2016 Summer Olympics bids
Encyclopedia
Seven cities submitted bids for 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics on September 13, 2007, aiming to host the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. All of them were recognized by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) on September 14, 2007, becoming Applicant cities. On June 4, 2008, the IOC Executive Board shortlisted four bids to become Candidate cities—Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo—during a meeting in Athens
, Greece
. The remaining Applicant cities—Baku, Doha and Prague—were eliminated.
The four Candidate cities were selected according to a detailed study of the Applicant Files received by the IOC Working Group on January 14, 2008. The four cities submitted the Candidature Files to the IOC on February 11, 2009. They were analyzed by the IOC Evaluation Commission, which made site inspections in Chicago
(April 4–7, 2009), Tokyo
(April 16–19, 2009), Rio de Janeiro
(April 27–May 2, 2009) and Madrid
(May 5–8, 2009). Under the leadership of Nawal El Moutawakel
, the Evaluation Commission released its report on September 2, 2009; one month prior to the election.
With the presence of the heads of state from all four Candidate cities, the 121st IOC Session took place in Copenhagen
, Denmark
, on October 2, 2009. Chicago begun the presentations at Bella Center
; followed by Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid; which were attended by several celebrities such as the King of Spain, Oprah Winfrey
and Pelé
. Before the vote, the IOC Evaluation Commission presented its report to the Session. Chicago fell in the first round, followed by Tokyo, after the eligible IOC members have been asked to vote, in a three-round exhaustive ballot
process.
Rio de Janeiro defeated Madrid in the final round by 66 votes over 32, winning the rights to host the 2016 Summer Olympics
and Paralympics
. Brazil
will be the first lusophone
country and Rio de Janeiro the first city in South America
to host the Summer Olympics. The announcement was made by Jacques Rogge
, president of the IOC, in a widely broadcast ceremony. The lengthy and intensive bidding process, considered to be one of the tightest in history, was marked by several controversies such as espionage, racism and opposition movements.
Out of the six cities that failed to be awarded the 2016 Olympics, four of them are now bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympics
. Baku, Doha, Madrid and Tokyo are Applicant Cities for the 2020 Olympics.
(IOC) by its National Olympic Committee
(NOC) and ends with the election of the host city by the members of the IOC during an ordinary session. The process is governed by the Olympic Charter
, as stated in Chapter 5, Rule 34.
Since 1999, the process has consisted of two phases. During the first phase, which begins immediately after the bid submission deadline, the "applicant cities" are required to answer a questionnaire covering themes of importance to a successful Games organization. This information allows the IOC to analyze the cities' hosting capacities and the strengths and weaknesses of their plans. Following a detailed study of the submitted questionnaires and ensuing reports, the IOC Executive Board selects the cities that are qualified to proceed to the next phase. The second phase is the true candidature stage: the accepted applicant cities (from now on referred to as "candidate cities") are required to submit a second questionnaire in the form of an extended, more detailed, candidature file. These files are carefully studied by the IOC Evaluation Commission, a group composed of IOC members, representatives of international sport federations, NOCs, athletes, the International Paralympic Committee
, and international experts in various fields. The members of the Evaluation Commission then make four-day inspection visits to each of the candidate cities, where they check the proposed venues and are briefed about details of the themes covered in the candidature file. The Evaluation Commission communicates the results of its inspections in a report sent to the IOC members up to one month before the electing IOC Session.
The IOC Session in which a host city is elected takes place in a country that did not submit an application to stage the Olympics. The election is made by the assembled active IOC members (excluding honorary and honor members), each possessing one vote. Members from countries that have a city taking part in the election cannot vote while the city is in the running. The voting is conducted in a succession of rounds until one bid achieves an absolute majority of votes; if this does not happen in the first round, the bid with the fewest votes is eliminated and another voting round begins. In the case of a tie for the lowest number of votes, a special runoff vote is carried out, with the winner proceeding to the next round. After each round, the eliminated bid is announced. Following the announcement of the host city, the successful bid delegation signs the "Host City Contract" with the IOC, which delegates the responsibilities of the Games organisation to the city and respective NOC.
, sports venues, Olympic Village, environment, accommodation, transport, security, past experience, finance, and legacy. If a bid's score was higher than six (IOC's predefined benchmark score), the city was considered highly capable of hosting the Games; otherwise, its chances were very slim. On June 4, 2008, the IOC announced the cities accepted as candidates: Four of the five highest-rated applicants progressed to the next phase as official candidate cities. As stipulated, the IOC granted them the right to use the Olympic rings on their candidature emblem, together with a label identifying each as a Candidate City. The International Olympic Committee went against precedent when it selected Rio de Janeiro over Doha—a city which scored higher yet was eliminated from the field. Doha's weaknesses of a small population, lack of facilities, and Games dates outside of the IOC's desired window may have been too large an obstacle for the IOC to accept. Typically, the IOC selects all the top scoring bids which reach the established minimum benchmark.
The Working Group divided the Evaluation Report on eleven detailed themes and weightings: Government support, legal issues and public opinion (2); General infrastructure (5); Sports venues (4); Olympic Village(s) (3); Environmental conditions and impact (2); Accommodation (5); Transport concept (3); Safety and security (3); Experience from past sports events (2); Finance (3); and, Overall project and legacy (3). Weightings, varying between 1 and 5 (5 being the highest), were attributed by the Working Group to each criterion, reflecting the level of information requested of the Applicant Cities at this stage of the bid process, and the potential of achieving the level required for the organisation of the Olympic Games in the seven years' preparation time. The Working Group set the benchmark at 6 as minimum required grade (on a scale of 0 to 10). This grade was attributed by the Working Group to the main and sub-criteria for each Applicant City, reflecting the assessment of the Working Group (quality, number, location, concept, etc.).
Legend:
of Morocco headed the Evaluation Commission. She also chaired the evaluation commission for the 2012 Summer Olympics bids. Other members include Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, IOC Member Ching-Kuo Wu from Chinese Taipei, IOC Member Craig Reedie
from Great Britain, IOC Member Guy Drut
from France, IOC Member Mounir Sabet
from Egypt, IOC Member and Athletes' Commission Representative Alexander Popov
from Russia, IOC Member and ASOIF Representative Els van Breda Vriesman from The Netherlands and IPC Representative Gregory Hartung from Australia.
The Commission made on-site inspections in the second quarter of 2009. visiting Chicago April 2 to 8, Tokyo April 14 to 20, Rio de Janeiro April 27 to May 3, and Madrid May 4 to 9. In a change from previous years, the commission's visits were extended from four days to seven. They issued a comprehensive technical appraisal for IOC members one month before the elections in October 2009.
in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 2, 2009, final voting took place. The final result and winner was announced as Rio de Janeiro at 18:49, Copenhagen time (16:49 UTC). The results were as shown:
Rio de Janeiro
was chosen by acclamation by the Brazilian Olympic Committee
(BOC) as the national applicant city for the XXXI Olympiad on September 1, 2006, starting a process of ten years until the Olympics. This is the first time that the city has proceeded to the Candidature phase, after four failed attempts in 1936
, 1940
, 2004 and 2012. Rio would become the first Brazilian and South America
n city to host the games.
