelchair basketball), the Rio Olympic Velodrome, the National Equestrian Center and its close neighbor, the National Shooting Center.
Rio will hold the games from August 5-21 and its theme will be "Live your passion." Video Watch Brazil delegation celebrate as Rio is announced winner »
According to Rio's bid, the games will be held in four zones with varying socioeconomic characteristics:
• Barra, the heart of the games, is an expanding area of Rio that will require "considerable infrastructure and accommodation development." It will house the Olympic and media villages and some venues.
• Copacabana, a world-famous beach and major tourist attraction, will host outdoor sports in temporary venues.
• Maracana, the most densely populated of the zones, will contain an athletic stadium and the Maracana Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Major redevelopment is planned for the zone.
Don't Miss
• Deodoro has little infrastructure, but the highest proportion of young people. It will require construction of Olympic venues. The city's bid was helped by a strong economy and guaranteed funding. Brazil's economy is the 10th largest in the world and predicted to be fifth by 2016.
Brazil told the IOC its commitment to the Olympics could be seen in the investment already under way in Rio. Maracana Stadium will close next year for two years of refurbishment.
The areas around it will be renovated, with improved access and transportation links. The entire neighborhood will be reborn, the Rio committee said, to host the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Work is already under way on the ongoing development of the Olympic Training Center, which includes many of the state-of-the-art venues built for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games.
This was Madrid's third attempt at hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.
Madrid presented a "very capable" bid, with good transportation infrastructure and a number of venues already in place, said Ed Hula, editor of the Olympics Web site Around the Rings.
Madrid's chances might have been hampered, however, by a recent tradition that consecutive Summer Olympics aren't staged on the same continent. The London, England, 2012 Olympics will have happened just four years before 2016.
"Although there's no rule against it, the IOC has yet to award consecutive summer games to the same continent since 1952 in Helsinki," Hula said.
Chicago was the first city to be eliminated. The announcement -- unexpected by many -- came just hours after President Obama and his wife, Michelle, delivered personal pleas to the Olympic committee praising the virtues of their home city.
"You can play a great game and still not win," Obama said after returning to the White House. "Although I wish we had come back with better news ... I could not be prouder of my hometown."
Obama said he believed Chicago had made "the strongest bid possible."
"I'm totally stunned. I thought we had a great opportunity," said former NBA great Michael Jordan. Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, said the city would have been "perfect for the world to explore." He said Chicago is "deserving of an event of that magnitude" and hopes it will try again.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, said the loss is "kind of heartbreaking. ... A tremendous amount of effort has been put into trying to win the bid."
The response around the city was not all negative, however. Many residents are "almost glad the distraction of the Olympics" won't be there, noted CNN's Ali Velshi, who was in downtown Chicago when the news was announced.
Many residents feel it will allow local political and business leaders to "focus attention back on what Chicago needs to do," Velshi said.
Obama, the first U.S. president to make an Olympic bid in person, was flying back to Washington when the announcement was made. He was disappointed with the outcome but not sorry he made the trip to Copenhagen, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
The heads of state for the other three finalists also made personal pitches.
Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero pushed the case for Madrid.
Recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made a bid for Tokyo.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva was joined by soccer legend and Brazilian native Pelé as they advertised the benefits of a Rio games.
An animated Lula da Silva, surrounded by Rio supporters, said at a news conference after the announcement, "Among the 10 major economies of the world, Brazil was the only country that had not received the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For us, it will hardly be our last Olympics. For us, it will be an opportunity to be equal. It will increase self-esteem for Brazilians, will consolidate recent conquests and stimulate new advances." -source
***
It is truly a great moment for Brazil. I'm sure their drive and enthusiasm for the 2016 olympics was felt by many during the bidding.
The announcement brought tears to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief several times in a news conference afterward.
"Our hour has arrived," he said. "It has arrived."
In Rio, jubilation erupted at the world-famous Copacabana beach, where thousands of people gathered to hear the announcement.
Rio organizers promised to start working immediately to make the games a success.
"Maybe some of the people tomorrow can rest," said Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman. "I'm not [resting]."
Rio beat Madrid, Spain, in the final round. Chicago, Illinois, and Tokyo, Japan, were eliminated in earlier rounds.
For Rio, a major appeal was bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said in the news conference afterward that in addition to its excellent bid, Rio had the "extra added value of going for the first time to a continent that's never had the games."
He also noted that Brazil helped its chances this year when it did not get the 2012 games awarded four years ago.
"Rio remained humble," he said. "They wanted to listen, to repair their shortcomings."
More than half of Rio's Olympic venues are built, including state-of-the-art facilities constructed for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games: the magnificent Joao Havelange Stadium (the proposed 2016 venue for athletics), the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, the Rio Olympic Arena (which will host gymnastics and wheelchair basketball), the Rio Olympic Velodrome, the National Equestrian Center and its close neighbor, the National Shooting Center.
Rio will hold the games from August 5-21 and its theme will be "Live your passion." Video Watch Brazil delegation celebrate as Rio is announced winner »
According to Rio's bid, the games will be held in four zones with varying socioeconomic characteristics:
• Barra, the heart of the games, is an expanding area of Rio that will require "considerable infrastructure and accommodation development." It will house the Olympic and media villages and some venues.
• Copacabana, a world-famous beach and major tourist attraction, will host outdoor sports in temporary venues.
• Maracana, the most densely populated of the zones, will contain an athletic stadium and the Maracana Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Major redevelopment is planned for the zone.
Don't Miss
• Deodoro has little infrastructure, but the highest proportion of young people. It will require construction of Olympic venues. The city's bid was helped by a strong economy and guaranteed funding. Brazil's economy is the 10th largest in the world and predicted to be fifth by 2016.
Brazil told the IOC its commitment to the Olympics could be seen in the investment already under way in Rio. Maracana Stadium will close next year for two years of refurbishment.
The areas around it will be renovated, with improved access and transportation links. The entire neighborhood will be reborn, the Rio committee said, to host the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Work is already under way on the ongoing development of the Olympic Training Center, which includes many of the state-of-the-art venues built for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games.
This was Madrid's third attempt at hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.
Madrid presented a "very capable" bid, with good transportation infrastructure and a number of venues already in place, said Ed Hula, editor of the Olympics Web site Around the Rings.
Madrid's chances might have been hampered, however, by a recent tradition that consecutive Summer Olympics aren't staged on the same continent. The London, England, 2012 Olympics will have happened just four years before 2016.
"Although there's no rule against it, the IOC has yet to award consecutive summer games to the same continent since 1952 in Helsinki," Hula said.
Chicago was the first city to be eliminated. The announcement -- unexpected by many -- came just hours after President Obama and his wife, Michelle, delivered personal pleas to the Olympic committee praising the virtues of their home city.
"You can play a great game and still not win," Obama said after returning to the White House. "Although I wish we had come back with better news ... I could not be prouder of my hometown."
