Mayor of London urges Rio to enjoy victory

By Gerard Meagher, Sportsbeat, in Copenhagen

 MAYOR of London Boris Johnson has congratulated Rio on winning the race to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and urged the South American city to enjoy their victory.

CONGRATULATIONS: Mayor of London Boris Johnson urges Rio to enjoy their victory

Rio romped through three rounds of voting to chalk up a stunning victory at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, collecting 66 votes to Madrid's 32 in the final ballot.

Similar to the way London won the Games four years ago in Singapore, Rio were far from favourites going into the Session with Chicago's Obama-powered bid expected to clean up.

But having implored the IOC voters to finally bring the Olympics to South America and convinced the 106 members Rio is ready for the Games, Johnson has called on the Samba city to revel in their moment in the sun.

"Hosting the greatest sporting event on the planet is a huge honour that will transform Rio de Janeiro as it is transforming London even before the first starting gun has been fired," said Johnson.

"I am sure that, like London, your wonderful city will stage a fantastic Games for athletes and spectators alike.

"Enjoy this moment of well earned celebration. Although the real hard work now begins, I look forward to welcoming you and your 2016 team to our city in the coming years, and will be happy to share our experiences of the road to 2012 as Beijing has done with us both before and since their awesome summer Games in 2008."

Meanwhile, London organising committee chairman Lord Sebastian Coe has given his backing to the decision.

"It's a good decision," he said. "We're really happy to hand over to a country that put young people at the heart of its bid, and to a continent that has never before hosted the Games.

"I would not have wanted to vote myself today because it really was a tough call."