Rio de Janeiro is planning to perform all the competitions inside the city, bringing dynamics to the games and facilitating the athlete's interaction. There will be seven competition centers in four Olympic regions—Barra
, Copacabana, Deodoro
, and Maracanã
— where football matches will be held in the cities of Belo Horizonte
, Brasília
, Salvador
and São Paulo. The proposed dates range from August 5 to August 21 for the Olympic Games
, and September 7 (Independence Day of Brazil
) to September 18 for the Paralympic Games
.
Rio de Janeiro failed in the previous applications mainly by lack of infrastructure, security and experience in organization of international sporting events. Brazil hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup
, where Rio was one of the host cities and place of the final match, but the structures have been deteriorating over time despite several reforms. However, the XV Pan American Games
, held in Rio de Janeiro between July 13 and July 29, 2007, changed the idea of failure of the city. The event was considered the best in history by the president of the Pan American Sports Organisation
(PASO), Mario Vazquez Raña
, during his speech at the closing ceremony. Brazil will again organise the FIFA World Cup
in 2014
, adding more experience to Rio, which will host the final match for the second time.
According to the Rio de Janeiro Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ROCOG), the entire city will be transformed into an Olympic theater for the celebration of sport. The compact footprint, complemented by Rio's topography, involves seven competition clusters in four Olympic zones—Barra
, Copacabana, Deodoro
, and Maracanã
—, all held within the city. At the heart of the concept is the Barra zone, located in one of the newer and fastest growing regions of the city, framed by mountain
s, beach
es and lagoon
s.
The logo was revealed on December 17, 2007, during the Brazil's Olympic Award ceremony at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro
, and was selected by a jury from among four finalists. The BOC chose the Sugarloaf Mountain , a prominent landmark of the city, as their symbol. This landscape results in a heart shape that, in its turn, represents the Brazilian's unquestionable passion and enthusiasm for sports.
On April 14, 2007, the United States Olympic Committee
(USOC) chose Chicago
to run in the 2016 Olympic bidding. Chicago was expected to host the 1904 Summer Olympics
but those Olympic Games ultimately took place in St. Louis
, to coincide with the 1904 World's Fair
. The last summer Olympic games to be hosted by the American continent was the 1996 Games
in Atlanta
.
Chicago has an extensive public transit system, a wide range of venues, and a strong sports culture
. The planned dramatic setting for Olympics on the shores of Lake Michigan
, as well as the entirely urban experience were positive factors. Chicago is one of few cities in the United States to host professional men and women's hockey
, baseball
, basketball
, soccer
, and American football
teams. Another benefit was the city's central location in the United States, since the Central Time Zone was well-suited to the North American television coverage for television networks and cable broadcasting, which in turn benefits NBC
, the media company which pays the highest broadcasting rights to the IOC. Plans included a temporary Olympic Stadium in Washington Park
on the city's South Side, a swimming venue on the West Side, and a number of events at McCormick Place
convention center and the lakeshore as well as the Olympic Village just south of the Loop
. However, soaring demolition costs to the hospital currently on the site would have required a new site for the village. 22 of the 27 Olympic venues would have been in four clusters within 15 km of the Olympic Village
. Five new venues and eleven temporary venues would have been built for the games. The bid costs (US$49.3 million) were borne by the private sector
. The cost of the infrastructure
would have been financed by the government.
The bid was being promoted by Chicago-based media mogul Oprah Winfrey
, Olympic champion Michael Phelps
, NBA superstar and former Chicago Bulls
player Michael Jordan
, and by Chicago resident, U.S. President Barack Obama
who attended the IOC vote in Copenhagen
. However, local public support was smaller than other bidding cities and the city press ran articles against the bid, such as Ben Joravsky.
Chicago was reported by US media to be the strongest contender in terms of infrastructure, support, and money. However Chicago was ranked 3rd by an IOC evaluation report as to the technical aspect of their bid behind Tokyo and Madrid. Also, some IOC members also resent the large share of revenue taken by the United States Olympic Committee in a long standing dispute with the IOC; recently, the USOC has made headway in negotiating progress for a viable solution.
Having received the fewest number of votes in the first round, Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. This was seen as a major upset against the Chicago bid team, as many had predicted that Chicago would be competing against Rio de Janeiro in the final round of voting, and that President Barack Obama's last-minute plans to attend the final presentation in Copenhagen would have a large positive effect on Chicago's chances.
Chicago's logo is a six-pointed star as found on its city flag. The blues and greens suggest the lake parks of the city, and the yellows and oranges the sun.
The same day London was chosen for organizing the 2012 Summer Olympics
, the mayor of Madrid
spoke of an interest to make a bid for the 2016 games. Considering its strong showing in the 2012 bidding, one year later, the city council unanimously voted for the submission of a new bid. In May 2007, mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
filed with the Spanish Olympic Committee
(COE) as the only Spanish candidate for the Games. The Spanish Field Hockey
Federation vice-chairwoman Mercedes Coghen
was chosen as chairwoman of the project. Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch
offered his help in this new attempt.
Madrid benefited from its strong reputation from the 2012 bid as well as having 85% of venues in place and many experiences hosting Olympic qualifying events. Later plans stressed two clusters of venues, one on the east side, the other along the Manzanares River.
The bid was also popular with the Madrileños, boasting 85% support and 60% believing they could win the bid. One potential problem was that no continent has hosted successive Summer Games since 1952, when Helsinki
followed London as host city. London is hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics
, and Athens, Greece fielded the 2004 Summer Olympics. Furthermore, the 2014 Winter Olympics
are also slated for Europe in the Russian city of Sochi
, and the 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy. Bid head Coghen pointed out, however, that the IOC chooses "cities, not continents".
The bid logo is a coloured hand print called "Corle" welcoming citizens to Madrid. An "m" is hidden in the palm standing for Madrid. It was selected via a public contest.
The Japanese Olympic Committee
(JOC) chose Tokyo
over Fukuoka
in August 2006. Tokyo has recent experience with the success of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, which Japan co-hosted with South Korea
. Japan also has past Olympic experience as the host of the 1964 Games
in Tokyo, the 1972 Winter Games
in Sapporo, and the 1998 Winter Games
in Nagano.
Tokyo touted "the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever" with a dramatic setting on the shores of Tokyo Bay
. Similar to other past winning cities, Tokyo pledged to refurbish a run-down industrial area, and to reclaim land from the bay. Despite massive campaigning in trains, parks and street, Tokyo's public support trailed behind the other lead cities. It fell to 56% in May 2009, from 62% in December 2007 and 72% in March 2008,.
While Tokyo continued its attempts to popularize the bid in high profile venues and events, such as the Tokyo Marathon
, the Beijing Games were held nearby in 2008. Specifically, the voting only one year after Beijing perhaps interfered with Tokyo's bid.