Obama said he believed Chicago had made "the strongest bid possible."
"I'm totally stunned. I thought we had a great opportunity," said former NBA great Michael Jordan. Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, said the city would have been "perfect for the world to explore." He said Chicago is "deserving of an event of that magnitude" and hopes it will try again.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, said the loss is "kind of heartbreaking. ... A tremendous amount of effort has been put into trying to win the bid."
The response around the city was not all negative, however. Many residents are "almost glad the distraction of the Olympics" won't be there, noted CNN's Ali Velshi, who was in downtown Chicago when the news was announced.
Many residents feel it will allow local political and business leaders to "focus attention back on what Chicago needs to do," Velshi said.
Obama, the first U.S. president to make an Olympic bid in person, was flying back to Washington when the announcement was made. He was disappointed with the outcome but not sorry he made the trip to Copenhagen, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
The heads of state for the other three finalists also made personal pitches.
Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero pushed the case for Madrid.
Recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made a bid for Tokyo.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva was joined by soccer legend and Brazilian native Pelé as they advertised the benefits of a Rio games.
An animated Lula da Silva, surrounded by Rio supporters, said at a news conference after the announcement, "Among the 10 major economies of the world, Brazil was the only country that had not received the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For us, it will hardly be our last Olympics. For us, it will be an opportunity to be equal. It will increase self-esteem for Brazilians, will consolidate recent conquests and stimulate new advances." -source
***
It is truly a great moment for Brazil. I'm sure their drive and enthusiasm for the 2016 olympics was felt by many during the bidding.
Brazil celebrates Rio's choice as 2016 Olympic Games city
It’s party time in Rio de Janiero as the Brazilian city celebrates its selection, against the odds, as the venue for the 2016 Olypmpic Games, the first to be held in South America.
The 115 members of the International Olympic Committee made the decision in Copenhagen from three other contenders – Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid. The US city was the bookies’ favourite but was eliminated in the first round, followed by Tokyo and finally Madrid.
The choice of Brazil is fitting as that country is finally delivering on its long-promised potential as the world’s next emerging super power – after China and India.
It is now among the top 10 world economies and on of its key arguments was that South America’s 160 million people under 18 provided a new fan base for the Olympics that would prevent it being seen as only a European or North American event (some parts of Asia excepted).
New Zealand’s Buenos Aires-based South American trade commissioner, José Prunello told the Go Global conference in Auckland this week that Brazil would expand faster than most world economies next year.
He said it was expected to have GDP growth of 4.5%, was barely scathed by the world recession and was “a perfect match” for New Zealand as the continent became the “next major food basket of the world.”
Mr Prunello described Brazil’s President Lula, as he is popularly known, as a charismatic leader. This obviously worked to his country’s advantage before the IOC members.
Helping Brazil’s case was its hosting of the 2014 soccer World Cup and a government budget of $US14 billion, far more than any other bidding city. Most of it will be spent on improving Rio’s infrastructure, including high-speed trains. -source
**
It will really be a carnival party for Rio de Janeiro! It really helped that they are hosing the World Cup too. Thiss is going to be a big boost for their economy! Onwards to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The 115 members of the International Olympic Committee made the decision in Copenhagen from three other contenders – Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid. The US city was the bookies’ favourite but was eliminated in the first round, followed by Tokyo and finally Madrid.
The choice of Brazil is fitting as that country is finally delivering on its long-promised potential as the world’s next emerging super power – after China and India.
It is now among the top 10 world economies and on of its key arguments was that South America’s 160 million people under 18 provided a new fan base for the Olympics that would prevent it being seen as only a European or North American event (some parts of Asia excepted).
New Zealand’s Buenos Aires-based South American trade commissioner, José Prunello told the Go Global conference in Auckland this week that Brazil would expand faster than most world economies next year.
He said it was expected to have GDP growth of 4.5%, was barely scathed by the world recession and was “a perfect match” for New Zealand as the continent became the “next major food basket of the world.”
Mr Prunello described Brazil’s President Lula, as he is popularly known, as a charismatic leader. This obviously worked to his country’s advantage before the IOC members.
Helping Brazil’s case was its hosting of the 2014 soccer World Cup and a government budget of $US14 billion, far more than any other bidding city. Most of it will be spent on improving Rio’s infrastructure, including high-speed trains. -source
**
It will really be a carnival party for Rio de Janeiro! It really helped that they are hosing the World Cup too. Thiss is going to be a big boost for their economy! Onwards to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio wins bid for 2016 Olympics; Tokyo eliminated in 2nd round
Tokyo’s hopes of hosting the 2016 Olympics were shattered Friday as the Japanese capital was eliminated in the second round of voting by the International Olympic Committee.
Rio de Janeiro was named the winner of rights to stage the 2016 Games, beating Madrid in the final round of voting to become the first South American Olympic host. Rio had 66 votes to Madrid’s 32.
Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting before Tokyo’s exit left the race down to the Rio and Madrid. Tokyo had 22 votes in the first round and 20 in the second.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama released a statement Saturday congratulating the Brazilian people on Rio de Janeiro’s win in a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
‘‘I want to offer my heartfelt appreciation for the citizens of Tokyo and athletes,’’ said Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara. ‘‘Let’s use this precious experience, while tackling environmental issues and contribute to the development of world cities. I pray for the success of the Games in Rio de Janeiro.’’
Under host city voting procedures, the city with the fewest number of votes in each successive round of balloting is eliminated until one city has reached a majority of the valid votes cast.
It was Japan’s third consecutive failed bid to win the rights to hold the Summer Games. Nagoya lost out to Seoul for the 1988 Olympics, while Osaka was eliminated in the first round of voting for the 2008 Games, which went to Beijing.
‘‘It’s a pity. We united as a team and did everything we could,’’ said Japanese Olympic Committee chief Tsunekazu Takeda.
‘‘There is a winner and a loser and this time we couldn’t win but we have also gained something. We have to figure out how to go for the 2020 Olympics.’’
About 500 people who gathered at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building could not help but sigh early Saturday when Tokyo was eliminated from consideration for the 2016 Olympics in the second round of voting.
When International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge announced the elimination of Tokyo in a live image displayed on a large screen, those gathered in a hall on the fifth floor of the building let out sighs of disappointment.
Vice Tokyo Gov Hiroshi Sato, Japanese Olympic Committee members and athletes, including Yuko Arimori, a marathon runner who won the silver medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, gathered there to support Tokyo’s bid for the host city of the 2016 Olympics and watch the results of the IOC voting.
Hiromi Miyake, a Japanese female weightlifter, said, ‘‘I was excited because I thought Tokyo would be selected as Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting.’’
In an event held at Tokyo Tower to support the Japanese capital’s bid, the venue was covered by a festive mood when Tokyo moved to the second round of voting, but hopes were dashed within a few minutes as Tokyo was eliminated.
