Rio de Janeiro and Chicago both made impassioned appeals to the International Olympic Committee to be chosen later Friday as host of the 2016 Olympics with President Barack Obama and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pitting their star power against each other. Rio urged the IOC s members to be bold by taking the games to South America for the first time arguing that the continent offers a new frontier for the Olympic movement and that the games should not be the preserve of rich developed countries. I honestly believe it is Brazil s time. Among the top ten economies of the world Brazil is the only country that has not hosted the Olympic and Paralympics games Lula da Silva said. Chicago was no less forceful. Obama used both his stature as a statesman and his personal life story for impact. He held out the prospect of a Chicago games helping reconnect the United States with the world after the presidency of his predecessor George W. Bush. The other two contenders are Tokyo and Madrid. The presentations that all four cities were making represented the finishing line after years of hard work lobbying planning and hopes. They had 45 minutes and follow-up questions to sway and wow undecided IOC members of which there were many after a long close and at times acrimonious race. The 103 members who attended the meeting start voting electronically in a secret ballot at 510 p.m. 1510 GMT. The vote will take up to 30 minutes. Cities will be eliminated one-by-one until one secures a majority. Chicago presented its case to the IOC first with videos and speeches - capped by Obama s plea. A central theme of the presentation was the city s people - none of them more famous than Obama and his wife Michelle who both flew to Copenhagen - in the US leader s case for less than five hours. Tokyo was next presenting itself as the best city for the athletes safe and environmentally pioneering. I am here with my wife Miyuki to convey to you in person the heartfelt wish of the people of Japan to host the Olympic Games in Tokyo Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said. Rio played up the wow factor of its fabulous scenery with computer-generated bird s eye images of how venues would be spread across the city with sailing in the shadow of Sugar Loaf mountain and volleyball on Copacabana beach. The governor of the central bank said Brazil s economic vibrancy should reassure IOC members and the head of Rio state played down concerns over security. But Rio s biggest selling point was that the IOC could ignore South America no longer. An uncomfortable moment for Chicago came when an IOC member from Pakistan Syed Shahid Ali noted that going through US customs can be harrowing for foreigners. Obama responded that he wanted a Chicago games to offer a reminder that America at its best is open to the world. The high drama Friday will come when IOC president Jacques Rogge announces the name of the winner about an hour after the last vo

• published: 04 Nov 2013
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