Obama Won’t Travel To Denmark To Back Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Bid

On October 2, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the capital of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Four cities are in contention: Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, Japan; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Chicago, USA. In recent years, it became somewhat of a tradition and a good omen for a contending nation’s leader to back their city’s candidacy. In 2005, Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair gave a promo speech for London in Singapore, which led UK to the victory in the race for 2012 Summer Games. In 2007, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin went to Guatemala to give support to Sochi 2014 bid, and again the Russian city prevailed in the competition.

So, now that an American city is contending for the title of the next Olympic capital for the first time since Salt Lake City won the bid in 1995, all eyes are on President Obama to show support for his hometown ahead of the October 2 vote.

However, rumour has it that Obama will not be going to Denmark to show his support for Chicago. While President Obama has previously backed Chicago’s bid by taking part in the Olympic promo videos for the city, he said that he has other more urgent matters, such as the health care reform, to attend to.

Interestingly, Spain’s, Brazil’s and Japan’s political leaders will all make their way to Copenhagen to promote their bidding cities. That, while Japan’s new PM Yukio Hatoyama, for example, is in the middle of a major political change in his country, where the political party in power has changed for the first time in over 50 years. So, it is not like other political leaders have time on their hands to go about Olympic business either.

However, first lady Michelle Obama will be rooting for her hometown city in Copenhagen. She is going down to Denmark to try to win some votes for Chicago.