Rio de Janeiro wins bid to host 2016 Olympics

Washington, Oct 3: Knocking out tough competition from Madrid, Tokyo, and Chicago, Brazil's Rio de Janeiro grabbed the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Game.

By evening Chicago and Tokyo were out of the race and Rio was battling it out with Madrid. But when it came to final votes Brazilian city got almost twice as many as Madrid.

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Before announcing the final decision of International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Rio on Friday, Oct 2, the committe president, Jacques Rogge said, All four projects are of the highest quality - thank you for your hard work, energy and commitment. But in every competition there can only be one winner."

And the triumphant president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had only this to say, "It is Brazil's time."

In what came as a big surprise was the defeat of Chicago in the very first round of voting. The bid for Chicago saw US president Barack Obama's personal pitch in favor of his home town.

According to reports, this decision by the committee consisting of former Olympians, sports administrators, royals and other VIPs was based on the query as to how easy it would be for the foreign players and international delegates to enter the country effortlessly.

OneIndia News