‘‘It’s very frustrating,’’ said hurdler Dai Tamesue. Fashion designer and event producer Kansai Yamamoto, who represented supporters for Tokyo’s bid, said, ‘‘It’s like going from the top to the bottom on a roller coaster.’’
But he added, ‘‘We have a chance again in four years.
Tokyo was left to rue what might have been after efforts failed to convince the IOC that it could stage ‘‘the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever.’’
JOC Vice President Tomiaki Fukuda said he was surprised at Madrid staying alive.
‘‘I thought Madrid would be eliminated. There is a possibility that it won votes out of sympathy for (former IOC president Juan Antonio) Samaranch. It’s a real shame. I want Tokyo to bid for the Olympics one more time.’’
Samaranch had appealed for the Spanish capital, reminding IOC members that, at age 89, ‘‘I am very near the end of my time.’’
During Tokyo’s final presentation ahead of the vote Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama urged the IOC to pick Tokyo during a heartfelt speech, saying it was ‘’ well positioned to serve as a future model of public safety and environmental stability.’’
The host of Asia’s first Olympics in 1964, Tokyo won praise from the IOC in an evaluation report last month for its vision and concept to stage a compact Olympic Games and a solid financial plan.
It had planned to use several renovated venues from the 1964 Games while its Olympic Stadium would have been be the first in the world to be powered by solar energy.
Amid the global economic downturn, Tokyo had also secured a special 400 billion yen budget for the Games.
During the IOC bid evaluation committee’s visit to Tokyo in the spring, committee chairwoman Nawal El Moutawakel said the inspectors were most impressed by the concept of hosting an Olympics, in which 97 percent of the venues would be located within 8 kilometers of the Olympic Stadium.
Initial concerns, though, had been raised regarding Tokyo’s lack of public support, while low marks in the evaluation report were also given for existing venues, operations and land area for the athletes’ village.
Although there is no official IOC continental rotation policy, Tokyo faced another obstacle in trying to bring the games to Asia so soon after Beijing staged last year’s Games. -source
***
Tokyo didn't seem as enthusiastic as compared to the other countries that's why they have lost the bid.
Rio de Janeiro was named the winner of rights to stage the 2016 Games, beating Madrid in the final round of voting to become the first South American Olympic host. Rio had 66 votes to Madrid’s 32.
Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting before Tokyo’s exit left the race down to the Rio and Madrid. Tokyo had 22 votes in the first round and 20 in the second.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama released a statement Saturday congratulating the Brazilian people on Rio de Janeiro’s win in a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
‘‘I want to offer my heartfelt appreciation for the citizens of Tokyo and athletes,’’ said Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara. ‘‘Let’s use this precious experience, while tackling environmental issues and contribute to the development of world cities. I pray for the success of the Games in Rio de Janeiro.’’
Under host city voting procedures, the city with the fewest number of votes in each successive round of balloting is eliminated until one city has reached a majority of the valid votes cast.
It was Japan’s third consecutive failed bid to win the rights to hold the Summer Games. Nagoya lost out to Seoul for the 1988 Olympics, while Osaka was eliminated in the first round of voting for the 2008 Games, which went to Beijing.
‘‘It’s a pity. We united as a team and did everything we could,’’ said Japanese Olympic Committee chief Tsunekazu Takeda.
‘‘There is a winner and a loser and this time we couldn’t win but we have also gained something. We have to figure out how to go for the 2020 Olympics.’’
About 500 people who gathered at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building could not help but sigh early Saturday when Tokyo was eliminated from consideration for the 2016 Olympics in the second round of voting.
When International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge announced the elimination of Tokyo in a live image displayed on a large screen, those gathered in a hall on the fifth floor of the building let out sighs of disappointment.
Vice Tokyo Gov Hiroshi Sato, Japanese Olympic Committee members and athletes, including Yuko Arimori, a marathon runner who won the silver medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, gathered there to support Tokyo’s bid for the host city of the 2016 Olympics and watch the results of the IOC voting.
Hiromi Miyake, a Japanese female weightlifter, said, ‘‘I was excited because I thought Tokyo would be selected as Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting.’’
In an event held at Tokyo Tower to support the Japanese capital’s bid, the venue was covered by a festive mood when Tokyo moved to the second round of voting, but hopes were dashed within a few minutes as Tokyo was eliminated.
‘‘It’s very frustrating,’’ said hurdler Dai Tamesue. Fashion designer and event producer Kansai Yamamoto, who represented supporters for Tokyo’s bid, said, ‘‘It’s like going from the top to the bottom on a roller coaster.’’
But he added, ‘‘We have a chance again in four years.
Tokyo was left to rue what might have been after efforts failed to convince the IOC that it could stage ‘‘the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever.’’
JOC Vice President Tomiaki Fukuda said he was surprised at Madrid staying alive.
‘‘I thought Madrid would be eliminated. There is a possibility that it won votes out of sympathy for (former IOC president Juan Antonio) Samaranch. It’s a real shame. I want Tokyo to bid for the Olympics one more time.’’
Samaranch had appealed for the Spanish capital, reminding IOC members that, at age 89, ‘‘I am very near the end of my time.’’
During Tokyo’s final presentation ahead of the vote Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama urged the IOC to pick Tokyo during a heartfelt speech, saying it was ‘’ well positioned to serve as a future model of public safety and environmental stability.’’
The host of Asia’s first Olympics in 1964, Tokyo won praise from the IOC in an evaluation report last month for its vision and concept to stage a compact Olympic Games and a solid financial plan.
It had planned to use several renovated venues from the 1964 Games while its Olympic Stadium would have been be the first in the world to be powered by solar energy.
Amid the global economic downturn, Tokyo had also secured a special 400 billion yen budget for the Games.
During the IOC bid evaluation committee’s visit to Tokyo in the spring, committee chairwoman Nawal El Moutawakel said the inspectors were most impressed by the concept of hosting an Olympics, in which 97 percent of the venues would be located within 8 kilometers of the Olympic Stadium.
Initial concerns, though, had been raised regarding Tokyo’s lack of public support, while low marks in the evaluation report were also given for existing venues, operations and land area for the athletes’ village.
Although there is no official IOC continental rotation policy, Tokyo faced another obstacle in trying to bring the games to Asia so soon after Beijing staged last year’s Games. -source
***
Tokyo didn't seem as enthusiastic as compared to the other countries that's why they have lost the bid.
Rio gets 2016 Olympics, a first for South America
COPENHAGEN — Let the Olympic Carnival begin. And the crying, too.
The International Olympic Committee's announcement Friday that Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Games reduced Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to tears again and again.
The popular and populist politician known as Lula sobbed into a handkerchief at the official news conference after Rio won a comprehensive 66-32 victory over Madrid in a third and final round of voting — putting the Olympics in South America for the first time.
