I kinda knew that Rio had the inside track, being that the Olympics Games never were in South America. Next, the IOC knew before FLOTUS, Michelle Obama even appeared in Copenhagen for the pitch. And now, Chicago knocked out in the first round.
Chicago was eliminated in the first ballot of voting for the 2016 Olympics on Friday, a stunning defeat for the city that was expected to be one of the two finalists. Not even the presence of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — nor a long list of celebrities — was enough to help the United States’ third-largest city.
Chicago had seemed to pick up momentum in the last few days, with many International Olympic Committee members seemingly charmed by Mrs. Obama. But when IOC president Jacques Rogge announced the results of the first vote, Chicago’s name was announced.
Tokyo was the next city eliminated, leaving Madrid and Rio de Janeiro as the remaining cities eligible as IOC voting continued.
Earlier, Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid made final pitches to the International Olympic Committee, with President Barack Obama and Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pitting their star power against each other in emotional pushes for their cities. read more here.....
And President Obama? He stood up to lobby for his country. Loser, Mayor Daley, who put the pressure on the White House to get involved in this and now look at it. Personally, I wrote earlier that I wished the President would not get involved and that FLOTUS was enough, well just look what happened. In the end, a lesson learned for President Obama, the Obama White House and Chicago politics.
FLOTUS address to the IOC for 2016 Olympic bid
POTUS address to the IOC for 2016 Olympic bid
POTUS & FLOTUS pitch to the IOC in Copenhagen, Denmark, transcript
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