Tokyo's logo was a musubi
, a traditional knot which signifies times of blessing
, in this case using the Olympic colors.
Tokyo was the second city eliminated, leaving Rio de Janeiro
in the run-off against Madrid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Azerbaijan
's capital, Baku, announced its bid for the Olympics, with initial studies suggesting that the cost of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games could be $20 billion. The capital of a petroleum
rich nation with a booming economy, Baku had plenty of money to fund the games. Unfortunately, the city's infrastructure had deteriorated since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
In addition, there are three frozen political conflicts in the South Caucasus region. A lesser factor considered by the IOC is the host nation's sport legacy. Azerbaijan has been an independent nation only a short time, so its Olympic history is also short, sending teams since only 1996 and claiming only three gold medals so far.
The Azerbaijani Organizing Committee established its bid committee in November 2007, installing first vice premier Yagub Eyubov as head. Sports Minister Azad Ragimov was aided by the Caspian American Group to prepare the bid book with the assistance of the government.
Baku's elimination was not unexpected, as one insider cited that practically no sports facilities meet global standards, the underdeveloped tourist sector, and regional conflicts. He cited 2020 or 2024 as times when Baku will have more serious arguments to win a bid.
Baku's logo depicts petroglyph
images from the Gobustan Rock Plateau
, which features the remains of settlements and burials reflecting ancient human culture.
Doha submitted its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics after its hosting of the 2006 Asian Games
, spending US$2.8 billion on infrastructure and venues. The Doha 2016 bid won much regional support, for example from the Olympic Council of Asia
(OCA) president and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Aspire Zone Sports City was to be the centerpiece of the bid, much as it served in the 2006 Asian Games
. Qatar is in a growth period due to its petroleum
reserves, and like Baku
, is well situated to finance a large event. Doha is the only city in the Arab World
other than Cairo
to mount a serious bid, with pundits speculating the IOC may reward it by promoting it to the final shortlist. Although in a troubled area, Qatar is known as an open-minded country which is promoting acceptance and change and promoted a strong message of peace and acceptance for the region. In July and August, the average temperature in Doha can easily reach 45° C (113°F), thus they proposed mounting the Games in October. It is not without precedent (e.g. Mexico City
and Sydney
), but is technically outside the requirements. As Doha and Qatar in general (500,000 and 1,400,000 inhabitants, respectively) is among the smallest cities to bid to host the modern games, the Qataris would have to be innovative in bringing in spectators from neighboring countries to raise ticket sales. A side consideration is that like Azerbaijan, Qatar also has a short Olympic legacy, and has been criticised for its practice of giving "passports of convenience" to foreign athletes to pad their record.
Only two new venues were to have been built, a velodrome and a baseball stadium, although a new Athletes' village was to be designed. Khalifa International Stadium
currently seats 50,000, under the 60,000 to meet the IOC standards. Also, Qatar has plans to build the world's most advanced Paralympics stadium and the world's first underground stadium for matches during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup
in Qatar.
The Doha logo for the 2016 bid is the al dahma, the flower of the spring. The design uses motifs from traditional henna decorations and Doha is written in Arabic in the design.
On March 22, 2007, Prague
confirmed its bid when the Prague Assembly voted 53-10-3 in support of launching an official bid. One of the most beautiful and visited cities in Europe, Prague fulfills the cultural aspects that the IOC seeks in a candidate. With a strong sports history and excellent accommodations, Prague had potential to make a memorable host. However, Prague has few venues in place; the plans included building three sport centers – a velodrome for cyclists in Prague or Brno
; a swimming stadium that would be constructed from the existing Prague-Sutka Aquapark; and the major Olympic complex to be built in Letnany. At the Aquapark, circular pools would be built to represent the Olympic rings. Other boating venues would be in Lipno
, Racice, and Troja. Prague planned to use the Sazka Arena (now the O2 Arena) for gymnastics, and in some way the city planned to use or refurbish Strahov Stadium
. Further details have stressed that perhaps only 30% of construction would leave a permanent legacy.
After initial support from civic authorities such as mayor Pavel Bem
, Prague's bid became a long-shot. Considering the lack of current stadia and other important Olympic sports infrastructure and the 2012 London hosting of the games, Prague was warming up for a later Olympic bid. Prague struggled with broader support in the Czech Republic; even president Václav Klaus
publicly worried about budget estimates and white elephant
s. A public opinion poll in October 2007 mustered a quite low 50% support.
Prague's bid logo features a branch from a laurel wreath
, a traditional symbol of victory and celebration.
n cities expressed interest, such as Brisbane
. Bangkok
, Thailand
expressed much enthusiasm after their strong performance in the 2004 Games, but instead applied to host the 2010 Youth Games. Brussels
showed interest after some politicians considered an organisation between a Belgian city and a Dutch City after the Euro 2000 co-organized by both countries. Buenos Aires
, Argentina
participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics bid Cape Town
and Durban
, South Africa
expressed interest. Delhi
, India was originally set to enter a bid; however, in April 2007 it announced it would bid for the 2020 games
instead. Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
was also posed to make a serious bid, but in the end did not for unknown reasons. Fukuoka
and Sapporo were other internal candidates eliminated by the JOC. Houston and Philadelphia were eliminated by the USOC, San Francisco withdrew when it lost stadium funding and Los Angeles lost to Chicago
for the bid. Istanbul
, Turkey
broke with its standing policy to bid for every game, but vowed to try again. Lisbon
, Portugal considered bidding. Monterrey
The Mexican Olympic committee declined to place a bid. Montreal
and Toronto
expressed interest, but Canada abandoned any plans for a bid after Vancouver
won the 2010 Winter Olympics
. Nairobi
, Kenya
The sports minister expressed interest in a bid, but the Kenyan Olympics head said it was not the right time. Rome, Italy was a leading candidate for a time, but they pulled out, preferring to wait for 2020. São Paulo
was considered, but the Brazilian Olympic Committee opted for Rio de Janeiro. /
San Diego and Tijuana
discussed a joint bid for what would have been the first binational Olympics.
.com and Around the Rings, feature predicting indices which specialize in evaluations of Olympic Games bids. They periodically release analysis of the candidates and assigns them a score between 0 and 100, or 0 and 110 respectively. The score produces a number that can be used to rate a bid relative to past successful bids - and possibly gauge its potential future success. GamesBids.com's scale is called BidIndex, AtR's is called the Power Index.
Both indice correctly predicted the winner, Rio de Janeiro, but failed to predict the poor showing of Chicago, which was the first to be eliminated from the final 4 as well as the strong showing of Madrid, who was the last contender against Rio.
, France, in 2005 a Parisian, Mr Gilbert L., registered the trademarks of "Paris 2016", "Paris 2020", "Paris 2024" and "Paris 2028" and associated internet
domain names. On March 14, 2007 the High Court of First Instance of Paris (Tribunal d'instance
of Paris) ruled that the registration of the domain names was fraudulent and annulled the trademarks. (Paris was not mentioned in the bids for the 2016 Olympics.)