He wept with emotion while sitting with Rio bid's team on the main stage during a final presentation of the city's case to IOC voters earlier Friday. And the tears also flowed when he was hugged and kissed by football great Pele minutes after the city was confirmed as 2016 host by IOC president Jacques Rogge.
"From the bottom of my heart I can say that this is the most exciting day of my life," said Silva, a two-time presidential election winner. "I can say that I cried during the presentation. Suddenly I was crying so much more than anyone."
Pele also sobbed as he exalted his president in a joyous melee of Brazilian bodies and flags, within touching distance of smiling rows of IOC members.
"His heart is in sport," the three-time World Cup winner told The Associated Press, the green, blue and yellow national flag draped around his shoulders. "We are together so we hugged. He is another person who always plays in a good team."
Rio's victory was undoubtedly a shared effort, though the winning team all honored their captain.
Rio 2016 secretary general Carlos Osorio described how Silva calmed his side's nerves before facing the IOC and a global television audience Friday.
"We were ready in line, exactly like in the FIFA World Cup," Osorio explained. "Then President Lula as the captain of the team gave the last words, words of encouragement. And let's roll."
The captain's message? "Let's stay calm, and stick with our plan."
That plan was to persuade voters that the games should come to South America for the first time.
"I honestly believe it is Brazil's time," Silva said during the presentation. "It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country."
Brazil's emerging status as a world power — predicted as the world's fifth-largest economy by 2016 — demanded the country be rewarded for its hard work, and its growing importance in the changing landscape of global politics, he told Olympic voters.
"It will boost the self-esteem of Brazil, it will consolidate recent achievements, it will inspire new ones," Silva said.
The president had traveled the world in recent months telling all who would listen that Brazil needed the 2016 games, while rivals Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo merely wanted them.
Chicago wanted them so badly that its most famous resident, President Barack Obama, flew into Denmark for just a few hours to take the same stage shortly before his political ally.
"I saw him everywhere. I thought we had lost, we had lost because Obama came," Silva said. "I want to say that I am not the one who knocked down Obama. It wasn't Lula that won and Obama that lost, it was Rio that won."
And when Rogge read Rio de Janeiro's name, the tight-knit organizing team leapt to mob their captain, the calm center of a hugging, shouting mass.
The former trade union leader did not forget Rio's pledge to the IOC that it would start work Saturday on delivering its promises.
Rio will spend $14.4 billion on operating costs and necessary upgrades to venues, accommodation and transport links.
"Our slogan is now: work, work, work," said Silva, whose presidential term ends in 15 months. "It is a historical challenge for us. We're not a second-rated country, we're a first-rate country." -source
***
This is going to be a big party for Rio de Janeiro! This is the first time for Brazil to host such a grand event.
The International Olympic Committee's announcement Friday that Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Games reduced Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to tears again and again.
The popular and populist politician known as Lula sobbed into a handkerchief at the official news conference after Rio won a comprehensive 66-32 victory over Madrid in a third and final round of voting — putting the Olympics in South America for the first time.
He wept with emotion while sitting with Rio bid's team on the main stage during a final presentation of the city's case to IOC voters earlier Friday. And the tears also flowed when he was hugged and kissed by football great Pele minutes after the city was confirmed as 2016 host by IOC president Jacques Rogge.
"From the bottom of my heart I can say that this is the most exciting day of my life," said Silva, a two-time presidential election winner. "I can say that I cried during the presentation. Suddenly I was crying so much more than anyone."
Pele also sobbed as he exalted his president in a joyous melee of Brazilian bodies and flags, within touching distance of smiling rows of IOC members.
"His heart is in sport," the three-time World Cup winner told The Associated Press, the green, blue and yellow national flag draped around his shoulders. "We are together so we hugged. He is another person who always plays in a good team."
Rio's victory was undoubtedly a shared effort, though the winning team all honored their captain.
Rio 2016 secretary general Carlos Osorio described how Silva calmed his side's nerves before facing the IOC and a global television audience Friday.
"We were ready in line, exactly like in the FIFA World Cup," Osorio explained. "Then President Lula as the captain of the team gave the last words, words of encouragement. And let's roll."
The captain's message? "Let's stay calm, and stick with our plan."
That plan was to persuade voters that the games should come to South America for the first time.
"I honestly believe it is Brazil's time," Silva said during the presentation. "It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country."
Brazil's emerging status as a world power — predicted as the world's fifth-largest economy by 2016 — demanded the country be rewarded for its hard work, and its growing importance in the changing landscape of global politics, he told Olympic voters.
"It will boost the self-esteem of Brazil, it will consolidate recent achievements, it will inspire new ones," Silva said.
The president had traveled the world in recent months telling all who would listen that Brazil needed the 2016 games, while rivals Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo merely wanted them.
Chicago wanted them so badly that its most famous resident, President Barack Obama, flew into Denmark for just a few hours to take the same stage shortly before his political ally.
"I saw him everywhere. I thought we had lost, we had lost because Obama came," Silva said. "I want to say that I am not the one who knocked down Obama. It wasn't Lula that won and Obama that lost, it was Rio that won."
And when Rogge read Rio de Janeiro's name, the tight-knit organizing team leapt to mob their captain, the calm center of a hugging, shouting mass.
The former trade union leader did not forget Rio's pledge to the IOC that it would start work Saturday on delivering its promises.
Rio will spend $14.4 billion on operating costs and necessary upgrades to venues, accommodation and transport links.
"Our slogan is now: work, work, work," said Silva, whose presidential term ends in 15 months. "It is a historical challenge for us. We're not a second-rated country, we're a first-rate country." -source
***
This is going to be a big party for Rio de Janeiro! This is the first time for Brazil to host such a grand event.
Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympics
President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil hugs football legend Pele as they celebrate Rio de Janeiro's win in Copenhagen tonight. Photograph: Reuters/Pawel KopczynskiPresident Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil hugs football legend Pele as they celebrate Rio de Janeiro's win in Copenhagen tonight.
Rio de Janeiro has been voted to be the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games, it was announced today.
The Brazilian city, which proposed investments of $11.1 billion in preparation for the games, won today in balloting by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, beating Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago.
It will be the first time the Games have ever been held in South America and the decision has been greeted, predictably, in true carnival style as thousands of Cariocas, as Rio residents are known, danced and shouted in delight on Copacabana beach in front of a big stage and screens that showed the vote live.
Television images from Copenhagen showed an emotional President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who campaigned intensely for the bid, hugging other members of the Rio campaign.
Chicago was the first city eliminated in voting, despite the unprecedented support given to the bid by President Barack Obama and the first lady. Tokyo lost out in the second round.
Chicago had been considered the odds-on favourite to win the right to stage the 2016 Games, after Mr Obama became the first sitting US president to address an IOC session, yet his appearance was to no avail as the first round produced a shock result.
The IOC's members chose the winner in insuccessive rounds of secret balloting.
