Last Friday the International Olympic Committee was in a very tough position — four countries from across the globe were vying for the chance to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The voters were in a crux, ultimately handed with the decision of whether to give this honor of hosting the Olympics to the same typical economic power or to take a chance with a spectacular, albeit unproven city.
That city was Rio de Janeiro and it really didn’t matter who was up against it in the voting.
It just so happened that Tokyo, Madrid, and our beloved Chicago were the three other cities seeking the same spot. One could argue that Madrid couldn’t happen because London, a European city, was already hosting the 2012 Olympics. Similarly, Tokyo was a long shot not only because the city already got its chance to host the games (1964) but also because the recent Olympic spectacle that occurred right next to it in Beijing.
Dismissing Chicago as the host city is a more difficult task. First of all, the United States hosted the Olympic summer events four times in the past 100 years. Also, it just wasn’t the right time for the United States to hold an international event of this caliber. Hosting the Olympics in Chicago was so filled with qualms that even the powerful triumvirate of Oprah, Barack, and Michelle couldn’t help out in the end.
Rio, though, deserved to win and the decision to choose them as the host was the right one.
On a small scale, it was about how Brazil really deserved to host an Olympic event. Try as they might (and they already tried four times to host it), it just seemed like the international community harshly dismissed Brazil time and time again. The advancements and triumphs the country of Brazil had in the past few decades more than show just how ready it was for this.
And of course on a much bigger scale, one must bring up the point that in the more than one hundred years of the modern Olympics’ games, South America has hosted them exactly zero times. This crucial decision not only marks an acceptance of this continent and brings it into the international fold, but also gives much needed hope to Africa, the other continent that has yet to host.
Rio was the right host. It just couldn’t be denied much longer and it truly deserved hosting, even if that means it would trample over our city. Everyone has known that in their heart, perhaps for years, and the IOC ended up doing the right thing. Finally.
