Chicago 2016 chief is coy on the Obama effect

From Gerard Meagher, Sportsbeat, in Copenhagen

CHICAGO 2016 officials are doing their best to play down the arrival of Barack Obama for Friday's IOC Session in Copenhagen.

CAUTIOUSLY CONFIDENT: Chicago 2016 bid leader Patrick Ryan has been discussing the 'Obama effect' in Copenhagen (Getty Images)

Bid leader Patrick Ryan had been crowing about the decision of the US President to make a flying visit to Denmark in support of his adopted hometown.

But he is perhaps aware that some International Olympic Committee members believe the presence of Obama, if not correctly managed, could turn this Friday's vote into a sideshow.

Rivals Madrid, Rio and Tokyo are doing little to stop this feeling of uneasiness.

Rio's bid leader, Carlos Nuzman, refused to talk about Obama in today's news conference - claiming it would be 'unethical'.

He preferred to play up the attendance of Brazilian President, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who is spending longer in Copenhagen, schmoozing IOC members.

Asked about the ‘Obama effect', Ryan said: "It obviously changes many things.

"The President is coming to the city, people are very excited that he's coming and that Michelle is also coming. We don't know, nobody knows, if or how it impacts the race."

Some IOC members have privately expressed surprise that Obama will head straight back to Air Force One after addressing the Session during Friday's presentations.

He will be over the Atlantic when the result is announced in the early hours of Friday evening, European time.

Leading politicians have recently played more of a role in securing the Games - with London's 2012 bid and the Russian resort of Sochi's successful 2014 Winter Olympic campaign, both receiving heavyweight political support.

"The President has worked himself free to come over and be part of the presentation and go on back to his other responsibilities - we respect that," added Ryan.

"We're so thankful. We're not comparing this to Tony Blair or Vladimir Putin. We don't want to get into the politics. This is about sport. It's not about the influence of one individual."

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* Follow extensive coverage of the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, with breaking news reports and analysis from Sportsbeat's James Toney and Gerard Meagher in Copenhagen - www.morethanthegames.co.uk/121st-ioc-session