An issue arose for Chicago 2016 and Tokyo 2016 with regards to internet domain names. Both Chicago2016.com and Tokyo2016.com have been registered by entrepreneur Steve Frayne, who claimed the domains in 2004, as well as up to 40 other domain names with a similar city/year format that mimics the way Olympic Games are marketed. Frayne claimed he would launch a forum designed to openly discuss the benefits and pitfalls of holding the Olympics in Chicago; however, the website is mostly devoted to the disadvantages of making Chicago the host city. Attempts by the USOC to have the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) release the names has failed and it will now be up to U.S. federal courts to rule.
The Olympic bid candidature documentation published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) states that each bid must "...provide documentation indicating that appropriate measures have been taken to register domain names that are of value to your candidature such as '[City] 2016' followed by extensions .com .net .org as well as the country code concerned."
Rio de Janeiro has control of rio2016.com, which they registered in 2003 while bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympics
.
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) on September 14, 2007, becoming Applicant cities. On June 4, 2008, the IOC Executive Board shortlisted four bids to become Candidate cities—Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo—during a meeting in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The remaining Applicant cities—Baku, Doha and Prague—were eliminated.
The four Candidate cities were selected according to a detailed study of the Applicant Files received by the IOC Working Group on January 14, 2008. The four cities submitted the Candidature Files to the IOC on February 11, 2009. They were analyzed by the IOC Evaluation Commission, which made site inspections in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(April 4–7, 2009), Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(April 16–19, 2009), Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(April 27–May 2, 2009) and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(May 5–8, 2009). Under the leadership of Nawal El Moutawakel
Nawal El Moutawakel
Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim...
, the Evaluation Commission released its report on September 2, 2009; one month prior to the election.
With the presence of the heads of state from all four Candidate cities, the 121st IOC Session took place in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, on October 2, 2009. Chicago begun the presentations at Bella Center
Bella Center
Bella Center is Scandinavia's largest exhibition and conference center, located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in Ørestad between the city centre and Copenhagen Airport, it offers an indoor area of 121.800 m² and has a capacity of 20,000 peopleAmong the larger annual events are the Copenhagen...
; followed by Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid; which were attended by several celebrities such as the King of Spain, Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
and Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
. Before the vote, the IOC Evaluation Commission presented its report to the Session. Chicago fell in the first round, followed by Tokyo, after the eligible IOC members have been asked to vote, in a three-round exhaustive ballot
Exhaustive ballot
The exhaustive ballot is a voting system used to elect a single winner. Under the exhaustive ballot the elector simply casts a single vote for his or her favorite candidate. However if no candidate is supported by an overall majority of votes then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated...
process.
Rio de Janeiro defeated Madrid in the final round by 66 votes over 32, winning the rights to host the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
and Paralympics
2016 Summer Paralympics
The 2016 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fifteenth Paralympics and will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. The host city of the Games was announced at the 121st IOC Session held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 2, 2009.-Barra Cluster:* Olympic Aquatics Stadium - Swimming* Olympic...
. Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
will be the first lusophone
Lusophone
A Lusophone is someone who speaks the Portuguese language, either as a native, as an additional language, or as a learner. As an adjective, it means "Portuguese-speaking"...
country and Rio de Janeiro the first city in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
to host the Summer Olympics. The announcement was made by Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, president of the IOC, in a widely broadcast ceremony. The lengthy and intensive bidding process, considered to be one of the tightest in history, was marked by several controversies such as espionage, racism and opposition movements.
Out of the six cities that failed to be awarded the 2016 Olympics, four of them are now bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympics
2020 Summer Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....
. Baku, Doha, Madrid and Tokyo are Applicant Cities for the 2020 Olympics.
Bidding process
The Olympic bidding process begins with the submission of a city's application to the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) by its National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
(NOC) and ends with the election of the host city by the members of the IOC during an ordinary session. The process is governed by the Olympic Charter
Olympic Charter
The Olympic Charter, last updated March 21, 1992, is a set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games, and for governing the Olympic Movement. Adopted by International Olympic Committee , it is the codification of the Fundamental Principles, Rules and By-laws. French and...
, as stated in Chapter 5, Rule 34.
Since 1999, the process has consisted of two phases. During the first phase, which begins immediately after the bid submission deadline, the "applicant cities" are required to answer a questionnaire covering themes of importance to a successful Games organization. This information allows the IOC to analyze the cities' hosting capacities and the strengths and weaknesses of their plans. Following a detailed study of the submitted questionnaires and ensuing reports, the IOC Executive Board selects the cities that are qualified to proceed to the next phase. The second phase is the true candidature stage: the accepted applicant cities (from now on referred to as "candidate cities") are required to submit a second questionnaire in the form of an extended, more detailed, candidature file. These files are carefully studied by the IOC Evaluation Commission, a group composed of IOC members, representatives of international sport federations, NOCs, athletes, the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
, and international experts in various fields. The members of the Evaluation Commission then make four-day inspection visits to each of the candidate cities, where they check the proposed venues and are briefed about details of the themes covered in the candidature file. The Evaluation Commission communicates the results of its inspections in a report sent to the IOC members up to one month before the electing IOC Session.
The IOC Session in which a host city is elected takes place in a country that did not submit an application to stage the Olympics. The election is made by the assembled active IOC members (excluding honorary and honor members), each possessing one vote. Members from countries that have a city taking part in the election cannot vote while the city is in the running. The voting is conducted in a succession of rounds until one bid achieves an absolute majority of votes; if this does not happen in the first round, the bid with the fewest votes is eliminated and another voting round begins. In the case of a tie for the lowest number of votes, a special runoff vote is carried out, with the winner proceeding to the next round. After each round, the eliminated bid is announced. Following the announcement of the host city, the successful bid delegation signs the "Host City Contract" with the IOC, which delegates the responsibilities of the Games organisation to the city and respective NOC.
Application phase
The deadline to submit applications for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was September 13, 2007. The seven cities that submitted bids before that date also met the January 14, 2008 deadline for submission of the first phase questionnaire. Through analysis of the questionnaires, the IOC gave a weighted-average score to each city based on the scores obtained in each of the questionnaire's eleven themes: political and social support, general infrastructureInfrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
, sports venues, Olympic Village, environment, accommodation, transport, security, past experience, finance, and legacy. If a bid's score was higher than six (IOC's predefined benchmark score), the city was considered highly capable of hosting the Games; otherwise, its chances were very slim. On June 4, 2008, the IOC announced the cities accepted as candidates: Four of the five highest-rated applicants progressed to the next phase as official candidate cities. As stipulated, the IOC granted them the right to use the Olympic rings on their candidature emblem, together with a label identifying each as a Candidate City. The International Olympic Committee went against precedent when it selected Rio de Janeiro over Doha—a city which scored higher yet was eliminated from the field. Doha's weaknesses of a small population, lack of facilities, and Games dates outside of the IOC's desired window may have been too large an obstacle for the IOC to accept. Typically, the IOC selects all the top scoring bids which reach the established minimum benchmark.
