Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics has been boosted by US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. America's first couple both addressed Olympic delegates meeting in Denmark to decide between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo as the 2016 host. Mr Obama said the United States was "ready and eager" to assume the "sacred trust" of staging the Games. Mrs Obama, a Chicago native, said: "I never dreamed the Olympic flame would light up lives in my neighbourhood." The presentation ceremony began at 0730 BST with Chicago's polished pitch. The winning bid is expected to be announced at about 1800 BST. Mr Obama, who described himself as "a proud Chicagoan", told members of the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen: "I urge you to choose Chicago. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "If you do - if we walk this path together - then I promise you this: The city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud." Tokyo were the next city to make their presentation, with Japan's newly elected prime minister Yukio Hatoyama underlining how they plan to host a 'green Games'. Mr Hatoyama said: "Tokyo will show the world how a great metropolis can host an Olympics without harming the environment. "Tokyo will provide a Games which assures personal security and environmental stability. It will show a harmony between humanity and nature. "It would be a great honour and privilege for the Japanese people to host the Olympics again, to savour together the image of the Olympic Games. We would honour the Olympic Charter in letter and spirit." Chicago are rated as slight favourites, but many commentators are describing the outcome as too close to call. "Any one of these four cities could deliver a great Olympics," said London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe. "This is probably the highest quality contest there has been. It is very close competition and it could all be decided by the final presentations." The city receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated round-by-round until one candidate secures a majority. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told the BBC: "I believe it's going to be very close - this is a trend we have seen in the last five to six years. "Security - not only physical but also in terms of the organisation - is very important. We need a very good Olympic Village, state-of-the art venues, a good transportation system. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "If beyond that we can have a very good home team and a very warm public, the game is almost over." A large factor behind Chicago's potential success could lie in the presence of President Obama, a former Illinois senator and Chicago resident. Obama arrived on board Air Force One in the Danish capital on Friday at 0650, but his wife has been there since Wednesday, lobbying IOC members. In the past, the impact of star personalities on Olympic bids has been key, demonstrated when lobbying by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair helped London win the 2012 Games and Russian President Vladimir Putin led Sochi's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, Chicago's rival bidders will also be boasting big names, with King of Spain Juan Carlos, the President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Mr Hatoyama, who only came into office two weeks ago, all coming to Denmark to lobby for their respective cities. A number of factors are considered by the IOC's voting members in determining an Olympic host city; political and social support, general infrastructure, sports venues, Olympic Village, environment, security, transport, accommodation, past experience, finance, and legacy. GORDON FARQUHAR'S BLOG Everyone I've spoken to here is hedging their bets, although Chicago and Rio de Janeiro seem to be out in front of Madrid and Tokyo
However, alongside these more fundamental considerations, other factors such as emotion, sentiment, geography, politics, self-interest and other factors also play a role - often making predicting a winner near impossible. The key to victory is picking up votes from the eliminated cities. The voting starts with all four cities in the hat and the candidate city with the least amount of votes is eliminated at the end of the first round. The IOC members from country of the rejected city then join the voting and a new vote is cast between the three remaining cities. This process is repeated until a majority is found, expected to be in the third round. Still, one major consideration is believed to mark Chicago and Rio de Janeiro as favourites. Although there is no official IOC continental rotation policy, it is believed the Americas may have an edge as previous Summer Games will have been held in Europe, Asia, Europe again and Australasia (although it is worth noting the 2010 Winter Games are in North America). And Rio will be hoping the opportunity to award South America the Olympics for the first time could prove decisive. US President Barack Obama arrives in Copenhagen on Friday Long-time IOC member Dick Pound noted recently: "Policy-wise, the IOC has to decide if we're ready to go to a new continent (South America). Is the time right?" Factors against Rio include concerns about crime and security in the area, an issue representatives from Madrid and Tokyo have drawn attention to in recent speeches and press releases. Some extra spice has been added to the process with a row breaking out after Spain's Olympic vice-president Jose Maria Odriozola labelled Rio as "the worst of the four candidates", breaking IOC rules about criticism of rival bids. Madrid officials swiftly apologised for the comments, but Rio have made an official complaint to the IOC over the incident. Madrid, loser to London in the 2005 bidding process for the 2012 Games, boasts a sound plan, having already built most of its venues. It also has the behind-the-scenes support of former IOC president and current honorary president Juan Antonio Samaranch and credit in the bank from previous bids. Tokyo also makes a compelling case on paper - a compact Games with superb green and redevelopment credentials.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "They (Tokyo Games) have been designed by athletes for athletes," said Mikako Kotani, a 1988 Seoul Games bronze medallist in synchronised swimming and head of the bid's athletes commission. "Ninety-seven percent of venues are within an 8km radius of the stadium and the athletes village. Seventy percent of athletes are less than 10 minutes from their venues." However, a win for Madrid would make it three European-based Olympics in a row (London 2012 and Sochi 2014 precede it), while Tokyo's bid could suffer from being too like and too close to Beijing, last year's hosts. The latest indicator of where the IOC's vote may be headed - their final evaluation report published at the beginning on September - only served to further blur the situation, with no rankings offered and all cities praised. British IOC member Craig Reedie said that the vote would be a "very, very close race between four outstanding bids". He said: "Because the bids are so good and because it is so close the last few hours are going to be even more exciting than usual."
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has selected Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.  IOC President Jacques Rogge made the announcement Friday in an IOC meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday.

The other three contestants, Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo, were eliminated in earlier rounds of voting.  Chicago was the first candidate city eliminated in voting, with Tokyo being dropped in the second round.  Rio de Janeiro was left to compete with Madrid.
Brazilian president Lula said that his country would "deliver an unforgettable Games."
Rogge said that Rio de Janeiro had "a very strong technical bid, built upon a vision of the Games being a celebration of the athletes and sport, as well as providing the opportunity for the city, region and country to deliver their broader long-term aspirations for the future." He added that "this call to 'live your passion' clearly struck a chord with my fellow members, and we now look forward to seeing Rio de Janeiro staging the first Olympic Games on the continent of South America."

"Rio is ready. Give us this chance and you will not regret it," Brazil's president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had told the committee before the vote. "Rio will deliver an unforgettable Games. You will see for yourselves the passion, the energy and the creativity of the Brazilian people." 

"All those people who thought we had no ability to govern this country will now learn that we can host the Olympics," Lula had said after the winning city was named. "There is a lot of work ahead of us and we will start working early. The Brazilian people are good and generous and the country deserves it."