Prior to the voting, President Lula made his pitch to the committed, raising the emotional stakes in his direct appeal to the IOC to stop favouring Europe, North America and Asia and take the Games to South America for the first time. "This is a continent that has never held the Games," he said. "It is time to address this imbalance. The opportunity is now to extend the Games to a new continent. It's an opportunity for an Olympics in a tropical country for the first time, to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture and the sensation of our joy."
President Obama took a huge gamble in flying overnight to the Danish capital to make a personal appeal to the IOC on behalf of Chicago. "I've come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the same reason I chose Chicago nearly twenty-five years ago, the reason I fell in love with the city I still call home,” he said.
His eloquent speech to the 95 members eligible to vote in the first round, following an emotional address by first lady Michelle Obama, were the cornerstone of the Chicago presentation.
The first lady had been in the Danish capital for two days to lobby IOC members for their votes. She made her own appeal, citing her early Olympic memories of sitting on her late father's knee to watch the exploits of gymnasts Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci and athlete Carl Lewis.
In its presentation, Madrid offered to stage a passionate, cosmopolitan Games in 2016. Madrid boasted a heavyweight line-up including King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Japan's newly elected prime minister Yukio Hatoyama also flew in to urge a vote for Tokyo. - source
**
A big congratulations to Rio de Janeiro for winning the bid to host the 2016 olympics!
Rio de Janeiro has been voted to be the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games, it was announced today.
The Brazilian city, which proposed investments of $11.1 billion in preparation for the games, won today in balloting by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, beating Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago.
It will be the first time the Games have ever been held in South America and the decision has been greeted, predictably, in true carnival style as thousands of Cariocas, as Rio residents are known, danced and shouted in delight on Copacabana beach in front of a big stage and screens that showed the vote live.
Television images from Copenhagen showed an emotional President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who campaigned intensely for the bid, hugging other members of the Rio campaign.
Chicago was the first city eliminated in voting, despite the unprecedented support given to the bid by President Barack Obama and the first lady. Tokyo lost out in the second round.
Chicago had been considered the odds-on favourite to win the right to stage the 2016 Games, after Mr Obama became the first sitting US president to address an IOC session, yet his appearance was to no avail as the first round produced a shock result.
The IOC's members chose the winner in insuccessive rounds of secret balloting.
Prior to the voting, President Lula made his pitch to the committed, raising the emotional stakes in his direct appeal to the IOC to stop favouring Europe, North America and Asia and take the Games to South America for the first time. "This is a continent that has never held the Games," he said. "It is time to address this imbalance. The opportunity is now to extend the Games to a new continent. It's an opportunity for an Olympics in a tropical country for the first time, to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture and the sensation of our joy."
President Obama took a huge gamble in flying overnight to the Danish capital to make a personal appeal to the IOC on behalf of Chicago. "I've come here today to urge you to choose Chicago for the same reason I chose Chicago nearly twenty-five years ago, the reason I fell in love with the city I still call home,” he said.
His eloquent speech to the 95 members eligible to vote in the first round, following an emotional address by first lady Michelle Obama, were the cornerstone of the Chicago presentation.
The first lady had been in the Danish capital for two days to lobby IOC members for their votes. She made her own appeal, citing her early Olympic memories of sitting on her late father's knee to watch the exploits of gymnasts Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci and athlete Carl Lewis.
In its presentation, Madrid offered to stage a passionate, cosmopolitan Games in 2016. Madrid boasted a heavyweight line-up including King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Japan's newly elected prime minister Yukio Hatoyama also flew in to urge a vote for Tokyo. - source
**
A big congratulations to Rio de Janeiro for winning the bid to host the 2016 olympics!
Obama Makes Final Pitch For Chicago to Host 2016 Olympics
In an impassioned final pitch to members of the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, President Barack Obama made the case Friday for the mid-Western U.S. city of Chicago to host the 2016 summer games.
US President Barack Obama is introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama before presentation in Copenhagen, 02 Oct 2009
US President Barack Obama is introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama before presentation in Copenhagen, 02 Oct 2009
With just a handful of key votes hanging in the balance, President Obama flew in to Copenhagen overnight to make a final push for the town he has called his home for 25 years. He underlined Chicago's history, its people and its strength through diversity.
"There is nothing I would like more than to step just a few blocks from my family's home, with Michelle and our two girls and welcome the world back into our neighborhood," President Obama said. "At the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped by people from around the world wants a chance to inspire it once more, to ignite the possibility of spirit of possibility at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic movement."
On hand with him was First Lady Michelle, who grew up in a working class neighborhood on Chicago's south side. She recalled her father who, stricken with multiple sclerosis, instilled the values that have guided her through life, including lessons learned from the world of sports.
"If he could have seen the Paralympic games share a global stage, with the Olympic games, if he could have witnessed athletes who compete and excel and prove that nothing is more powerful than the human spirit, I know it would have restored in him the same sense of unbridled possibility that he instilled in me," Mrs. Obama said. "Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralymic movement is about so much more than what we can offer the games. It is about what the games can offer all of us. It is about inspiring this generation and building a lasting legacy for the next."
In summing up the bid, President Obama said Chicago would be a proud host city that would not let anyone down.
"To host games that unite us in noble competition and shard celebration of our limitless potential as a people. And so, I urge you to choose Chicago. I urge you to choose America and if you do, if we walk this path together, then I promise you this, the city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud. Thank you so much," the president said.
Delegations from Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid then delivered their final presentations.
Observers predict the outcome may be very close with just two, three of four votes in the end determining the winning city. - source
***
Last years vote between Paris and London only had a difference of 4 votes. Every vote for this 2016 olympics will count.
US President Barack Obama is introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama before presentation in Copenhagen, 02 Oct 2009
US President Barack Obama is introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama before presentation in Copenhagen, 02 Oct 2009
With just a handful of key votes hanging in the balance, President Obama flew in to Copenhagen overnight to make a final push for the town he has called his home for 25 years. He underlined Chicago's history, its people and its strength through diversity.
"There is nothing I would like more than to step just a few blocks from my family's home, with Michelle and our two girls and welcome the world back into our neighborhood," President Obama said. "At the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped by people from around the world wants a chance to inspire it once more, to ignite the possibility of spirit of possibility at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic movement."
On hand with him was First Lady Michelle, who grew up in a working class neighborhood on Chicago's south side. She recalled her father who, stricken with multiple sclerosis, instilled the values that have guided her through life, including lessons learned from the world of sports.
"If he could have seen the Paralympic games share a global stage, with the Olympic games, if he could have witnessed athletes who compete and excel and prove that nothing is more powerful than the human spirit, I know it would have restored in him the same sense of unbridled possibility that he instilled in me," Mrs. Obama said. "Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralymic movement is about so much more than what we can offer the games. It is about what the games can offer all of us. It is about inspiring this generation and building a lasting legacy for the next."