The Working Group divided the Evaluation Report on eleven detailed themes and weightings: Government support, legal issues and public opinion (2); General infrastructure (5); Sports venues (4); Olympic Village(s) (3); Environmental conditions and impact (2); Accommodation (5); Transport concept (3); Safety and security (3); Experience from past sports events (2); Finance (3); and, Overall project and legacy (3). Weightings, varying between 1 and 5 (5 being the highest), were attributed by the Working Group to each criterion, reflecting the level of information requested of the Applicant Cities at this stage of the bid process, and the potential of achieving the level required for the organisation of the Olympic Games in the seven years' preparation time. The Working Group set the benchmark at 6 as minimum required grade (on a scale of 0 to 10). This grade was attributed by the Working Group to the main and sub-criteria for each Applicant City, reflecting the assessment of the Working Group (quality, number, location, concept, etc.).
Legend:
| Criteria | BAK | CHI | DOH | MAD | PRA | RIO | TOK |
|---|
| Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government support, legal issues and public opinion | 5.7 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 8.7 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 4.3 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 8.8 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| General infrastructure | 3.8 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 7.4 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 4.2 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 8.9 |
| Sports venues | 3.2 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.8 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 7.4 | 6.9 | 8.7 |
| Olympic Village(s) | 6.8 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 8.6 | 6.9 | 8.6 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 8.9 |
| Environmental conditions and impact | 4.2 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 6.4 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 7.4 | 5.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 8.8 |
| Accommodation | 2.6 | 4.8 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 5.5 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 8.8 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 9.6 | 10.0 |
| Transport concept | 6.0 | 8.5 | 5.3 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Safety and security | 4.4 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 5.5 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.9 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 7.9 | 9.0 |
| Experience from past sports events | 3.8 | 6.4 | 5.4 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 8.2 | 4.4 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| Finance | 4.8 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 6.7 | 8.6 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 4.8 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 7.7 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| Overall project and legacy | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 |
Candidature phase
Nawal El MoutawakelNawal El Moutawakel
Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion. She was also the first Moroccan and the first woman from a Muslim...
of Morocco headed the Evaluation Commission. She also chaired the evaluation commission for the 2012 Summer Olympics bids. Other members include Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, IOC Member Ching-Kuo Wu from Chinese Taipei, IOC Member Craig Reedie
Craig Reedie
Sir Craig Reedie, CBE is a British sports administrator, noteworthy as a former Chairman of the British Olympic Association and still a serving representative on the International Olympic Committee.- Background :...
from Great Britain, IOC Member Guy Drut
Guy Drut
Guy Drut is an Olympic champion and politician who won gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in the 110m hurdles....
from France, IOC Member Mounir Sabet
Mounir Sabet
Mounir Sabet is an Egyptian general and sports official.Born in the Upper Egyptian city of Qena, Mounir Sabet is the son of Saleh Sabet, an Egyptian pediatrician, and his Welsh wife Lily May Palmer...
from Egypt, IOC Member and Athletes' Commission Representative Alexander Popov
Alexander Popov (swimmer)
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov ; is a Russian former Olympic gold-winning swimmer, widely regarded as one of the greatest sprint freestyle swimmers of all time.-Career:Born in Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast , Popov began swimming at age 8 at...
from Russia, IOC Member and ASOIF Representative Els van Breda Vriesman from The Netherlands and IPC Representative Gregory Hartung from Australia.
The Commission made on-site inspections in the second quarter of 2009. visiting Chicago April 2 to 8, Tokyo April 14 to 20, Rio de Janeiro April 27 to May 3, and Madrid May 4 to 9. In a change from previous years, the commission's visits were extended from four days to seven. They issued a comprehensive technical appraisal for IOC members one month before the elections in October 2009.
Election
At the 121st IOC Session121st International Olympic Committee Session
The 121st International Olympic Committee Session was held on October 1–9, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark, during which Rio de Janeiro was selected as the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics...
in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 2, 2009, final voting took place. The final result and winner was announced as Rio de Janeiro at 18:49, Copenhagen time (16:49 UTC). The results were as shown:
| Election of the Host City of the 2016 Summer Olympics 2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee... — ballot results |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate City | Country (NOC) | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
| Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... |
 Brazil |
26 (27.66%) | 46 (48.42%) | 66 (67.35%) |
| Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... |
 Spain |
28 (29.79%) | 29 (30.53%) | 32 (32.65%) |
| Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... |
 Japan |
22 (23.40%) | 20 (21.05%) | — |
| Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... |
 United States |
18 (19.15%) | — | — |
| 121st IOC Session | Vote details | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
 Copenhagen Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... - Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
Eligible | 95 | 97 | 99 |
| Participants | 94 | 96 | 98 | |
| Abstentions | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Valid ballots | 94 | 95 | 98 | |
| Members unable to vote | ||||
| Members from countries with candidate cities | Other members | |||
| Anita L. Defrantz Anita DeFrantz Anita DeFrantz is an American Olympic Athlete and member of the International Olympic Committee.She was captain of the American rowing team at the 1976 Summer Olympics.-External links:*]... James L. Easton Chiharu IgayaChiharu Igaya is a Japanese alpine skier who competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics, in the 1956 Winter Olympics, and in the 1960 Winter Olympics.He was born in Tomari, Hokkaidō and educated at Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1957.... Shun-Ichiro OkanoShunichiro Okano Shunichiro Okano is a former Japanese football player and manager. From 1998 to 2002, he was the president of the Japan Football Association.He managed the Japan national football team during 1970 and 1971.... João HavelangeJoão Havelange Jean-Marie Faustin Goedefroid de Havelange , more commonly known as João Havelange , was the 7th President of FIFA, serving from 1974 to 1998. He received the title of Honorary President when leaving office. He succeeded Sir Stanley Rous and was succeeded by Joseph Blatter... Carlos Arthur NuzmanCarlos Arthur Nuzman Carlos Arthur Nuzman is a Brazilian lawyer and a former volleyball player, having competed professionally from 1957 to 1972 and represented the national team between 1962 and 1968... Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr.Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs is the son of the late Juan Antonio Samaranch and his late wife, Bibi Salisachs. He is married and has four children... |
 Jacques RoggeJacques Rogge Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:... (IOC president)  Lee Kun-heeLee Kun-hee Lee Kun-hee is Chairman of Samsung Electronics. He resigned on April 21, 2008 owing to Samsung Slush funds scandal, but returned on March 24, 2010. Lee has a degree in economics from Waseda University in Tokyo and attended an MBA course at George Washington University in the United States in 1966... (suspended)  Alpha Ibrahim Diallo (absent)  Saku KoivuSaku Koivu Saku Antero Koivu is a Finnish professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League . He began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995–96 after three seasons with TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga... (absent) |
|||
Rio de Janeiro
| Rio de Janeiro | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Details | |
| Score | 6.4 |
| Country | |
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
was chosen by acclamation by the Brazilian Olympic Committee
Brazilian Olympic Committee
The Brazilian Olympic Committee or BOC is the highest authority in Brazilian sport and the governing body of Brazilian Olympic sport. It was officially founded on June 8, 1914 but World War I caused its official activities to begin only in 1935...
