Rio wins 2016 Olympics

The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics after winning a landslide victory over Madrid in the final round of voting among International Olympic Committee members in Copenhagen.

• IOC members shocked everyone at the Bella Convention Centre by eliminating favourites Chicago in the first voting round, despite the unprecedented personal support given by Barack Obama, the US president.
• Tokyo were the next city to fall before the IOC backed Rio to become the first South American city to host the Games by a margin of 66 votes to Madrid’s 32 in the final round.
• The announcement, made by IOC president Jacques Rogge, left Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, and much of the rest of the Brazil bid team in tears of joy.
• “I thought I would never be touched again in my life. Rio has soul, it has heart,” Lula said.
• “There was a tear dropping when I got up to the podium to speak. I was defending Brazil.”
• Carlos Osorio, general secretary of the Brazilian bid was ecstatic with the news: “Overwhelming, spectacular, unbelievable.”
• The Brazilian delegation broke into singing their “Marvellous City” song, all waving flags and hugging each other.
• “Like in every competition there can only be one winner,” Rogge said.
• “Tonight I have the honour to announce that the Games of the 31st Olympiad are awarded to the city of Rio de Janeiro,” Rogge said.
• In the first round of voting, favourites Chicago went out after polling just 18 votes, despite the eloquent speeches on their behalf made by Obama, the first sitting US president to address an IOC session, and first lady Michelle Obama.
• Madrid led the race at that stage with 28 votes, followed by Rio on 26 and Tokyo on 22.
• Rio came close to polling an absolute majority in the second round with 46 votes, followed by Madrid on 29 with Tokyo going out on 20.
• The final round was not even close.
• Carlos Nuzman, Rio bid leader, hugged president Lula, both in tears and said: “We did it, we did it.”
• Former tennis champion Gustavo Kuerten, a bid ambassador, said: “This is an amazing result.
• “We are going to be working from tomorrow to make it happen. Brazil will do the best it can from this great opportunity.”
• Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said: “Rio was a great candidate. We put up a great fight.”
• “It was well worth the effort. Olympic sport goes this way sometimes. We had a very good result and there will be other opportunities.”