In summing up the bid, President Obama said Chicago would be a proud host city that would not let anyone down.
"To host games that unite us in noble competition and shard celebration of our limitless potential as a people. And so, I urge you to choose Chicago. I urge you to choose America and if you do, if we walk this path together, then I promise you this, the city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud. Thank you so much," the president said.
Delegations from Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid then delivered their final presentations.
Observers predict the outcome may be very close with just two, three of four votes in the end determining the winning city. - source
***
Last years vote between Paris and London only had a difference of 4 votes. Every vote for this 2016 olympics will count.
Cities wait on 2016 Olympic announcement
Members of the International Olympic Committee are gathering in Copenhagen today for the eagerly anticipated decision on which city will host the 2016 Olympic Games.
By the end of today we will know where Rugby Sevens could be headed in 2016, if the sport is added to the programme next Friday.
Both Chicago and Rio de Janeiro have been installed as favourites with Madrid and Tokoyo also in the hunt in what’s billed as one of the closest races in recent times.
Chicago's bid to host the Olympics has been greatly boosted by US President Barack Obama who made an impassioned plea to the IOC in Denmark this morning.
The city plans to build five new permanent venues and 11 temporary ones, with 22 of their planned 27 venues in four clusters within 15km of the Olympic Village, which will be based south of McCormick Place which will itself house 11 venues. The new venues will compliment existing structures such as Soldier Field, United Center, Sears Center and Wrigley Field.
If Chicago and Rugby Sevens are both successful it could have a profound effect on the sport in the USA with multiple athletes wanting to participate in a sport that could bring them a gold medal in their home country. With the huge success of the USA Sevens event in recent years and the improvements made by the team itself, Rugby Sevens would fit into the programme with ease.
First for South America?
South America has never hosted the Summer Games but Rio de Janeiro is hoping to change that, with the likes of Pele in Copenhagen to lend support. The city plans to stage all the competitions inside the city, bringing "dynamics to the games and facilitating the athlete's interaction", according to the bid website.
Brazil have made great strides in Sevens in recent years especially through the Women’s side. They remain unbeaten on South American soil and enjoyed a good showing the inaugural Women’s World Cup back in March. The Brazilian RFU are keen to focus resources on the Sevens side over the 15-a-side game.
Tokyo is touting "the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever" with a waterfront setting, enabling the city to redevelop a rundown area, previously just used for industry and shipping, just as London and Barcelona did in previous hostings.
The introduction of the new Asian Sevens Series would mean the sport could be well received in by a Tokyo audience by 2016 with interest in the game continually rising.
Madrid have a strong case with 85% of venues already built and in place, and a history of hosting Olympic qualifying events. Although Rugby is still a developing sport in the country, Spain have some experience on the IRB World Sevens Series and finished fourth at the 2009 Euro Finals stage in Hannover.
UR7s will keep you up to date with all the news from Copenhagen. - UR7s
***
It's only a few hours more before the announcement. I'm sure everybody can't wait!
By the end of today we will know where Rugby Sevens could be headed in 2016, if the sport is added to the programme next Friday.
Both Chicago and Rio de Janeiro have been installed as favourites with Madrid and Tokoyo also in the hunt in what’s billed as one of the closest races in recent times.
Chicago's bid to host the Olympics has been greatly boosted by US President Barack Obama who made an impassioned plea to the IOC in Denmark this morning.
The city plans to build five new permanent venues and 11 temporary ones, with 22 of their planned 27 venues in four clusters within 15km of the Olympic Village, which will be based south of McCormick Place which will itself house 11 venues. The new venues will compliment existing structures such as Soldier Field, United Center, Sears Center and Wrigley Field.
If Chicago and Rugby Sevens are both successful it could have a profound effect on the sport in the USA with multiple athletes wanting to participate in a sport that could bring them a gold medal in their home country. With the huge success of the USA Sevens event in recent years and the improvements made by the team itself, Rugby Sevens would fit into the programme with ease.
First for South America?
South America has never hosted the Summer Games but Rio de Janeiro is hoping to change that, with the likes of Pele in Copenhagen to lend support. The city plans to stage all the competitions inside the city, bringing "dynamics to the games and facilitating the athlete's interaction", according to the bid website.
Brazil have made great strides in Sevens in recent years especially through the Women’s side. They remain unbeaten on South American soil and enjoyed a good showing the inaugural Women’s World Cup back in March. The Brazilian RFU are keen to focus resources on the Sevens side over the 15-a-side game.
Tokyo is touting "the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever" with a waterfront setting, enabling the city to redevelop a rundown area, previously just used for industry and shipping, just as London and Barcelona did in previous hostings.
The introduction of the new Asian Sevens Series would mean the sport could be well received in by a Tokyo audience by 2016 with interest in the game continually rising.
Madrid have a strong case with 85% of venues already built and in place, and a history of hosting Olympic qualifying events. Although Rugby is still a developing sport in the country, Spain have some experience on the IRB World Sevens Series and finished fourth at the 2009 Euro Finals stage in Hannover.
UR7s will keep you up to date with all the news from Copenhagen. - UR7s
***
It's only a few hours more before the announcement. I'm sure everybody can't wait!
2016 Olympics announcement time, Obama under attack for Olympic campaign
2016 Olympics announcement time, Obama under attack for Olympic campaign. United States President Barack Obama came under attack even from fellow Democrats for going to Copenhagen, to make last minute negotiations for Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid. International Olympic Committee will soon announce the venue of the Olympics to be held in 2016.
Critics accuse Obama of squandering both his time and declining political capital by engaging in futile efforts for a goal that they think is far from being realistic.
If at all he succeeds in bringing Olympics to Chicago, they say nobody will really care.
Now, if he fails in the effort, that will be a major blow not only to the image of Obama as a person but to the office of US president, they warn.
While he has to husband plenty of raging issues back home, his trip to Copenhagen has been disapproved by many including those who are optimistic about Chicago’s prospects of hosting the 2016 Olympics.
No US president other than Obama has so far gone up to IOC to lobby for Olympics venue. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed to have invited Obama to Denmark for a ‘fight.’ Presidents and prime ministers from other contenders Spain and Japan have not made it to Denmark in person.
Currently, there are six other cities namely Baku, Doha, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Prague in the race for the Olympics venue. Observers see less possibility for Rio de Janeiro for the city will be hosting Football World Cup two years later. They do not see any chances for Chicago either. Instead, Madrid or Tokyo are more likely win. -source
***
Some people do not see the opportunity that having the 2016 olympics will bring to the country. Let's hope they're not criticizing Obama for the sake of debate.
Critics accuse Obama of squandering both his time and declining political capital by engaging in futile efforts for a goal that they think is far from being realistic.
If at all he succeeds in bringing Olympics to Chicago, they say nobody will really care.
Now, if he fails in the effort, that will be a major blow not only to the image of Obama as a person but to the office of US president, they warn.