(BOC) as the national applicant city for the XXXI Olympiad on September 1, 2006, starting a process of ten years until the Olympics. This is the first time that the city has proceeded to the Candidature phase, after four failed attempts in 1936
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, 1940
1940 Summer Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad and originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan, were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II...
, 2004 and 2012. Rio would become the first Brazilian and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n city to host the games.
Rio de Janeiro is planning to perform all the competitions inside the city, bringing dynamics to the games and facilitating the athlete's interaction. There will be seven competition centers in four Olympic regions—Barra
Barra da Tijuca
Barra da Tijuca is a famous neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located southwest of the city on the Atlantic Ocean. Barra, as it is popularly known, will have most of the venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be the first edition held in South America. Barra is well-known for its...
, Copacabana, Deodoro
Deodoro Military Club
The Deodoro Military Circle is a Brazilian Army sport facility in Rio de Janeiro, at the Military Village, on the western side of the city. It has hosted the Pan American Games, Rio 2007...
, and Maracanã
Maracanã (neighborhood)
Maracanã is a middle-class neighborhood located in the Northern Zone of Rio de Janeiro city. The Maracanã Stadium is located in this neighborhood, as well as the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho...
— where football matches will be held in the cities of Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
and São Paulo. The proposed dates range from August 5 to August 21 for the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, and September 7 (Independence Day of Brazil
Brazilian Declaration of Independence
The Brazilian Independence comprised a series of political events occurred in 1821–1823, most of which involved disputes between Brazil and Portugal regarding the call for independence presented by the Brazilian Kingdom...
) to September 18 for the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
.
Rio de Janeiro failed in the previous applications mainly by lack of infrastructure, security and experience in organization of international sporting events. Brazil hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
, where Rio was one of the host cities and place of the final match, but the structures have been deteriorating over time despite several reforms. However, the XV Pan American Games
2007 Pan American Games
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...
, held in Rio de Janeiro between July 13 and July 29, 2007, changed the idea of failure of the city. The event was considered the best in history by the president of the Pan American Sports Organisation
Pan American Sports Organisation
The Pan American Sports Organization is an international organization which represents the current 41 National Olympic Committees of the North American and South American continents. It is the Continental Association of the Americas...
(PASO), Mario Vazquez Raña
Mario Vazquez Raña
Mario Vázquez Raña is a Mexican businessman and sports administrator, who has served on both national and Olympic committees...
, during his speech at the closing ceremony. Brazil will again organise the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
, adding more experience to Rio, which will host the final match for the second time.
According to the Rio de Janeiro Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (ROCOG), the entire city will be transformed into an Olympic theater for the celebration of sport. The compact footprint, complemented by Rio's topography, involves seven competition clusters in four Olympic zones—Barra
Barra da Tijuca
Barra da Tijuca is a famous neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located southwest of the city on the Atlantic Ocean. Barra, as it is popularly known, will have most of the venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will be the first edition held in South America. Barra is well-known for its...
, Copacabana, Deodoro
Deodoro Military Club
The Deodoro Military Circle is a Brazilian Army sport facility in Rio de Janeiro, at the Military Village, on the western side of the city. It has hosted the Pan American Games, Rio 2007...
, and Maracanã
Maracanã (neighborhood)
Maracanã is a middle-class neighborhood located in the Northern Zone of Rio de Janeiro city. The Maracanã Stadium is located in this neighborhood, as well as the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho...
—, all held within the city. At the heart of the concept is the Barra zone, located in one of the newer and fastest growing regions of the city, framed by mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s, beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es and lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s.
The logo was revealed on December 17, 2007, during the Brazil's Olympic Award ceremony at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro
Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro)
The Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro is located in Cinelândia in the city center of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Built in the beginning of the twentieth century, it is one of the most beautiful and important theatres in the country.The building is designed in an eclectic style, inspired by the...
, and was selected by a jury from among four finalists. The BOC chose the Sugarloaf Mountain , a prominent landmark of the city, as their symbol. This landscape results in a heart shape that, in its turn, represents the Brazilian's unquestionable passion and enthusiasm for sports.
Chicago
| Chicago | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
 |
|
| Details | |
| Score | 7.0 |
| Country | |
On April 14, 2007, the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
(USOC) chose Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to run in the 2016 Olympic bidding. Chicago was expected to host the 1904 Summer Olympics
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
but those Olympic Games ultimately took place in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, to coincide with the 1904 World's Fair
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
. The last summer Olympic games to be hosted by the American continent was the 1996 Games
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Chicago has an extensive public transit system, a wide range of venues, and a strong sports culture
Sports in Chicago
Chicago is the home of many professional sports teams and one of four U.S. cities to have teams from the five major American professional team sports ....
. The planned dramatic setting for Olympics on the shores of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, as well as the entirely urban experience were positive factors. Chicago is one of few cities in the United States to host professional men and women's hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
teams. Another benefit was the city's central location in the United States, since the Central Time Zone was well-suited to the North American television coverage for television networks and cable broadcasting, which in turn benefits NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, the media company which pays the highest broadcasting rights to the IOC. Plans included a temporary Olympic Stadium in Washington Park
Washington Park (Chicago park)
On December 6, 1879, former U.S. President Ulysses Grant took part in a tree planting ceremony in the park. A memorial boulder with a plaque commemorated the event. In the 1920s black semiprofessional baseball teams played at Washington Park...
on the city's South Side, a swimming venue on the West Side, and a number of events at McCormick Place
McCormick Place
McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the United States. It is made up of four interconnected buildings sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about 4 km south of downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA. McCormick Place hosts numerous trade shows, including the Chicago Auto Show,...
convention center and the lakeshore as well as the Olympic Village just south of the Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
. However, soaring demolition costs to the hospital currently on the site would have required a new site for the village. 22 of the 27 Olympic venues would have been in four clusters within 15 km of the Olympic Village
Olympic Village
An Olympic Village is an accommodation centre built for an Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials, athletic trainers, and other staff. Since the Munich Massacre at the 1972...
. Five new venues and eleven temporary venues would have been built for the games. The bid costs (US$49.3 million) were borne by the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
. The cost of the infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
would have been financed by the government.
The bid was being promoted by Chicago-based media mogul Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
, Olympic champion Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions...
, NBA superstar and former Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
player Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, and by Chicago resident, U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
who attended the IOC vote in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. However, local public support was smaller than other bidding cities and the city press ran articles against the bid, such as Ben Joravsky.
