Praise for Rio from beaten rivals in 2016 Olympic race

From James Toney, Sportsbeat, in Copenhagen

IN an Olympic race where you really do get nothing for second, losing bid teams have congratulated Rio de Janeiro on their 2016 host city success.

TO THE VICTOR, THE GAMES: Rio supporters celebrate on the famous Copacabana beach following the 2016 Olympic host city announcement in Copenhagen

US President Barack Obama, already back in the White House after his presentation in Copenhagen this morning, was magnanimous in defeat – praising the passion of the Brazilian bid team.

“One of the things that I think is most valuable about sports is that you can play a great game and still not win,” said Obama, who revealed he had telephoned Brazil’s President Lula to congratulate him moments after Olympic chief Jacques Rogge announced the result.

“I wish that we had come back with better news from Copenhagen but I could not be prouder of my hometown of Chicago.

“I think this is a truly historic event as these will be the first Olympic Games ever to be held in South America. 

“And as neighbours in the Americas, as friends to the Brazilian people, we welcome this extraordinary sign of progress and the fact that the 2016 Games will be in the Americas.”

Chicago bid leader Patrick Ryan, who should not shoulder the blame after running a solid campaign, added: “To use a sports metaphor, ‘we had a great team, we had a great plan but it wasn’t our day to win today.

“We fought a good fight, we had a good plan. That’s the way it goes.”

Tokyo, which was eliminated in the second round of voting, paid tribute to the campaigns of their rivals – and claimed they had no regrets about running.

“I would like to wish Rio de Janeiro every success for the 2016 Games and congratulate the bid team after running a fine campaign,” said Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara.

“I also wish to commiserate with Chicago and Madrid. Each city’s bid was exceptional, but I believe that Rio will stage an excellent Games.

“It is a day of mixed feelings for us as Japan has missed out on this particular Olympic and Paralympic dream.

“It has been an extraordinary two-year journey for Tokyo 2016, and the city will benefit greatly from the process. I believe we did Japan proud and I thank more than 100 million supporters in our country who helped us strive for gold.”

Meanwhile, senior International Olympic Committee members have rallied around shell-shocked Chicago – who polled a miserable 18 votes despite their favourites’ status and were eliminated in the first round of voting.

With much of the IOC’s $4 billion revenues coming from US sources, some fear an anti-Olympic backlash.

"I'm shocked. The only thing I can think of is that there was an Asian bloc voting in sympathy for Tokyo in the first round,” said Australian IOC member Kevan Gosper.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Denis Oswald – in charge of the IOC’s London 2012 co-ordination commission – hinted that the ongoing row between Olympic officials and the United States Olympic Association over revenue distribution could be to blame.

"It was a defeat for the USOC, not for Chicago,” he said.

AS IT HAPPENED : Today's 2016 Olympic host city presentations and vote, from Sportsbeat's James Toney and Gerard Meagher in Copenhagen