As many have heard about the announcement by now, Rio de Janeiro wins the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Rio was one of four finalists, including Chicago, IL. Chicago, however, did not even make it out of the first round in voting. President Obama did indeed give a speech to the Olympic Committee in order to push Chicago to get the bid, but did not convince the voters. In my opinion, Chicago would have been great for the Winter Olympics. When I think of Summer, I do not think of Chicago. Nothing against Chicago by all means because I was pulling for them. I just did not put a lot of faith into the voting.

After the second round, Tokyo, Japan was eliminated. This left Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Madrid, Spain. After the final voting round, Rio wins 66 votes to 32 over Madrid. Pretty big landslide. South America finally gets the right to host the Olympic Games. That is right. 2016 will be the first time the Olympic Games will be going to South America. The only two continents left who have not hosted the Olympics are Antarctica and Africa. Of course, there are people saying Rio does not deserve the Olympics because of the high crime rate and slums, but they are still deserving because of the natural beauty. And, you should have seen it coming seeing how South America has never hosted. In order for you to appreciate Rio, I will leave you with some of its history.

Rio de Janeiro is translated to "River of January". Rio is the capital city of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. It is also the former capital of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). Commonly known as just "Rio", the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or "The Marvelous City".

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ, known as Christ The Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival and Maracanã stadium, one of the World's largest football (soccer) stadiums.

If you wish to learn more about Rio, please visit http://www.v-brazil.com/information/geography/rio-de-janeiro/history.html.