Chicago was reported by US media to be the strongest contender in terms of infrastructure, support, and money. However Chicago was ranked 3rd by an IOC evaluation report as to the technical aspect of their bid behind Tokyo and Madrid. Also, some IOC members also resent the large share of revenue taken by the United States Olympic Committee in a long standing dispute with the IOC; recently, the USOC has made headway in negotiating progress for a viable solution.
Having received the fewest number of votes in the first round, Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. This was seen as a major upset against the Chicago bid team, as many had predicted that Chicago would be competing against Rio de Janeiro in the final round of voting, and that President Barack Obama's last-minute plans to attend the final presentation in Copenhagen would have a large positive effect on Chicago's chances.
Chicago's logo is a six-pointed star as found on its city flag. The blues and greens suggest the lake parks of the city, and the yellows and oranges the sun.
Madrid
| Madrid | |
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| Score | 8.1 |
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The same day London was chosen for organizing the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, the mayor of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
spoke of an interest to make a bid for the 2016 games. Considering its strong showing in the 2012 bidding, one year later, the city council unanimously voted for the submission of a new bid. In May 2007, mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez is a Spanish politician and mayor of Madrid. A stalwart of the conservative People's Party , he has previously been a leading figure in various local and national legislative bodies.-Personal life:...
filed with the Spanish Olympic Committee
Spanish Olympic Committee
The Spanish Olympic Committee is responsible for Spain's participation in the Olympic Games. It was formed on January 11, 1924 in Barcelona.-Presidents:* 1912-1921 Gonzalo de Figueroa y Torres, Marqués de Villamejor...
(COE) as the only Spanish candidate for the Games. The Spanish Field Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
Federation vice-chairwoman Mercedes Coghen
Mercedes Coghen
Mercedes Coghen Alberdingk-Thijm is a former field hockey player from Spain, who captained the Women's National Team that won the golden medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics on home soil . She has a Dutch mother, and was a member of the Madrid-committee biding for the 2012 Summer Olympics.-References:*...
was chosen as chairwoman of the project. Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...
offered his help in this new attempt.
Madrid benefited from its strong reputation from the 2012 bid as well as having 85% of venues in place and many experiences hosting Olympic qualifying events. Later plans stressed two clusters of venues, one on the east side, the other along the Manzanares River.
The bid was also popular with the Madrileños, boasting 85% support and 60% believing they could win the bid. One potential problem was that no continent has hosted successive Summer Games since 1952, when Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
followed London as host city. London is hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, and Athens, Greece fielded the 2004 Summer Olympics. Furthermore, the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
are also slated for Europe in the Russian city of Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
, and the 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy. Bid head Coghen pointed out, however, that the IOC chooses "cities, not continents".
The bid logo is a coloured hand print called "Corle" welcoming citizens to Madrid. An "m" is hidden in the palm standing for Madrid. It was selected via a public contest.
Tokyo
| Tokyo | |
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| Score | 8.3 |
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The Japanese Olympic Committee
Japanese Olympic Committee
The Japanese Olympic Committee is the national Olympic committee in Japan for the Olympic Games movement, based in Tokyo, Japan...
(JOC) chose Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
over Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
in August 2006. Tokyo has recent experience with the success of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, which Japan co-hosted with South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Japan also has past Olympic experience as the host of the 1964 Games
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo, the 1972 Winter Games
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo, and the 1998 Winter Games
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano.
Tokyo touted "the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever" with a dramatic setting on the shores of Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. Similar to other past winning cities, Tokyo pledged to refurbish a run-down industrial area, and to reclaim land from the bay. Despite massive campaigning in trains, parks and street, Tokyo's public support trailed behind the other lead cities. It fell to 56% in May 2009, from 62% in December 2007 and 72% in March 2008,.
While Tokyo continued its attempts to popularize the bid in high profile venues and events, such as the Tokyo Marathon
Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo International Marathon was a marathon for male elite runners held in Tokyo, Japan, from 1980 until 2006.It actually consisted of two marathons - the Tokyo International Marathon which took place on even years, and Tokyo-New York Friendship International Marathon which took place on odd...
, the Beijing Games were held nearby in 2008. Specifically, the voting only one year after Beijing perhaps interfered with Tokyo's bid.
Tokyo's logo was a musubi
Musubi
Musubi may refer to:*Onigiri, a Japanese snack*Spam musubi, popular in Hawaii*Musubi, character of Sekirei...
, a traditional knot which signifies times of blessing
Blessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
, in this case using the Olympic colors.
Tokyo was the second city eliminated, leaving Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in the run-off against Madrid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Baku
| Baku | |
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| Score | 4.3 |
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Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
's capital, Baku, announced its bid for the Olympics, with initial studies suggesting that the cost of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games could be $20 billion. The capital of a petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
rich nation with a booming economy, Baku had plenty of money to fund the games. Unfortunately, the city's infrastructure had deteriorated since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
In addition, there are three frozen political conflicts in the South Caucasus region. A lesser factor considered by the IOC is the host nation's sport legacy. Azerbaijan has been an independent nation only a short time, so its Olympic history is also short, sending teams since only 1996 and claiming only three gold medals so far.
The Azerbaijani Organizing Committee established its bid committee in November 2007, installing first vice premier Yagub Eyubov as head. Sports Minister Azad Ragimov was aided by the Caspian American Group to prepare the bid book with the assistance of the government.
Baku's elimination was not unexpected, as one insider cited that practically no sports facilities meet global standards, the underdeveloped tourist sector, and regional conflicts. He cited 2020 or 2024 as times when Baku will have more serious arguments to win a bid.
Baku's logo depicts petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
images from the Gobustan Rock Plateau
Gobustan State Reserve
Gobustan National Park officially Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is a hill and mountain site occupying the southeast ending of the Big Caucasian Ridge, mainly in the basin of Jeyrankechmaz River, between the rivers Pirsagat and Sumgait...
, which features the remains of settlements and burials reflecting ancient human culture.
Doha
| Doha | |
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| Details | |
| Score | 6.9 |
| Country | |
Doha submitted its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics after its hosting of the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
, spending US$2.8 billion on infrastructure and venues. The Doha 2016 bid won much regional support, for example from the Olympic Council of Asia
Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah. The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1911; whereas East Timor is...
(OCA) president and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Aspire Zone Sports City was to be the centerpiece of the bid, much as it served in the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
. Qatar is in a growth period due to its petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
reserves, and like Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, is well situated to finance a large event. Doha is the only city in the Arab World
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
other than Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
to mount a serious bid, with pundits speculating the IOC may reward it by promoting it to the final shortlist. Although in a troubled area, Qatar is known as an open-minded country which is promoting acceptance and change and promoted a strong message of peace and acceptance for the region. In July and August, the average temperature in Doha can easily reach 45° C (113°F), thus they proposed mounting the Games in October. It is not without precedent (e.g. Mexico City
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
and Sydney
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
), but is technically outside the requirements. As Doha and Qatar in general (500,000 and 1,400,000 inhabitants, respectively) is among the smallest cities to bid to host the modern games, the Qataris would have to be innovative in bringing in spectators from neighboring countries to raise ticket sales. A side consideration is that like Azerbaijan, Qatar also has a short Olympic legacy, and has been criticised for its practice of giving "passports of convenience" to foreign athletes to pad their record.
