3 Oct 2009

Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympics

7:36 am on 3 October 2009

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics, the first South American city to ever win the rights.

Madrid and Rio de Janeiro were left to battle it out, after Chicago and Tokyo were eliminated in the first rounds of voting by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen.

In a major embarrassment for US President Barack Obama and America's first lady, who lent their unprecedented support to the bid by their home city, Chicago became the first city to be rejected.

Tokyo went out in the second round of voting.