 "Photo: Courtesy of MCT Campus")
The final vote is in and the winner might as well be the entire continent of South America. For the first time in the history of the games, the Olympics will be held in a South American city.
Today the International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge announced the 66 to 32 final vote in favor of Rio De Janeiro over Madrid, to hold the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Rio's victory comes after multiple failed attempts in 1936, 2004 and 2012. Much of the reason for Rio's unsuccessful bids has been blamed on crime and the city's inability to maintain a high level of security. However, the IOC may feel that Rio's $14.4 billion Olympic budget, the largest among all the bidding cities, is enough to put any doubt to rest for now.
The biggest surprise surrounding the selection may not be who won, but more so who did not. With rallying support from President Obama, many expected Chicago to be the host city of the 2016 games. However, the windy city didn't even survive the first round of voting.
Rio should have a pretty exciting couple of years as it is also scheduled to host the 2014 World Cup.
| Here are the final IOC voting totals for the 2016 Olympics: |
First Round |
|---|
| Madrid 28 |
| Rio 26 |
| Tokyo 22 |
| Chicago 18 |
| Second Round |
| Rio 46 |
| Madrid 29 |
| Tokyo 20 |
| Third Round |
| Rio 66 |
| Madrid 32 |
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