Only two new venues were to have been built, a velodrome and a baseball stadium, although a new Athletes' village was to be designed. Khalifa International Stadium
Khalifa International Stadium
Khalifa International Stadium or also known as National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar as part of the Doha Sports City complex, which also includes Aspire Academy, Hamad Aquatic Centre, and the Aspire Tower. It is named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's former Emir...
currently seats 50,000, under the 60,000 to meet the IOC standards. Also, Qatar has plans to build the world's most advanced Paralympics stadium and the world's first underground stadium for matches during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup
2011 AFC Asian Cup
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in Qatar on 7–29 January 2011. It was the fifteenth time the tournament has been held, and the second time it has been hosted by Qatar, the other being the 1988 AFC Asian Cup...
in Qatar.
The Doha logo for the 2016 bid is the al dahma, the flower of the spring. The design uses motifs from traditional henna decorations and Doha is written in Arabic in the design.
Prague
| Prague | |
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| Overview | |
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| Score | 5.3 |
| Country | |
On March 22, 2007, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
confirmed its bid when the Prague Assembly voted 53-10-3 in support of launching an official bid. One of the most beautiful and visited cities in Europe, Prague fulfills the cultural aspects that the IOC seeks in a candidate. With a strong sports history and excellent accommodations, Prague had potential to make a memorable host. However, Prague has few venues in place; the plans included building three sport centers – a velodrome for cyclists in Prague or Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
; a swimming stadium that would be constructed from the existing Prague-Sutka Aquapark; and the major Olympic complex to be built in Letnany. At the Aquapark, circular pools would be built to represent the Olympic rings. Other boating venues would be in Lipno
Lipno
Lipno may refer to:* Lipno, Poland, a town in north-central Poland, seat of Lipno County*Lipno, Gmina Lipno in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Lipno, Świecie County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...
, Racice, and Troja. Prague planned to use the Sazka Arena (now the O2 Arena) for gymnastics, and in some way the city planned to use or refurbish Strahov Stadium
Strahov Stadium
The Great Strahov Stadium is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. The stadium is the largest in the world, and is the second largest sports facility worldwide after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, seating around 220,000....
. Further details have stressed that perhaps only 30% of construction would leave a permanent legacy.
After initial support from civic authorities such as mayor Pavel Bem
Pavel Bém
Pavel Bém is a Czech doctor and politician. Between November 28, 2002 and November 30, 2010 he served as the Mayor of the Capital City of Prague, re-elected 2006...
, Prague's bid became a long-shot. Considering the lack of current stadia and other important Olympic sports infrastructure and the 2012 London hosting of the games, Prague was warming up for a later Olympic bid. Prague struggled with broader support in the Czech Republic; even president Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
publicly worried about budget estimates and white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
s. A public opinion poll in October 2007 mustered a quite low 50% support.
Prague's bid logo features a branch from a laurel wreath
Laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
, a traditional symbol of victory and celebration.
Potential cities overview
Several AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cities expressed interest, such as Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
expressed much enthusiasm after their strong performance in the 2004 Games, but instead applied to host the 2010 Youth Games. Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
showed interest after some politicians considered an organisation between a Belgian city and a Dutch City after the Euro 2000 co-organized by both countries. Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics bid Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
expressed interest. Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India was originally set to enter a bid; however, in April 2007 it announced it would bid for the 2020 games
2020 Summer Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....
instead. Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
was also posed to make a serious bid, but in the end did not for unknown reasons. Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
and Sapporo were other internal candidates eliminated by the JOC. Houston and Philadelphia were eliminated by the USOC, San Francisco withdrew when it lost stadium funding and Los Angeles lost to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for the bid. Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
broke with its standing policy to bid for every game, but vowed to try again. Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal considered bidding. Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
The Mexican Olympic committee declined to place a bid. Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
expressed interest, but Canada abandoned any plans for a bid after Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
won the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
The sports minister expressed interest in a bid, but the Kenyan Olympics head said it was not the right time. Rome, Italy was a leading candidate for a time, but they pulled out, preferring to wait for 2020. São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
was considered, but the Brazilian Olympic Committee opted for Rio de Janeiro. /
San Diego and TijuanaTijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
discussed a joint bid for what would have been the first binational Olympics.
Predicting indices
Two websites, GamesBidsGamesBids
GamesBids.com is an Olympic bid news and information web site created in Toronto, Canada, by Robert Livingstone.The goal of the site, which was originally named Torontosummergames.com, was to follow the bid by the city of Toronto to organize the Games of the XXIXth Olympiad in 2008...
.com and Around the Rings, feature predicting indices which specialize in evaluations of Olympic Games bids. They periodically release analysis of the candidates and assigns them a score between 0 and 100, or 0 and 110 respectively. The score produces a number that can be used to rate a bid relative to past successful bids - and possibly gauge its potential future success. GamesBids.com's scale is called BidIndex, AtR's is called the Power Index.
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Both indice correctly predicted the winner, Rio de Janeiro, but failed to predict the poor showing of Chicago, which was the first to be eliminated from the final 4 as well as the strong showing of Madrid, who was the last contender against Rio.
Trademark controversy
Anticipating bids for the Summer Olympics by ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France, in 2005 a Parisian, Mr Gilbert L., registered the trademarks of "Paris 2016", "Paris 2020", "Paris 2024" and "Paris 2028" and associated internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
domain names. On March 14, 2007 the High Court of First Instance of Paris (Tribunal d'instance
Tribunal d'instance
In France, the Tribunal d'instance , is a judicial inferior court of record of first instance for general civil suits and includes a criminal division, the Police Court , which hears cases of misdemeanors or summary offences...
of Paris) ruled that the registration of the domain names was fraudulent and annulled the trademarks. (Paris was not mentioned in the bids for the 2016 Olympics.)
An issue arose for Chicago 2016 and Tokyo 2016 with regards to internet domain names. Both Chicago2016.com and Tokyo2016.com have been registered by entrepreneur Steve Frayne, who claimed the domains in 2004, as well as up to 40 other domain names with a similar city/year format that mimics the way Olympic Games are marketed. Frayne claimed he would launch a forum designed to openly discuss the benefits and pitfalls of holding the Olympics in Chicago; however, the website is mostly devoted to the disadvantages of making Chicago the host city. Attempts by the USOC to have the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) release the names has failed and it will now be up to U.S. federal courts to rule.
The Olympic bid candidature documentation published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) states that each bid must "...provide documentation indicating that appropriate measures have been taken to register domain names that are of value to your candidature such as '[City] 2016' followed by extensions .com .net .org as well as the country code concerned."
Rio de Janeiro has control of rio2016.com, which they registered in 2003 while bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
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