While he has to husband plenty of raging issues back home, his trip to Copenhagen has been disapproved by many including those who are optimistic about Chicago’s prospects of hosting the 2016 Olympics.
No US president other than Obama has so far gone up to IOC to lobby for Olympics venue. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed to have invited Obama to Denmark for a ‘fight.’ Presidents and prime ministers from other contenders Spain and Japan have not made it to Denmark in person.
Currently, there are six other cities namely Baku, Doha, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Prague in the race for the Olympics venue. Observers see less possibility for Rio de Janeiro for the city will be hosting Football World Cup two years later. They do not see any chances for Chicago either. Instead, Madrid or Tokyo are more likely win. -source
***
Some people do not see the opportunity that having the 2016 olympics will bring to the country. Let's hope they're not criticizing Obama for the sake of debate.
2016 Olympics Announcement Time
Major announcements about Olympics are expected this afternoon. Anxiety of four bidding cities will also came to an end after this announcement.
The battle of proving the host city for Olympics of 2016 will also close. beingFour major cities that is Chicago, Tokyo, Ro and Madrid has bided for the host city for Olympics 2016, in which two cities with joint bid that is Chicago and Ro are hot favorite.
After an long wait of 18 months, the cities will know whether they have qualified for host for games that have to take place with in a time of 7 years. The hopes of Ro were boosted up after the visit of American president with wife at Copenhagen where the conference of international Olympic committee is taking place this week.
Before the voting process this afternoon, the biding cities were given a chance to prove themselves best choice before the committee. The final announcement will be made by the president of committee Jacques Rogge around 18:30 local.
The president also has allegations of corruption in IOC which he denies. He is a controversial president and there is controversy expecting in the meeting also.
Currently, London is making preparations for 2012. they have pressure on them after the superb hosting by Beijing last time. - source
***
Everybody is very excited to know who's going to have the 2016 olympics. It's going to be a boost in the economy for the chosen country.
The battle of proving the host city for Olympics of 2016 will also close. beingFour major cities that is Chicago, Tokyo, Ro and Madrid has bided for the host city for Olympics 2016, in which two cities with joint bid that is Chicago and Ro are hot favorite.
After an long wait of 18 months, the cities will know whether they have qualified for host for games that have to take place with in a time of 7 years. The hopes of Ro were boosted up after the visit of American president with wife at Copenhagen where the conference of international Olympic committee is taking place this week.
Before the voting process this afternoon, the biding cities were given a chance to prove themselves best choice before the committee. The final announcement will be made by the president of committee Jacques Rogge around 18:30 local.
The president also has allegations of corruption in IOC which he denies. He is a controversial president and there is controversy expecting in the meeting also.
Currently, London is making preparations for 2012. they have pressure on them after the superb hosting by Beijing last time. - source
***
Everybody is very excited to know who's going to have the 2016 olympics. It's going to be a boost in the economy for the chosen country.
Chicago, Rio de Janeiro in heated battle for 2016 Olympic Games
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- The battle to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games appears to be heating up between Chicago, Illinois, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, two sources close to the process said Thursday.
This screen in Chicago's Daley Plaza will show the announcement of the winning city live on Friday.
This screen in Chicago's Daley Plaza will show the announcement of the winning city live on Friday.
The revelation came after a day of furious behind-the-scenes lobbying of International Olympic Committee members by American first lady Michelle Obama and famed talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who both hail from Chicago.
Madrid, Spain, and Tokyo, Japan, are also in the running. But the sources said Chicago and Rio have emerged as the clear front-runners and are in a neck-and-neck battle ahead of President Obama's arrival early Friday for a presentation to the IOC's 106 members, 97 of whom will be voting later in the day to decide which city will win the games.
After a flurry of private conversations among IOC officials in Copenhagen, one of the sources close to the process -- an American -- said bluntly that it's "close as hell" between the U.S. and Brazilian cities. Video Watch how people are betting on which city will win »
Both Obama and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plan to make personal appeals to the voters on behalf of their cities Friday morning.
In a sign of just how ferocious the lobbying is, King Juan Carlos of Spain and new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are also making personal pitches to the IOC members.
There has been widespread speculation that Obama is flying to Copenhagen for a four-hour lobbying mission only because the White House has gotten a private heads-up that Chicago will win and that he should come to claim victory. But the sources close to the process insisted that the voting has not been pre-cooked, meaning Obama is swooping in at some political risk, because it is unclear whether the U.S. bid will be successful.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who is in Copenhagen, has been privately giving the White House positive progress reports about what he's hearing from IOC members, suggesting that the U.S. bid is in good shape, according to the sources.
But the sources cautioned that Obama and top aides are only cautiously optimistic and want to wait until the voting before they contemplate any celebrations -source
**
Rio de Janeiro is the other favorite for the bid. Brazil is one of the fast-growing countries in the world.
This screen in Chicago's Daley Plaza will show the announcement of the winning city live on Friday.
This screen in Chicago's Daley Plaza will show the announcement of the winning city live on Friday.
The revelation came after a day of furious behind-the-scenes lobbying of International Olympic Committee members by American first lady Michelle Obama and famed talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who both hail from Chicago.
Madrid, Spain, and Tokyo, Japan, are also in the running. But the sources said Chicago and Rio have emerged as the clear front-runners and are in a neck-and-neck battle ahead of President Obama's arrival early Friday for a presentation to the IOC's 106 members, 97 of whom will be voting later in the day to decide which city will win the games.
After a flurry of private conversations among IOC officials in Copenhagen, one of the sources close to the process -- an American -- said bluntly that it's "close as hell" between the U.S. and Brazilian cities. Video Watch how people are betting on which city will win »
Both Obama and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plan to make personal appeals to the voters on behalf of their cities Friday morning.
In a sign of just how ferocious the lobbying is, King Juan Carlos of Spain and new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are also making personal pitches to the IOC members.
There has been widespread speculation that Obama is flying to Copenhagen for a four-hour lobbying mission only because the White House has gotten a private heads-up that Chicago will win and that he should come to claim victory. But the sources close to the process insisted that the voting has not been pre-cooked, meaning Obama is swooping in at some political risk, because it is unclear whether the U.S. bid will be successful.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who is in Copenhagen, has been privately giving the White House positive progress reports about what he's hearing from IOC members, suggesting that the U.S. bid is in good shape, according to the sources.
But the sources cautioned that Obama and top aides are only cautiously optimistic and want to wait until the voting before they contemplate any celebrations -source
**
Rio de Janeiro is the other favorite for the bid. Brazil is one of the fast-growing countries in the world.
Last push from Madrid 2016 Olympic Games bid
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain are in Copenhagen this Thursday as part of the last effort from Madrid to win the nomination as host city of the 2016 Olympic Games.
The King and Queen have been joined by Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, as well as the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon.
