Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, Rio get initial 2016 Olympics nod

Athletics News

Jun 4, 2008, 18:36 GMT

Athens - Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro were picked by the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday as the four final contenders to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Eliminated from the race of the seven cities which had applied were the Qatari capital Doha, Prague, and Baku in Azerbaijan. The final choice will be made next year. 'It was an impressive list to select from,' IOC's Communications Director Giselle Davies said, announcing the shortlist during a three-day IOC Executive Board meeting in Athens. The strong bids of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid always looked like they would have had no problem getting the initial nod, but there was uncertainty about the rest. The IOC Executive Board were reportedly divided over whether Doha should have been on the shortlist, with many saying the city of 500,000 was too small, despite hosting successful 2006 Asian Games. The bidding war will now see the top contenders from Europe, Asia and the Americas have until February 12, 2009 to prepare portfolios of their Olympic projects. They will also undergo a visit by the IOC's Evaluation Commission before a secret ballot makes the final choice by the IOC at its session in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 2, 2009. Officials said Tokyo ranked top in the IOC working group's overall technical evaluation with Madrid coming in second. Chicago came in third and Rio in fourth place. If successful Rio, which hosted successful 2007 Pan American Games, would be the first South American city to get the Olympics, which would come two years after Brazil hosts the 2014 football World Cup. Madrid is back again after losing the 2012 vote to London, but even if it makes the cut its chances are slim, because the IOC will most likely not award the Summer Games to Europe again after London in 2012. Chicago is pressing hard to bring back the Summer Games to the United States for the first time since Atlanta 1996 while Tokyo, which held the Games in 1964, is eager to bring the Olympics to Asia eight years after Beijing, which hosts the next Games in August.

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anonAug 4th, 2008 - 00:14:34

There is no place better than Chi-Town period.

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Mike CombsAug 25th, 2008 - 09:20:43

Any city would be far better than such a so-so place as Chicago. Plus, Beijing 2008 has prooved the US is clearly on its way down, down, down... Let's get some real fun, a place with real humans not money-money people.

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