Rio to host 2016 Olympics
Rio to host 2016 Olympics
Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics. The Brazilian city was awarded the summer games on Friday.
Rio will be the first South American city to host the Olympics, a fact which eTurboNews.com says may have swayed the voting committee.
Rio triumphed despite last minute lobbying from Barack Obama for his home town of Chicago.
The news was announced just before 1pm local time last Friday. The
Brazilian sports icon Pele was involved in Rio's campaign and borrowed Obama's familiar slogan 'yes we can'.
Brazil is also a popular contender to host the 2014 football World Cup. With the 2016 Olympics already under its belt, the country needs to build new sports facilities and improve existing stadiums and infrastructure. The Brazilian government expects costs will exceed $14m. Despite the considerable outlay, officials are confident that tourism will recoup the costs.
Rio plans to use 33 venues for the 2016 Olympics, including four football stadiums in other cities. 11 new permanent venues will be constructed, while a further 11 temporary structures will also be built. Eight existing facilities will be renovated.
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