The Spanish representatives are meeting members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a last push to win votes in tomorrow's decision as to which city will be chosen to host the2016 Games.
Madrid, which failed in its bid to hold the 2012 Games, competes against Tokyo, Chicago and Rio De Janeiro in Friday's vote.
Gallardon stressed that the Madrid bid was a "collective and shared dream," for the inhabitants of the Spanish capital.
Meanwhile five times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain is also in Copenhagen to help Madrid's efforts.
Indurain took part in the Copenhagen Bike Tour along with Gymnast Almudena Cid, the gold medal winner in the 1,500 meters from Barcelona 1992, Fermin Cacho and tennis star Arancha Sanchez Vicario.
The decision as to which city will be chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games will be made public between 18.30 and 19.00 hours on Friday. -sourceLast push from Madrid 2016 Olympic Games bid
The King and Queen have been joined by Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, as well as the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon.
The Spanish representatives are meeting members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a last push to win votes in tomorrow's decision as to which city will be chosen to host the2016 Games.
Madrid, which failed in its bid to hold the 2012 Games, competes against Tokyo, Chicago and Rio De Janeiro in Friday's vote.
Gallardon stressed that the Madrid bid was a "collective and shared dream," for the inhabitants of the Spanish capital.
Meanwhile five times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain is also in Copenhagen to help Madrid's efforts.
Indurain took part in the Copenhagen Bike Tour along with Gymnast Almudena Cid, the gold medal winner in the 1,500 meters from Barcelona 1992, Fermin Cacho and tennis star Arancha Sanchez Vicario.
The decision as to which city will be chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games will be made public between 18.30 and 19.00 hours on Friday. -sourceLast push from Madrid 2016 Olympic Games bid
2016 Olympics announcement: Chicago is favourite!
New York: Curiosity and anxiety are on high as International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to announce the name of 2016 Olympics hosting city.
The announcement in this regard is expected this afternoon. There are four cities in the fray who are vying for the hosting rights of Olympics 2016.
The cities are-- Tokyo, Ro, Chicago and Madrid. Chicago and Ro have jointly bided for the 2016 Olympics hosting rights.
According to the sources, Chicago is the hot favourite for the 2016 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee is holding a conference at Copenhagen in Ro to finalise the date and city.
The voting process for the 2016 Olympics will start this afternoon.
Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama has came under the attack from Opposition over his visit to Ro just before the announcement. Obama also addressed the ongoing IOC conference.
It will be major set back for Obama and his cabinet if Chicago lost the Olympic 2016 bid.
However, London is geared up for the 2012 Olympics and all the preparations are taking place on war-footage. -source
**
Is Chicago really a favorite? How come many are criticizing Obama for having to go through the extend of going to the bid despite many other problems he needs to address?
The announcement in this regard is expected this afternoon. There are four cities in the fray who are vying for the hosting rights of Olympics 2016.
The cities are-- Tokyo, Ro, Chicago and Madrid. Chicago and Ro have jointly bided for the 2016 Olympics hosting rights.
According to the sources, Chicago is the hot favourite for the 2016 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee is holding a conference at Copenhagen in Ro to finalise the date and city.
The voting process for the 2016 Olympics will start this afternoon.
Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama has came under the attack from Opposition over his visit to Ro just before the announcement. Obama also addressed the ongoing IOC conference.
It will be major set back for Obama and his cabinet if Chicago lost the Olympic 2016 bid.
However, London is geared up for the 2012 Olympics and all the preparations are taking place on war-footage. -source
**
Is Chicago really a favorite? How come many are criticizing Obama for having to go through the extend of going to the bid despite many other problems he needs to address?
Tokyo Bids for 2016 Olympics
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledges on Oct. 1, 2009 to do his utmost to bring the Olympics to Tokyo in 2016 as he prepared to go to Copenhagen for the big vote. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledges on Oct. 1, 2009 to do his utmost to bring the Olympics to Tokyo in 2016 as he prepared to go to Copenhagen for the big vote.
The International Olympic Committee will announce the host city for the 2016 Summer Games on Friday. Four cities are competing, including Tokyo. The capital of Japan is the only contender to have held the Olympics before -- and the public is not exactly supporting a second run.
Large posters reading "Tokyo 2016" tower from buildings at Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. The site of the 1964 Olympic Games would be the location of the 2016 Summer Games if Tokyo is selected. But you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who cares in the park.
Tomoko Shimada who was visiting the park with her young son says she has heard about Tokyo's bid on the news but nobody around me seems to care. That apathy could hurt Tokyo's chances of on Friday when the International Olympic Committee selects the host city for 2016. IOC members have already criticized the city's bid committee for lacking "emotional punch" in its presentations. And they have questioned public support for the bid. The bid committee tried to quiet that criticism by highlighting Tokyo's strengths.
A video produced by the city describes Tokyo as a world class destination -- with venues already fit for the Games.
The committee plans to renovate venues used for the 1964 games and says more than half of the required facilities already exist. The plan is to keep all but two of the sporting events within an eight-kilometer radius. The committee's strongest pitch? An environmentally friendly Olympics -- where the main stadium would be powered entirely by solar energy.
Newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife are in Copenhagen to make the final push for Tokyo. But back home, few are expected to tune in for the big announcement. This woman says if the Olympics come here it will only add to the city's congestion. She says the Games themselves will not affect her life. - source
***
It's interesting that Tokyo is offering solar powered facilities for their bid for the 2016 olympics.
The International Olympic Committee will announce the host city for the 2016 Summer Games on Friday. Four cities are competing, including Tokyo. The capital of Japan is the only contender to have held the Olympics before -- and the public is not exactly supporting a second run.
Large posters reading "Tokyo 2016" tower from buildings at Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. The site of the 1964 Olympic Games would be the location of the 2016 Summer Games if Tokyo is selected. But you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who cares in the park.
Tomoko Shimada who was visiting the park with her young son says she has heard about Tokyo's bid on the news but nobody around me seems to care. That apathy could hurt Tokyo's chances of on Friday when the International Olympic Committee selects the host city for 2016. IOC members have already criticized the city's bid committee for lacking "emotional punch" in its presentations. And they have questioned public support for the bid. The bid committee tried to quiet that criticism by highlighting Tokyo's strengths.
A video produced by the city describes Tokyo as a world class destination -- with venues already fit for the Games.
The committee plans to renovate venues used for the 1964 games and says more than half of the required facilities already exist. The plan is to keep all but two of the sporting events within an eight-kilometer radius. The committee's strongest pitch? An environmentally friendly Olympics -- where the main stadium would be powered entirely by solar energy.
Newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife are in Copenhagen to make the final push for Tokyo. But back home, few are expected to tune in for the big announcement. This woman says if the Olympics come here it will only add to the city's congestion. She says the Games themselves will not affect her life. - source
***
It's interesting that Tokyo is offering solar powered facilities for their bid for the 2016 olympics.
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